Carpetani
Encyclopedia
The Carpetani were one of the Celt
ic pre-Roman
peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
(the Roman Hispania
, modern Spain
and Portugal
), akin to the Celtiberians
, dwelling in the central part of the meseta - the high central upland plain of the Iberian peninsula
.
and Alcaraz
highland ranges along the middle Tagus
basin, ocuppying a territory that streched from the Guadarrama
River at the north to the upper Anas (Guadiana
) in the modern provinces of Guadalajara
, Toledo, Madrid
and Ciudad Real
, an area designated as Carpetania
in the ancient sources. Main city-states (Civitates) in the region were Toletum (near modern Toledo
), Complutum (Alcalá de Henares
– Madrid; Celtiberian-type mint: Icezancom Conbouto?), Consabura (Consuegra
– Toledo), Barnacis (Orgaz
– Ciudad Real; Celtiberian-type mint: Bornaiscom), Laminium (Argamasilla de Alba
or Alhambra
– Ciudad Real) and Alce (Campo de Criptana
– Ciudad Real). Other lesser important towns were Aebura (Cuerva
– Toledo),
Metercosa (Madridejos
– Ciudad Real), Ispinum (Yepes
– Toledo), Miaccum (Casa de Campo
– Madrid), Mantua (Montiel
– Guadalajara), Thermida (Trillo
– Guadalajara), Ilarcuris (Horche
– Guadalajara) and Ilurbida (Lorvigo, near Talavera de la Reina – Toledo).
The exact location of the remaining Carpetanian towns is either uncertain or unknown, these being the cases of Dipo (near Toledo?), Libora, Varada, Titulcia, Caracca or Characa, Rigusa, Paterniana, and Alternia.
and Gallic
-Belgae
elements, whose ancestors arrived to the Peninsula in the wake of the Celtic migration at the 4th Century BC.
/early Iron Age
‘Campiñas de Madrid’ farmers’ and the ‘Cogotas I’ cultural groups.
and Celtiberians
against Consul
Marcus Fulvius near Toletum in 193 BC, but he was defeated in battle and captured; another Regulus
, Thurrus, ruler of Alce signed a treaty with Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
in 179 BC.
Prior to the 2nd Punic War, they opposed Carthaginian expansion in central Spain
, but in 219 BC
Hannibal defeated a combined force of Vaccaei, Olcades
and Carpetani, thus completing his conquest of Hispania south of the Ebro
with the exception of Saguntum.
They also provided mercenary troops to the Carthaginian armies, for Frontinus mentions the desertion of 3,000 Carpetani warriors from Hannibal’s army when he entered in Italy after crossing the Alps.
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic pre-Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
(the Roman Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
, modern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
), akin to the Celtiberians
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
, dwelling in the central part of the meseta - the high central upland plain of the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
.
Location
They inhabited since the 5th Century BC the ToledoToledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
and Alcaraz
Alcaraz
Alcaraz is a municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 1,734. The two bell towers facing each other at the centre of the town are noteworthy....
highland ranges along the middle Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
basin, ocuppying a territory that streched from the Guadarrama
Guadarrama
Guadarrama is a town in the Community of Madrid in Spain.Pop: 13032 , approx. 60000 .Co-ordinates . not true...
River at the north to the upper Anas (Guadiana
Guadiana
The Guadiana , or Odiana, is an international river located on the Portuguese–Spanish border, separating Extremadura and Andalucia from Alentejo and Algarve...
) in the modern provinces of Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, Toledo, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
, an area designated as Carpetania
Carpetania
Carpetania was an ancient region of what is today Spain, located between the Guadarrama, the mountains of Toledo, the river Guadiana and the mountain range of Alcaraz, including approximately, the present independent communities of Madrid and Castile. It was inhabited by the Carpetanos, a pre-Roman...
in the ancient sources. Main city-states (Civitates) in the region were Toletum (near modern Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
), Complutum (Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
– Madrid; Celtiberian-type mint: Icezancom Conbouto?), Consabura (Consuegra
Consuegra
Consuegra is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. In 2009 the municipality had a population of 10,932 inhabitants. It is 80 km from Ciudad Real and 60 km from Toledo....
– Toledo), Barnacis (Orgaz
Orgaz
Orgaz is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 2732 inhabitants. El Greco's painting "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz" features Don Gonzalo Ruíz, native of Toledo and Señor of the town of...
– Ciudad Real; Celtiberian-type mint: Bornaiscom), Laminium (Argamasilla de Alba
Argamasilla de Alba
Argamasilla de Alba is a municipality in Ciudad Real , Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 6,791.Cervantes was held prisoner here and refers to the place in the prologue to Don Quixote....
or Alhambra
Alhambra
The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...
– Ciudad Real) and Alce (Campo de Criptana
Campo de Criptana
Campo de Criptana is a municipality and town in the province of Ciudad Real in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha . It is found in the region known as La Mancha.-Historical development:...
– Ciudad Real). Other lesser important towns were Aebura (Cuerva
Cuerva
Cuerva is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 1421 inhabitants....
– Toledo),
Metercosa (Madridejos
Madridejos
Madridejos may refer to:* Madridejos, Cebu, a 4th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines* Madridejos, Toledo, a town in the province of Toledo, Spain...
– Ciudad Real), Ispinum (Yepes
Yepes
Yepes is a villa in the northern region of the province of Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain.- Population :...
– Toledo), Miaccum (Casa de Campo
Casa de Campo
The Casa de Campo is the largest urban park situated west of central Madrid, . It was formerly a royal hunting estate. Its area is more than ....
– Madrid), Mantua (Montiel
Montiel
Montiel is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain.The ruined castle on the hilltop above the town was the refuge for Peter of Castile after his defeat by the forces of Henry of Trastamara at the Battle of Montiel. He was lured into a meeting by Bertrand du Guesclin,...
– Guadalajara), Thermida (Trillo
Trillo
Trillo may refer to:* Trillo, an Italian word used on sheet music for Trill , a musical ornament* Trillo, a threshing-board used in some Spanish-speaking countries*Trillo , town in Spain with nearby Trillo Nuclear Power Plant...
– Guadalajara), Ilarcuris (Horche
Horche
Horche is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,775 inhabitants....
– Guadalajara) and Ilurbida (Lorvigo, near Talavera de la Reina – Toledo).
The exact location of the remaining Carpetanian towns is either uncertain or unknown, these being the cases of Dipo (near Toledo?), Libora, Varada, Titulcia, Caracca or Characa, Rigusa, Paterniana, and Alternia.
Origins
The Carpetani ruling elite certainly had CeltiberianCeltiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
and Gallic
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
-Belgae
Belgae
The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 3rd century BC, and later also in Britain, and possibly even Ireland...
elements, whose ancestors arrived to the Peninsula in the wake of the Celtic migration at the 4th Century BC.
Culture
In archeological terms, it is now believed that they stemmed from both the transitional Late Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
/early Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
‘Campiñas de Madrid’ farmers’ and the ‘Cogotas I’ cultural groups.
History
By the later part of the 3rd century BC, the Carpetani had evolved into a sort of federation or loose tribal confederacy whose nominal capital was set at Toletum, with several centres of power in the main towns ruled by petty kings (Reguli). Some of these Rulers appear to have risen to proeminence in the early 2nd Century BC – one king Hilernus led a coalition of Carpetani, Vaccaei, VettonesVettones
The Vettones were one of the pre-Roman Celtic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula .- Origins :...
and Celtiberians
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
against Consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
Marcus Fulvius near Toletum in 193 BC, but he was defeated in battle and captured; another Regulus
Regulus
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, lying approximately 77.5 light years from Earth. Regulus is a multiple star system composed of four stars which are organized into two pairs...
, Thurrus, ruler of Alce signed a treaty with Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus may refer to:*Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus , father of Tiberius and Publius Gracchus*Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus , son of the above...
in 179 BC.
Prior to the 2nd Punic War, they opposed Carthaginian expansion in central Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, but in 219 BC
219 BC
Year 219 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paullus and Salinator...
Hannibal defeated a combined force of Vaccaei, Olcades
Olcades
The Olcades were an ancient stock-raising pre-Roman people from Hispania that lived to the west of the Turboletae in the southeastern fringe of the Iberian system mountains.- Origins :...
and Carpetani, thus completing his conquest of Hispania south of the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
with the exception of Saguntum.
They also provided mercenary troops to the Carthaginian armies, for Frontinus mentions the desertion of 3,000 Carpetani warriors from Hannibal’s army when he entered in Italy after crossing the Alps.
External links
- Jesús R. Álvarez-Sanchís, "Oppida and Celtic society in western Spain," in e-Celtoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies, Vol. 6 (The Celts in the Iberian Peninsula)
- Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)