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Iberian Cultures: The Mediterranean and Transatlantic Blueprint

The Coins that Change-d Spain's History and Keep it Alive

Spain's history is a long and diverse one that saw the contributions of many different cultures. The Greeks, the Phoenicians, and the Romans were some of the first groups to inhabit and shape the country, and they played a large role in influencing Iberian language, culture, and lifestyle. One of the ways in which they did this was by bringing their ability to create coins to Iberia. Iberia was a land rich in metals, particularly copper, silver, and lead. This abundance in metals was the reason behind Iberia’s being a popular trading post, as parts of Europe would trade tin in exchange for Iberia’s metals. With this tin and their own copper, Iberians would create bronze, another metal with which they would make coins. These coins, whether Greek, Phoenician, or Roman, share much about ancient Spain and the societies that made it up in its beginning.

Greek

Though the Phoenicians were the first to settle in Spain, it was the Greeks who brought with them the concept of coin making. From them, Iberians learned how to make their own, mainly silver, coins. The Greek colonies of Rhode and Emporion in Catalonia were the first two places to begin the production of coins in Spain. In Greek society, these coins were often produced independently by the area or city in which they were to be used, a trait carried over to Iberia. Because of this, coins, while maintaining a general design, differed in appearance and occasionally weight. This also meant that even during Roman rule, Greek cities produced their own coinage, something that served as a means to depict local pride in addition to just currency.

Phoenician

The Phoenicians, initially unaware of how to make their own coinage, learned from the Greeks just as the Iberians did, in the late 5th century BC. Despite their late start, the Phoenicians produced many coins, called Punic coins, in the cities where they resided and many trading posts along the Mediterranean, allowing for quick exposure and movement of their coins. Some of these cities include Ebusus and Gadir, modern day Ibiza and Cádiz, respectively. At this time, Spain played a big role in the Atlantic Bronze Age, which can be seen by the fact that Punic currency was made primarily of bronze.

Roman

Despite the fact that the Greeks and the Phoenicians came before the Romans in Spain's history and that the Greeks are responsible for introducing the Iberians to metal coinage, Roman coins in Spain still made their own impact. Used as a minting city, modern day Cartagena, Spain was the site of the production of many Roman coins, though it was not the only one. Like with the Greeks and Phoenicians, Roman cities were each responsible for producing their own coins, which, again, allowed for local identity representation and a sense of pride. As a result of this, some Roman coins, also called denarii (plural for denarius), were made of varying metals, such as gold and bronze. Through continuous discoveries of these coins, several of which have occurred within the last few years, we can see that, like the modern American quarter and various modern Spanish coins, Roman coins often depicted a man on the front side and an animal, a horse in particular, on the back side. They also depicted inscriptions of Latin and the Iberian language, which have survived as a result of their preservation on the coins, and they depicted emperors of the time, which give us a look into how different emperors were represented and how economies were during different rules. According to some historians, the addition of coins into Iberian society was a step that signified, in some way, an advancement in their civilization that allowed for easier exchanging of goods and a building of wealth.

Overall, Spain's Greek, Phoenician, and Roman coins provide a look into the past and the role that they played in helping to create it, while allowing this history to continue surviving today.

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Contents of this path:
1. Roman Spain Manifested in Art and Architecture The Roman Empire's era of rule over the Iberian peninsula from about 200 BCE to around 470 AD left an undeniable mark on Spanish legacy and history, beginning a period of "Romanization" that encompassed several aspects of life, including the art and architecture of this region. Much of the artistic styling and architectural features of Roman rule are still visible in contemporary times, and underwent a revitalization during the Romanesque era of the Medieval ages, demonstrating the tremendous and lasting impact that the empire had on Spain. #Roman , #Architecture , #Painting
2. The Coins that Change-d Spain's History and Keep it Alive
Contents of this path:
1. Muslim's influence on Alchemy and Chemistry Spain is the land of great cultural richness, once known as the Iberian peninsula at some point in history. It has been greatly influenced by muslims, not only in its language but in other areas as well such as alchemy that later modernized chemistry. Alchemy is an area where philosophy, science, occultism, and theology come together. With the newfound knowledge, scientists were able to develop this information and implement it to what we know today, chemistry. #Muslim
2. Don Quixote: Reality versus Fantasy
3. Convivencia Throughout all of Spain's history there have been multiple cultures/religious groups that inhabited their land simultaneously. Between 700-1492 there were three religious groups that occupied one space in Spain, Al-andalus. These groups were Chirstians, Muslim, and Catholics. On this page, I will talk about how it was to live with different cultural/religious groups in that time. #Muslim, #Architecture
4. Early Modern Spain 1492 to 1567: The Debate Over Moriscos and The Expulsion In 1942 King Ferdinand and Isabella granted liberal terms to the Moors upon their surrender in Granada. Seven years later, in 1499 Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros lobbied against this policy and pushed an agenda of zero tolerance towards Islamic practices of any kind in Granada. The Treaty of Granada was not honored, and conflict began to arise. #Hybridity #Muslim #Christian #Jewish #Architecture #Artifact #Monarchy #Moorish
5. Moorish Influences in Art, Architecture and Language in the Modern World
6. Christianity as a Power Not Religion in the Spanish Inquisition The forceful conversion of non-Christians in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition, brings out the ways in which religion can serve as a cover-up for ulterior motives. Spain used Christianity to consolidate power and create a social hierarchy between Old and New Christians. People of non-Christian origins were considered inferior even if they had converted to Christianity. Spain through Christianity, was able to justify taking away rights, erasure of traditions, and prohibiting language. #Muslim #Christian #Moorish #Monarchy
7. The Co-existence of Religions and Cultures during Moorish Presence and Moorish impact on Architecture From 711 CE to 1492, Muslims, known as Moors, invaded the Iberian peninsula, conquering and controlling varying portions of Iberia. The Moors' ruling extended over eight hundred years, significantly impacting the Iberian culture. In this brief presentation, the Muslim’s imposition of tolerance towards other religions will be discussed regarding its influence of allowing an environment of co-existence of cultures and religions. Moreover, the Moorish influence on architecture will also be discussed with examples of different historical buildings. #Muslim, #Hybridity
8. Reconquista- Vision of the Christian Kingdoms
9. Roman Spain Manifested in Art and Architecture The Roman Empire's era of rule over the Iberian peninsula from about 200 BCE to around 470 AD left an undeniable mark on Spanish legacy and history, beginning a period of "Romanization" that encompassed several aspects of life, including the art and architecture of this region. Much of the artistic styling and architectural features of Roman rule are still visible in contemporary times, and underwent a revitalization during the Romanesque era of the Medieval ages, demonstrating the tremendous and lasting impact that the empire had on Spain. #Roman , #Architecture , #Painting
10. The Coins that Change-d Spain's History and Keep it Alive
11. Islamic Architecture has influenced Art around the world Islamic influene in Architecture has been very popular throught years. Architecture is very important because it is what builts up where soceity will inhabit. The Moorish population has a great influence to what Architecture is today. We still see how buldings all over the nations have adopted what Muslims felt was artistic to incorparate into buildings. Modern Architects still study the historical content of the moorish archistructure. #Moorish, #Architecture, #Art

Greek

Phoenician

Roman

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