From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Basque Prehistory
Basque Prehistory
History of the Basque people This article deals with the prehistory of the modern Basque
Country. For a wider but less specific view see: Franco-Cantabri-
Prehistory and Antiquity an region, Prehistoric Europe, Prehistoric Iberia and Prehistoric
Basque Prehistory France.
The Prehistory of the Basque Country spans from the
Basque people in Antiquity
first hominin settlements, not older than c. 150,000 BP,
Middle Ages until at least the conquest by the Roman Empire c. 50 BC.
Duchy of Cantabria
Duchy of Vasconia
Lower Paleolithic
The Lower Paleolithic period, the work of Homo erectus,
County of Vasconia
left very few remains in the Basque Country. The first set-
Battle of Roncevaux Pass tlers may have arrived in the Riss-Würm interglacial pe-
Kingdom of Navarre riod, between 150,000 and 75,000 BP, carrying with them
the Acheulean technology. These people settle mainly in
Banu Qasi the lowlands, near the rivers Ebro and Adour, in the re-
Basque party wars gions of Araba, Navarre, Labourd and Lower Navarre.
Modern Age
The Basque Country in the Early Modern Age
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic period is defined by the Mouster-
Basque witch trials
ian technology and, in Europe, it is work of Homo nean-
The Basque Country in the Late Modern Age derthalensis.
These Neanderthals settled the Basque Country
Carlist Wars
somewhat more widely than their predecessors, coloniz-
Basque nationalism ing as well the high coastalands of Biscay and Gipuzkoa.
ETA
Neanderthal remains have been found in Lezetxiki and
Axlor caves.
Monarchs
Dukes of Vasconia and Gascony Upper Paleolithic
Kings of Pamplona and Navarre The hominin that became dominant in the Upper Pale-
Lords of Biscay olithic period was Homo sapiens. It includes a sequence
of archeological cultures that are basically the same for
Counts of Araba all the Franco-Cantabrian region.
Counts of Lapurdi In this period the interior (Mediterranean basin) was
seldom if ever inhabited, due to the limitations imposed
Viscounts of Zuberoa
by the cold climate.
Topical
Navarrese right
Châtelperronian
The Châtelperronian (called Lower Périgordian by some
Basque navigation
authors) is apparently still work of Neanderthal people,
Basque culture in view of remains found in France, and spans between
33,000 and 29,000 BC. In the Basque Country it is found
Basque literature
in caves like Santimamiñe (Biscay), Labeko Koba, Ekain
Politics of the Basque Country (Gipuzkoa), Isturitz (Lower Navarre) and Gatzarria
(Soule), as well as the open-air site of Le Basté (Labourd).
Timeline of Basque history
Basque portal
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Basque Prehistory
The Solutrean culture spans between c. 18,000 and 15,000
BC and only exists in the European south west, being co-
incident with the Last glacial maximum, a specially dry
and cold period.
The Basque Solutrean facies is intermediate between
the Cantabrian and Pyrenean ones and is found specially
in Aitzbitarte IV, Bolinkoba, Santimamiñe, Koskobilo, Is-
turitz, Hareguy, Ermittia and Amalda.
Magdalenian
The Magdalenian culture spans between c. 15,000 and
8500 BC and is widespread in Western and, in a later
moment, Central Europe, what is considered by many
as meaning a recolonization of the cold areas of Central
Europe from the comparatively warmer Franco-
Main Early Upper Paleolithic sites in the Basque Country
Cantabrian region, where it originated.
Magdelenian culture and its characteristic fine art is
Aurignacian widespread in the Basque Country. Some of the most rep-
Of the Aurignacian period, the so called proto-Aurigna- resentative sites are Santimamiñe, Lumentxa, Aitzbitarte
cian have been found in Gatzarria and Labeko Koba.
cian, IV, urtiaga, Ermittia, Erralla, Ekain and Berroberria.
The Aurignacian II is found only in a few sites in
Labourd: Le Basté and Bidart. Paleolithic art
The Evolved Aurignacian is found mainly in Biscay
and Gipuzkoa, in the sites of Lezetxiki, Aiztbitaterte IV,
Koskobilo, Benta Laperra, Kurtzia and Lumentxa.
Gravettian
The Gravettian period, also known as Périgordian, ac-
cording to the classical French sequence, that controver-
sially assimilates Chatelperronian and Gravettian in one
single cultural complex, this culture is found only in its
late developments in the Basque Country. Map of the Franco-Cantabrian region, showing the main sites
Most of the findings belong to the upper and final of cave art (red dots).
Périgordian (V and VI): Santimamiñe, Atxurra, Bolinko-
ba, Amalda, Aitzbitarte III, Lezia, Isturitz and Gatzarria. The oldest expression of mural art in the Basque country
The final phase of Périgordian VII is only found in Amal- could be in Venta La Perra (Biscay) showing animals like
da (Gipuzkoa). bear and bison, as well as abstract signs.
Nevertheless most of the artistic expressions belong
Solutrean to he Magdalenian period. The most important sites are:
• Arenaza (Biscay): deer.
• Santimamiñe (Biscay): bison, horse, goat and deer.
• Ekain (Gipuzkoa) is one of the most outstanding,
with 33 horses dominating the gallery. Also has
bisons, deers, goats, fish, bears and some abstract
signs.
• Altxerri (Gipuzkoa): bison, auroch, goat, ibex,
reindeer, deer, horse, carnivores, birds, fish and a
serpent-like drawing.
• Isturitz (Low Navarre): dominated again by the
horse, also includes bison, deer, goat, reindeer, a
feline and negative hand impressions.
Additionally 13 sites have yielded portable art, being
most notable that of Isturitz.
Main Middle Upper Paleolithic sites in the Basque Country
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Basque Prehistory
Epipaleolithic
Main Neolithic sites in the Basque Country
Main Magdalenian and Azilian sites in the Basque Country maining its inhabitants in a subneolithic situation almost
until the beginning of metallurgy in most of the territo-
In the Epipaleolithic period, as the Last Ice Age came to ry.
an end, Magdalenian culture experienced a regionaliza- The earliest evidence of contact with Neolithic peo-
tion all around Europe, producing new localized cultur- ples is in Zatoia, northern Navarre, with pottery remains
al complexes. In the case of the Basque Country and the dated to c. 6000 BP. The first evidence of domestication
Franco-Cantabrian region as a whole, this product was appears in Marizulo (Gipuzkoa) c. 5300 BP. These innova-
Azilian, that in alter period would incorporate the geo- tions gradually expanded, though hunter-gathering ac-
metric microliths associated with Tardenoisian and relat- tivities remained being important.
ed cultures. Overall the vast majority of important Neolithic sites
As the climate improved gradually, population in- are placed in the southern part of the country (Ebro val-
creased and colonized areas that before were out of ley): Fuente Hoz, Peña Larga, Berniollo and La Renke in
reach. The regions of Araba and most of Navarre were Araba; Zatoia, Abauntz, Peña, Padre Areso and Urbasa 11
hence colonized in this period. in Navarre; Herriko Barra in Gipuzkoa.
The period shows two phases, related to climatic con- In the early phases there is no evidence of domestica-
ditions: tion whatsoever exception made of the dog. Only in the
• The first one, of cold climate is largely a advanced Neolithic remains of ovicaprids (sheep or goat)
continuation of Magdalenian, with same sites and are found in sites like Fuente Hoz (Araba) and Abauntz
same hunt (deer mostly, but also bison, horse, goat, (Navarre). In the late phase, oxen and pig are found as
etc.). well. Seafood gathering remained being an important
• The second period, of warmer climate is that of he source of food in the coast.
colonization of the South and the vanishing of Lithic industry shows total continuity with the Epipa-
reindeer. While deers were still the main capture, leolithic (geometric microliths) but some new elements,
wild boar became more and more important. It also like sickles and hand mills, begin to appear as well. Stone
very noticeable the relevance acquired by seafood, polishing makes in this period its first appearance, be-
with a most noticeable case in Santimamiñe, where coming more frequent at later dates.
more than 18,000 shells have been found, fish and Pottery was initially very scarce, yet it became more
even terrestrial snails. common and variegated at the end of Neolithic (c. 3000
As in other post-Magdalenian areas, the disappearance of BC).
realistic cave art is quite noticeable. Instead the typical Burial customs became more defined in this period,
Azilian decorated pebbles have been found, as well as using specific burial spots like dolmens, mounds or caves.
some geometrically decorated bones and plates. Addi- A remarkable case is the massive burial site under rock of
tionally personal ornaments, made up of teeth or shells, San Juan Ante Porta Latinam (Araba) that included 8,000
are common as well. bone remains, belonging to at least 100 individuals.
The human type is sometimes defined as Western Pyre-
Neolithic nean, yet in the Ebro valley it appears mixed with Gracil
Mediterranean types. There are virtually no brachicephal-
The Neolithic is characterized by agriculture and animal
lic remains found in the Basque Country yet, in spite of
husbandry. In the Basque Country it was a late arrival, re-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Basque Prehistory
being more common in other areas of Europe since this probably a function of the number of people available to
period [1]. build the monument.
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic (Copper and Stone) period, also known as
Eneolithic or Copper Age, lasts in the Basque Country
from c. 2500 to c. 1700 BC.
Basques then inhabited in caves and open air sites,
being these more common in the South. There was an ev-
ident deographic increase in this period, starting already
at the end of Neolithic. While hunting was still of some
importance, specially in mountain areas, food production
became finally dominant.
Lithic industry persists but some tools were already
Basque dolmen of Elvillar, Araba
made of copper (axes, knives, etc.). Gold is also used for
ornaments.
The burial classified as mounds lack of chamber but
An important phenomenon in the late Chalcolithic is
were otherwise used like dolmens for collective burials.
the Bell Beaker phenomenon of pan-European extension.
There are around 800 dolmens known in The Basque
Also through all the period Megalithism, specially in the
Country and c. 500 mounds, though some of these could
form of burials in dolmens, was widespread.
be dolmens as well, in wait of excavation.
Only a few Basque dolmens have clear stratigraphies,
Megalithism due to the usage of removing older remains to make
room for new burials. In spite of this difficulty, it’s known
that megalithic burial customs arrived to the Basque
Country in the late Neolithic being very frequently used
in the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, and, in the case
of some mounds, as late as the Iron Age.
Other megalithic structures, such as standing stones
(menhirs) and stone circles (cromlechs) seem to belong to
later periods, specifically the Iron Age.
Bronze Age
Extension of Megalithism in Europe and nearby areas
The Basque Country has multitude of megaliths, de-
scribed as dolmens or mounds, sometimes confusingly.
They are in any case burials of collective nature, placed in
spots of great visibility, often on top of mountain ridges.
The materials used are always of local origin.
Dolmens are the most typical, being formed by a
chamber delimited by flat stones, often quite large, cov-
ered by another stone as roof. The monument was then
covered by stones and earth, making up a mound.
The chambers are of two types: simple or with corri- Chalcolithic and Early-Middle Bronze Age sites in the Basque
dor. The first are more common, while the latter are lim- Country
ited to the Ebro valley area. Dolmens are also classified
by their size, normally the largest ones being in lowland The Bronze Age spanned from c. 1700 to c. 700 BC. It
areas and the smaller ones in mountain zones. This was is largely a continuity of the previous period. Gradually
bronze tools replaced stone and copper ones and we can
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Basque Prehistory
find the first fortifications, that would become very com- The Atlantic basin remains less developed and purely
mon in the last centuries of this period. rural but there are many coincidences with the south.
This age is divided in three subperiods: There are many sites, especially in the Northern Basque
• Early Bronze Age (c. 1700-1500 BC): occasional use of Country, that are awaiting archaeological excavation.
bronze, larger pots. The economy became more and more centered in
• Middle Bronze Age (c. 1500-1300 BC): generalization agriculture, specially cereals, with less importance of cat-
of bronze tools, first fortifications, first decoration of tle and a marginal role for hunt. There is evidence of
pottery (cordons). growing importance of bovine cattle (oxen).
• Late Bronze Age (c. 1300-700 BC): bronze arrow Burial customs also changed, with a clear dominance
points, variety of pottery decoration, spread of of cremation in the Iron Age. The treatment of the ashes
fortifications. varies instead with burials in stone circles (cromlechs),
Megalithism continued for most of the period, yet exter- mounds, caves, cists or urn fields.
nal influences became increasingly noticeable since the
Middle Bronze Age. In Araba the influence of Cogotas I
is quite remarkable, while in the copper mine of Urbiola
(Navarre) brachicephallic types, surely original from
continental Europe, make up a 30% of all remains[1].
Iron Age
Cromlech of Okabe, Lower Navarre
The individual burial in cromlech is the most aboun-
dant but limited to the Pyrenean region, where 851 of
these funerary monuments are documented. These crom-
lechs have diameters of 3–7 meters, with the burial locat-
ed in the middle. Corpses were not cremated inside the
cromlech but in a nearby spot, with only a handful of ash-
es being carried to the monument in fact.
Late Bronze and Iron Age sites in the Basque Country Cave, cist and urn field burials were rare, the latter
are only found in two sites at the Ebro valley. Cist burials,
During the Iron Age in the first millennium BC, with the surely related to Iberian customs, have been found at
arrival of Urnfield culture (proto-Celts) to the southern La Hoya. Additionally many young children have been
edge of the Basque Country (Ebro valley), there are some found bruied inside homes.
findings of iron tools and weapons. In the rest of the Art was mostly limited to decorative purposes, espe-
country it seems, from the few remains found, that the cially in pottery. Some cases of painted geometric dec-
people remained in the cultural context of the Atlantic orations in homes, with an occasional human figure as
Bronze Age for some time. well, have been found in the prolific sites of southern
Urnfield influence is limited to the Ebro valley, pen- Araba (La Hoya, Alto de la Cruz). Some alleged idols and
etrating the Basque Country specially in Araba, where carved wooden boxes are also known of. Schematic mural
a peculiar facies of this culture, influenced as well by painting, in caves or exposed rocky walls, dates, accord-
pre-Indo-European cultures of Aquitaine and the Iberian ing to some authors, from this period as well.
plateau (Cogotas I), exists [2]. On this substrate, an irregular Romanization would
Since c. 400 BC, there is a noticeable Iberian influence take place at the beginning of our age. Some towns like La
in the Ebro valley and central Navarre. Iron then became Custodia (Biana, Navarre) would become clearly roman-
widespread, along with other advances such as the pot- ized, while others not far away, like La Hoya, would re-
ter’s wheel and an increase of production of cereal agri- tain their original native character fully.
culture, that would allow for a larger population. Urban-
ization became more elaborated as well, with reticular
street design in sites like La Hoya (Biasteri, Araba).
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Basque Prehistory
Sources [2] F. Jordá Cerdá et al., Historia de España I:
Prehistoria, 1989. ISBN 84-249-1015-X
[1] ^ Xabier Peñalver, Euskal Herria en la Prehistoria,
1996. ISBN 84-89077-58-4
See also
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Categories:
• Basque history
• Prehistoric Europe
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