If a text on ancient history references Iberia, don’t automatically assume you know the location. It could be indicating one of two places, separated by 4,000 miles on the map of antiquity and a universe apart in the ancient world.
Most likely the reference is to the Iberian peninsula, the geographic region containing modern-day Spain and Portugal. The name was first used by the Greeks, and adopted by the Romans as “Hispania.” It is believed that the origin of the word is in the word “Iber,” which the ancient Iberians used to say river (which may have survived in the modern name or the Ebro river, which was named by the Romans Iberus Flumen, or River Iber).
However, there was also the Kingdom of Iberia, the predecessor to modern-day Georgia in the southern Caucasus. Also called “Caucasian Iberia” or “Eastern Iberia” to distinguish it from the peninsula, this kingdom lasted for close to a thousand years from the 4th century BC to the 5th century AD, and later became the Principate of Iberia under Persian control and then the Theme of Iberia under the rule of the Byzantine Empire.
Today there are no states or kingdoms called Iberia, but in the United States there are two local bodies, the town of Iberia in Ohio, and Iberia Parish in Louisiana.
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España e Iberia. Puestas en duda « Cultura de Defensa added these pithy words on May 02 08 at 8:54 am[...] lugar a la expulsión de las tropas francesas de España, me he topado con una entrada en “Cominganarchy” que es, cuando menos, [...]
Patrick added these pithy words on 28 Apr 08 at 6:56 pmalso fun to note are the “albanians” of the caucaus (who inhabited the region near and around iberia and the “albanians” who the roman’s called “illyrians” who constitute the population of the modern state of albania. another “double” in history.
kende added these pithy words on 29 Apr 08 at 12:43 amSimilar to the two Galicias. One Galicia is the northwestern-most region in Spain, the other a region in Central Europe that has alternated between Austro-Hungarian and Polish claims/spheres-of-influence. I do wonder whether the eastern Galicia is spelled and pronounced at all the same in the Slavic, Hungarian, or Austrian variants as it is in the English. The Iberian Galicia is the same in English and Spanish both (unless you count differences over the Castellian ‘c’.
Rommel added these pithy words on 29 Apr 08 at 1:03 amTwo Albanias too, although I suspect its not quite as analogous.
Curzon added these pithy words on 29 Apr 08 at 3:43 amHi guys—all of these are subjects of future posts, thanks!
Aceface added these pithy words on 29 Apr 08 at 5:00 pmDon’t forget Benin,the republic(used to be called as Dahomey before 1975.)and Benin,the kingdom of which was pre-colonial African kingdom existed in today’s Nigeria.
Curzon added these pithy words on 29 Apr 08 at 11:04 pmGhana’s in the same boat: the historical kingdom of Ghana was separated by about 1,000 miles from the modern state of Ghana.
lirelou added these pithy words on 01 May 08 at 1:48 amKende. perhaps the standard of comparison should not be Castilian, but “Gallego”, which has more vowels that Castilian, and a double “ll” whose pronounciation is not the “ye” of Castillian. Modern Spanish “Gallego” is closely related to Portuguese, where the “l” and soft “c” (c+) sounds are far more pronounced. Perhaps ancient Ibero-Celtic would explain this?
Rob Roy added these pithy words on 20 Dec 08 at 6:57 pmmay I add: Greek (Byzantine) Abydos and Egyptian Abydos, Greek Thebes and Egyptian Thebes and finally Alexandria in Egypt vs. one of several others in Iran, Afghanistan, etc.
