The Iberians were an ancient civilization located on the east and south coast of Spain. It consisted of various groups that even though they shared some characteristics, were not a homogeneous group and had a fair amount of differences. After the Roman invasion, it was called Hispania and became part of the Roman Empire.

The mythological world of the Iberian people is largely unknown. It was polytheistic and based on nature worship. Regardless of what can be found online, there is no real record of any names of Iberian gods in ancient texts or inscriptions of the time, except that of the god Betatun. It is known that their mythology was of Semitic influence since rituals were found to be consecrated to a female divinity related to the general concept of fertility and a male one related to war and the infernal world.

Over the years it is known that they carried out syncretisms with divinities (i.e. “copied”) from the Carthaginian pantheon, such as Astarte; from the Greek, such as Demeter or Kore, or even from the Roman, such as Dea Caelestis. Like their Celtic contemporaries, the Iberians carried out cults related to the fertility of crops, animals, and humans. Many votive offerings of oxen and other herbivores have also been found, which leads us to believe that there was a divinity associated with the world of horses and the concern of the Iberians for the fertility of their livestock.

Although their gods are unknown, it is known that the Iberians performed rituals for these gods that included: animal sacrifice, offerings, the use of psychotropic substances taken from plants such as mushrooms, group dancing, and much more.

 

 

Sources:

Grau Mira, I. and Rueda Galan, C., 2017. [online] E-revistas.uc3m.es. Available at: <https://e-revistas.uc3m.es/index.php/REVHISTO/article/download/4207/2792/> [Accessed 30 May 2022].