The term Iberian refers to the Iberian Peninsula (named by early Greek navigators after the Iberus - now Ebro - River) of Western Europe, on which rest countries like Spain. The Greeks and Romans of late classical times referred to the many Spanish tribes of the region (related, but speaking a variety of similar tongues) as Iberians. Back a few thousand years earlier, these tribes held a more significant place. In other words, the dominant Mediterranean race (of that era) was the Iberian Race, also referred to as the Mediterranean Race, since they spread themselves around the region.

The Iberians may have settled the Peninsula about 8,000 years ago, though they could have ventured there earlier; it is believed that this race was descended from the Azilian-Tardenoisians who thrived in the Pyrenees about 10,000 years ago. What is known is that they basically became the dominant race of the whole region. By this I mean that they were the most successful in terms of achievement, as they were keen navigators of the Mediterranean, and they set up mines for flint and ochre. There does not seem to be much evidence that says they went conquering neighbouring races.

Iberians were small in stature, with ovoid or ellipsoid crania, meaning they resembled the peoples of ancient Greece, Italy, Asia Minor, Egypt, Ethiopia, and North Africa. It is assumed that they had a coppery skin colour like many of their contemporaries. They live on today in the form of the Basque people of the Pyrenees region of the Peninsula.

Another name for the Iberians is the Eur-African race, such was the success of their travels. Many credit this group with being the first real sea-farers, and it is known that they spread throughout southern Europe, Egypt, Britain and Norway. It is also said that they spread their worship of a Neptune-like deity to these places, especially Egypt.

In Roman times, the Iberians were known to the Italians as Atlanteans and raised types of towers known as nuraghi in the Balearic Isles and talayots in Sardinia. The beehive tombs of Mycenae have also been attributed to the Iberians, as well as the brochs of Scotland.

Many believe the Scottish Picts to be Iberian descendents, while others include the Welsh as well. There seems to be no argument, however, that the Spanish Basques are the descendents of this race.

Though artefacts have been found as far away as Wales in the British Isles, most have been found in ancient refuse heaps, caves and grottoes in Western Europe. Iberian coins show that they used an alphabet similar to western Greek; they also show place names still in use by the Basques, pretty much proving the ancestry of the latter. Not that coins and place names are needed to prove the link between Basque and Iberian - the Basque language is seen as the only surviving local tongue with direct roots to ancient Iberian.

Many are now speculating that this copper-skinned race had a far greater influence on the evolution of races than previously thought. Many races have come and gone, and so many thought the Iberians probably just became the Iberian barbarians encountered by the Romans. However, many modern scholars are entertaining the possibility that the Iberians could have become some of the races we assume were only influenced by them. What this means is that the Celts could well have been a tribe of this copper-skinned peoples, as could have been the early Egyptians.

Admittedly, migration routes are not enough to go by, but there are similarities between the races that bear noting. One compelling clue to a shared ancestry is to be found in comparing myths and religious symbols. Legends, etc, have long been used to show a past association between different peoples. This time, however, the similarity between certain mythical archetypes has prompted the search for a common ancestor.

The one that is most noticeable is the male hero archetype of Arthur/Osiris. Once again, I have to admit this is not evidence in itself, especially considering this type of mythical figure is common all over the world; Jungian psychology even looks at this as proof of the existence of the collective unconscious. It is of course possible that ancient Celts and Egyptians merely encountered the more advanced Iberian race, adopting some of their stories and customs. In the opinion of myself and many others, the importance of the male hero archetype in both cultures (as well as the similarities I will discuss shortly) seems to point to a much greater interaction than just trade or chance meeting with the Iberians.

Both the legendary Celtic King Arthur and the Egyptian god Osiris were very important deities to their respective people. They depicted the shining power of the Divine, yet encompassed the struggles of humanity. This imperfect divinity brought about the wounding of both, yet they won over darkness in the final hour.

Even the names of our heroes are very similar: Arthur, and Ousir (Osiris, as he is usually known, is actually the Greek rendering of Ousir). Of course, this could be coincidental, considering Arthur is Greek in origin. Then again, it could be that early Celts changed the name of their hero after encountering the Romans (who could have brought the name over, considering they were lovers of all things Greek). Most scholars suggest that the name change happened a few hundred years after the Romans, during the time known as the Dark Ages.

The name Arthur is now widely thought to come from one of the Princes of Strathclyde (Welsh or Brythonic kingdom between Lothian in Scotland to Wales). Since British tradition associates Arthur with the area, it is probably safe to assume that he was a mixture of a real heroic figure and an ancient god (for more info on Arthur, click here).

So the Celts and Egyptians could well have had a common ancestor in the Iberian Race, though there would be little doubt that they mixed with local tribes. History as shown that when something new and better comes along, old ways are often discarded. Tribes who had mixed with the Iberians therefore could have found it necessary (or, indeed, inevitable) to take on the culture of the new-comers, or at least blend it into their own. That would account for major differences between the Celts and Egyptians, though time itself could be the main factor.

My personal view is that the Iberians set up various colonies throughout North Africa, mixing with indigenous peoples, perhaps even fathering the ancient Egyptians. If the ancient Egyptians already had an identity of their own, the Iberians could have contributed to the culture of the former (especially in the ways of sea-faring).

I also believe that other new races had slowly begun moving onto the Iberian Peninsula as the Spanish tundra of the Ice Age gave way to a more hospitable climate, and that the dominant sea-faring race mingled with them as well. It is conceivable that a union with one of the wandering tribes produced the Celts, but I personally feel the story of the latter goes back further. However, I believe a mingling between Iberians and Celts occurred, because of similarities in art amongst other things. There would be little doubt that the Iberians mixed with hardy peoples who had survived tundra life there for thousands of years (Spanish Aurignacians had moved there at least 30,000 years ago); whether such unions gave birth to tribes like the Celts is a subject for debate.

The Iberians are still so much of a mystery to us, yet it is apparent that they had at least some influence on races around them. Some of the early sea-faring races, like the Phoenicians, could have been the descendents of locals and Iberian colonials. One thing is for sure though - archaeologists and historians will keep looking till we have a clearer picture.