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Harlan
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Berkeley, CA, USA
Aug 2005 time: 21:15
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Fiera,
I think I mentioned earlier - to about 100 BC. I want it far enough so that any Punic Wars would definitely be over, yet not so far that the dominant power grows so strong that it stretches beyond this region. So I figure 100 is a good ballpark for that.
Aside from having Greece in there as a direct political involvement, its also good to have for trading reasons. For the same reason it would be nice in theory to have the whole Med, but then that quickly leads to too many cities, civs and so on.
Himilco was Carthaginian - I think its estimated he did his voyage around 475 BC. He didn't so much discover anything as rediscover, since something seems to have happened in the 500s to the Phoenicians in Iberia, so if they had a route to England and colonies along the way, it was all broken for 50 or more years.
Another important factor is that with the rise of the use of iron, tin wasn't so vital any more, though it still was definitely worth trading.
The Massalian route didn't completely replace the Tartessian route AFAIK, but it did open up competition.
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Fiera
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Proud Member of the Spanish Gang
Mar 2000 time: 06:15
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quote: Originally posted by Harlan
Fiera,
I think I mentioned earlier - to about 100 BC. I want it far enough so that any Punic Wars would definitely be over, yet not so far that the dominant power grows so strong that it stretches beyond this region. So I figure 100 is a good ballpark for that.
Aside from having Greece in there as a direct political involvement, its also good to have for trading reasons. For the same reason it would be nice in theory to have the whole Med, but then that quickly leads to too many cities, civs and so on. |
Just my opinion, but I reckon you're half way between two logical scopes, either a Western Mediterranean deadlock between Rome and Carthago, or a full-blown Mediterranean Conquest scenario, in the like of the original MicroProse Rise of Rome, or Imperium Romanum, by BeBro. As it stands, the scope you chose seems rather "undefined" to me.
You definitely should leave Tartessos aside since they seem out of scope either way.
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Harlan
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Berkeley, CA, USA
Aug 2005 time: 21:15
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Now, explanations of these maps.
The first map I thought was interesting in showing how much the Cadiz - Seville area has changed over time. If you're looking for "Tartessos City", you're not gonna find it in the ocean! This reminds me of something Fiera said recently, namely that "Tartessos City" should be on the Guadalquivir River. I think there's no way to know which river was being talked about, and its equally or more likely to be the Rio Tinto river, if there was such a thing at all.
Apparently the Ebro River delta also didn't exist back then - I've been changing my map.
The second map is the first I've seen to even dare place native Iberian towns on a map. I'm guessing these date from about 200 BC, but that's better than nothing. Does this give us a better idea which ones were around 300 years earlier?
The third map I think solves my problem of what civs to add to Iberia, if any. The Celtic book its from talks about an Atlantic culture in Iberia, France and Britain that shared more with each other than with nearer neighbors. The thing keeping the continuity alive was the tin and other mineral trade. Only slowly did the Celts push them out. These were the borders roughly around 500 BC. So I'm gonna add them, but I don't know what to call them, since their name is lost to history. I'm thinking maybe Galacians though, a name applied to people both in the Galacia part of Spain and groups in France.
Another map I saw has nearly the exact same cultural boundaries, even though this one is only showing "core zones".
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Harlan
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Berkeley, CA, USA
Aug 2005 time: 21:15
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"Just my opinion, but I reckon you're half way between two logical scopes, either a Western Mediterranean deadlock between Rome and Carthago, or a full-blown Mediterranean Conquest scenario, in the like of the original MicroProse Rise of Rome, or Imperium Romanum, by BeBro. As it stands, the scope you chose seems rather "undefined" to me."
Fiera,
You're talking about the end date, right? I only want to make sure the scenario lasts long enough to resolve the Rome Cartago battle for West Med dominance. In our world, that ended around 150 BC, but I want to leave some time in case in an alternate world it takes a little longer to determine a winner. Once you get much further than 100 BC in our world, the Romans start spilling over the map I've got.
By the way, Waku, another thing I learned today is that the Greek place called Hemeroskopion really wasn't worth much. Basically a seasonal camp, not even a village. I don't know why it shows up on so many maps. Maybe cos its one they know the location of, whereas the bigger Greek colonies in that area still haven't been found yet (as the second map I've posted ably points out). In fact, it turns out that many or most ruin sites in Iberia haven't been seriously excavated yet, so much remains to be learned.
One thing I thought very interesting that I found out today concerns the story of Kolaios. He's the Greek mentioned by Herodotus who accidentally was carried by a storm past Phoenician defenses to Tartessos, and came back with a huge fortune. The thing I found interesting is that he built a famous statue in his home island of Samos to give thanks to his luck. It turns out that Herodotus and other famous Greeks saw this statue with their own eyes, since it was in Greece itself and stayed around a while. That to me goes a long way to verify his story.
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Fiera
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Proud Member of the Spanish Gang
Mar 2000 time: 06:15
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quote: Originally posted by Harlan
The first map I thought was interesting in showing how much the Cadiz - Seville area has changed over time. If you're looking for "Tartessos City", you're not gonna find it in the ocean! This reminds me of something Fiera said recently, namely that "Tartessos City" should be on the Guadalquivir River. I think there's no way to know which river was being talked about, and its equally or more likely to be the Rio Tinto river, if there was such a thing at all. |
In fact, this map adds probability to Hispalis (ancient Seville) being Tartessos City. 
quote:
The third map I think solves my problem of what civs to add to Iberia, if any. The Celtic book its from talks about an Atlantic culture in Iberia, France and Britain that shared more with each other than with nearer neighbors. The thing keeping the continuity alive was the tin and other mineral trade. Only slowly did the Celts push them out. These were the borders roughly around 500 BC. So I'm gonna add them, but I don't know what to call them, since their name is lost to history. I'm thinking maybe Galacians though, a name applied to people both in the Galacia part of Spain and groups in France. |
Schulten calls these people the Oestrymnians. I have this name used in some other places, but I'm not sure whether Schulten was the first to use it. Tartessians are supposed to have traded tin with them.
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Fiera
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Proud Member of the Spanish Gang
Mar 2000 time: 06:15
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quote: Originally posted by Harlan
Fiera,
You're talking about the end date, right? I only want to make sure the scenario lasts long enough to resolve the Rome Cartago battle for West Med dominance. In our world, that ended around 150 BC, but I want to leave some time in case in an alternate world it takes a little longer to determine a winner. Once you get much further than 100 BC in our world, the Romans start spilling over the map I've got. |
Not only the end date, I was actually talking about the map you're gonna use too, sorry I didn't make it clear enough. I think if you're not going to include the whle Mediterranean, it's better to go ahead just with the Western Med, which is a "logical" division. Having Athenians, Spartans and Persians out will surely make things easier for you.
Also, I'd say that the battle for Western Med dominance was already resolved at 202 BC. Carthage wasn't a real menace for Rome thereafter, they were allowed to keep just a few ships and their power wasn't comparable to that of Rome. In the end, Rome chose to wipe Carthage out because they had inherited a sort of psychological fear to Carthaginians from the days of Hannibal, I guess...
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Marquis de Sodaq
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... no, a Marquis.
Jul 2000 time: 23:15
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quote: Originally posted by Harlan
...Hemeroskopion really wasn't worth much. Basically a seasonal camp, not even a village. I don't know why it shows up on so many maps. Maybe cos its one they know the location of, whereas the bigger Greek colonies in that area still haven't been found yet |
If somebody put it on a map because they identified it, the next people to print about that area will include it, regardless of how insignificant it might have been. As you suggest, until more important places can be positively located, the minor place will stay on the map. As a justification, the geographer leaves open the possibility of this providing a reference point for any future clues.
The down side is that many ancient and even more recent maps have duplicated locations simply because they appeared on a previous map. After centuries it turns out that the first map maker, who the others all copied, made something up. A famous example is the european efforts to map west africa. Just to fill blank areas, the first map makers made up geography - complete with names and descriptions! Later map makers had no better source material, so it was propogated. Anyway, there was supposedly a huge mountain range across Nigeria - not until the end of the 19th century did this range stop appearing on maps.
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Harlan
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Berkeley, CA, USA
Aug 2005 time: 21:15
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Regarding Kolaios,
I think its clear that he wasn't implied to be the first to discover Tartessos, but rather the first GREEK to discover Tartessos. Big difference. And yes, Phoenicians could and did trade Greek goods, and in fact most of the Greek goods found in Iberia are thought to have been traded by the Phoenicians, actually.
Also, he may not have been the first Greek either, but his main claim to fame was simply coming back with such a fortune - an ancient rags to riches story.
One reason Hemeroskopeion may get all the press is cos it was also a prominent cape, and thus figured prominently in all the peripluses of the time. I haven't been able to find anything else about the supposed largest Greek colony of Thurias in this area. So maybe, according to the below map, Alonae, was the Greek settlement in this area? Is that the same as the Alonis Jay Bee talks about?
"Schulten calls these people the Oestrymnians"
Lacking anything better, I guess I'll use that.
"In fact, this map adds probability to Hispalis (ancient Seville) being Tartessos City"
Perhaps Seville itself. What is known about that city's ancient history?
Prometheus, I'll take your map, and I still need help on knowing which cities are in or out - please more wisdom from our Spanish experts! 
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Harlan
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Berkeley, CA, USA
Aug 2005 time: 21:15
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quote: Not only the end date, I was actually talking about the map you're gonna use too, sorry I didn't make it clear enough. I think if you're not going to include the whle Mediterranean, it's better to go ahead just with the Western Med, which is a "logical" division. Having Athenians, Spartans and Persians out will surely make things easier for you. |
First, you're ignoring the trade ties between Greece and the West, which are vital. There actually were a number of military ties as well that easily could have been much more important if things went a little different. The Athenian attempt to conquer Syracuse, for instance. Or Pyrrhus's attempt to control Italy and Greece.
quote: Also, I'd say that the battle for Western Med dominance was already resolved at 202 BC. Carthage wasn't a real menace for Rome thereafter, they were allowed to keep just a few ships and their power wasn't comparable to that of Rome. In the end, Rome chose to wipe Carthage out because they had inherited a sort of psychological fear to Carthaginians from the days of Hannibal, I guess... |
You're right that the last Punic War wasn't much of a fight. However, the main reason for it was because Carthage was rebounding so quickly and strongly. It was clear that soon they would be back to former strength.
By the way,
Here are some more things I learned looking at Harrison's Spain at the Dawn of History book (unfortunately I couldn't check it out).
Ullastret - one of the first and biggest towns in Spain, from about 700 to 200 BC. In very close symbiotic relationship with Emperion. The name sounds strange to me - is that the real name of the town, or just the name of the site?
Tivissa and Tarragona potential early towns. Tarrragona hard to say cos completely rebuilt in the Roman era.
Castulo was a big one, and Carmona.
The Ebro valley generally didn't urbanize until later. Most towns would be near the Western and Southern coasts. Harrison says the ancient Greek writers are probably the best guess sources right now, since so little archaeology has been done on this topic, especially outside Aragon and the Guadalquivir.
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Fiera
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Proud Member of the Spanish Gang
Mar 2000 time: 06:15
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quote: Originally posted by Harlan
First, you're ignoring the trade ties between Greece and the West, which are vital. There actually were a number of military ties as well that easily could have been much more important if things went a little different. The Athenian attempt to conquer Syracuse, for instance. Or Pyrrhus's attempt to control Italy and Greece. |
Yes, you're right regarding these ties, but that's nothing you could easily depict via events, or wonders (for the trade ties). That way you're sure this external influences on Western Med are going to happen indeed, if you trust the AI, nothing will happen... The only interesting thing would be to play as the Athenians, or even as the Epirus, but then, wouldn't a complete Mediterranean map be more useful?
I know I'm being a teaser, but this is quite similar to a idea I've been toying with myself... 
I think I'll be able to provide you with more info on the berian cities tomorrow. For now, I'll just point out that according to my references, silver coins made in Rhode at 400 BC have been found.
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