Contents
The Iberian peoples spread across the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula. They lived in walled towns built in elevated areas. The houses were rectangular and were distributed forming streets. The Iberians were organized into tribes governed by a king. The majority of the population was dedicated to agriculture and livestock.
The Iberians were expert craftsmen, they made iron swords, ceramic containers and wool and linen fabrics. They used their own currency in exchanges.
Weapons among the Iberians were an expression of the values of those who had fought bravely and could carry them with pride in assemblies and ceremonies and offer them in rites celebrated in necropolises and other places of worship. The falcata is known as the Iberian sword par excellence.
The Iberian Falcata is the highest representation of the Iberians. Throughout the Mediterranean world, especially in Athens and Rome, the quality of the falcatas or short swords of the Iberians was admired. The Iberian blacksmiths pampered the artisanal manufacture of these weapons, forged with iron ore of the highest purity. The flexibility of the falcata was such that experienced blacksmiths placed it on their heads, bending it until the tip and handle touched their shoulders. If the falcata quickly returned to its straight position when released with a blow it was a work of art, if it was not melted again to be reforged. Blacksmiths designed falcatas with grooves to, in addition to improving their aesthetics, increase the qualities of resistance, lightness and flexibility of the blades. The falcata was a lethal weapon at short distances.
Iberians and Celts skillfully worked metal, they made wonderful swords, so they were also very good warriors. The Celts occupied the lands of the Meseta and the Atlantic coast in the Iberian Peninsula, like the Vascones. They lived in walled and elevated towns called forts.
The houses were circular and distributed in a disorderly manner. The Celts were organized into tribes, they supplied themselves with what they produced themselves, which is why trade was a very scarce activity. Most people were dedicated to livestock, although they also grew cereals. The Celts were specialists in the manufacture of metal objects.
The Celts used to use short swords, horseshoe daggers and antennae swords. The Celtic swords of the Iron Age were quite long in contrast to the small size of the swords of the Bronze Age.
The Celtic sword used to have antennae and its handle was shaped like a human being: the pommel corresponds to the head, the body corresponds to the hilt, and the legs are the guards that serve as protection for the hand.
