Tartessos (also Tartessus) was a harbor city on the south coast of the Iberian peninsula (in modern Andalusia, Spain), at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river. Tartessos at least dates from 1000 BC, about the time when the Phoenicians made contact with the city. However, the city likely began at an unknown, earlier date. The Tartessians were traders, who may have discovered the route to the Tin Islands (Britain or more precisely the Scilly Islands). Trade in Tin was very lucrative in this era since it was necessary for the production of bronze, and the people from Tartessos became important trading partners of the Phoenicians, who nearby built a harbor of their own, Gades (current-day Cádiz). Ancient Greek texts refer to a legendary king of Tartessos, Arganthonios, known for his wealth in silver and minerals. Greek texts say Arganthonios lived many years beyond the normal human lifespan, but Arganthonios may have been the name of several Tartessian kings or their title, giving rise to legends of a single man's longevity. Artifacts linked with the Tartessos culture have been found, but the site of the Tartessos' city is lost.

Lost Civilization

In the 6th century BC, Tartessos disappears rather suddenly from history. The Romans called the wide bay the Tartessius Sinus though the city was no more. One theory is that the city had been destroyed by the Carthaginians who wanted to take over the Tartessans' trading routes. Another is that it had been refounded, under obscure conditions, as Carpia. When the traveller Pausanias visited Greece in the 2nd century AD (Paus. Desc. 6.XIX.3) he saw two bronze chambers in one of the sanctuaries at Olympia, which the people of Elis claimed was Tartessian bronze:

"They say that Tartessus is a river in the land of the Iberians, running down into the sea by two mouths, and that between these two mouths lies a city of the same name. The river, which is the largest in Iberia, and tidal, those of a later day called Baetis, and there are some who think that Tartessus was the ancient name of Carpia, a city of the Iberians."

The name "Carpia" possibly survives as El Carpio, a site in a bend of the Guadalquivir, but the origin of its name has been associated with its imposing oldest feature, a Moorish tower erected in 1325 by the engineer responsible for the alcázar of Seville.

The site of Tartessos has been lost—buried under the shifting wetlands that have replaced former estuaries behind dunes at the modern single mouth of the Guadalquivir, where the river delta has gradually been blocked off by a huge sandbar that stretches from the mouth of the Rio Tinto, near Palos de la Frontera, to the riverbank opposite Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The area is now protected as the Parque Nacional de Doñana. (see link)

Mythical and Religious Connections

Some believe Tartessos was the source of the legend of Atlantis. The similarities between the two legendary societies certainly make this connection seem possible. Both Atlantis and Tartessos are believed to have been advanced societies who collapsed when their cities were lost beneath the waves. The enigmatic Lady of Elx, a high artistic quality, ancient bust of a woman found in southeastern Spain, has been tied with both Atlantis and Tartessos since the statue displays the dress of unrecognized culture, that presumably developed great artistic skill to have produced such a work.

Some Tartessian enthusiasts imagine it as a contemporary of Atlantis, with which could have traded.

In the Bible, the word Tarshish may refer to Tartessos. Tarshish, like Tartessos, is associated with extensive mineral wealth.

Possible Discovery

Although several finds have been made in southern Spain that are ascribed to the Tartessan culture, the city itself has not been recovered by professional archeologists, though it may have recently been discovered in Spain's Marisma de Hinojos region. While the discoverers of the site insist it is the lost city of Atlantis, the site is a much better fit for Tartessos. It is within the area of Tartessian artifact finds, it is where Tartessos is described historically, and it is sensibly located near Gades (Cadiz). After all, the Phoenicians built Gades for the sole purpose of trading with Tartessos.

The discovery includes a very simple reason for Tartessos' disappearance from history as well, as the region was flooded between 800 and 500 BC, precisely when Tartessos ceased being mentioned in historical texts. This also ties in with Atlantis again, likely the reason for the site's identification. Indeed, this discovery may not only solve one mystery but two; the location of Tartessos as well as the identity of Atlantis.

See Also

Tartessian language

Links

• Doñana
  
• Tartessian speculations, with good maps
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Tarshish, a distant maritime district famed for its metalwork, considered by the contributors in 1901-1906 to be largely mythical; Old Testament references.

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