Ancient Peoples of Spain: Arevaci, Astures, Ausetani, Autrigones, Bastetani, Belli, Cantabri, Caristii, Carpetani, Celtiberians, Celtici, Cesset

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 24. Chapters: Arevaci, Astures, Ausetani, Autrigones, Bastetani, Belli, Cantabri, Caristii, Carpetani, Celtiberians, Celtici, Cessetani, Coelerni, Contestani, Gallaeci, Grovii, Ilercavones, Ilergetes, Indigetes, Lacetani, Laietani, Lusones, Oretani, Sedetani, Sordones, Titii (Celtiberian), Turdetani, Turduli, Turmodigi, Vaccaei, Varduli, Vettones. Excerpt: The Astures or Asturs, also named 'Astyrs' were the Hispano-Celtic inhabitants of the northwest area of Hispania that now comprises almost the entire modern autonomous community of Asturias and the modern provinces Leon, and northern Zamora (all in Spain), and east of Tras os Montes in Portugal. They were a horse-riding highland cattle-raising people who lived in circular huts of stone drywall construction. The Albiones were a major tribe of the Astures from western Asturias. Isidore of Seville, gave an etymology as coming from a river Asturia, identified by David Magie with the Orbigo in the plain of Leon, by others the modern Esla. The Asturian homeland encompassed the modern autonomous community of Asturias and the Leon, western Lugo, Orense, and northern Zamora provinces, along with the northeastern tip of the Portuguese region of Tras-os-Montes. Here they held the towns of Lancia (Villasabariego Leon), Asturica (Astorga Leon), Mons Medullius (Las Medulas? Leon), Bergidum (Cacabelos, near Villafranca del Bierzo Leon), Bedunia (Castro de Cebrones Leon), Aliga (Alixa? Leon), Curunda (Castro de Avelas, Tras-os-Montes), Lucus Asturum (Lugo de Llanera Asturias), Brigaetium (Benavente Zamora), and Nemetobriga (Puebla de Trives Orense), which fulfilled the role of religious center. The Astures may have been part of the early Hallstatt expansion that left the Bavarian-Bohemian homeland and migrated into Gaul, some continuing over the mountains into Spain and Portugal. By the 6th century BC they occupied castros (hillforts) such as Coanna and Mohias near Navia on the coast of the Bay of Biscay. From the Roman point-of-view, expressed in the brief remarks of the historians Florus, epitomising Livy, and Orosius, the Astures were divided into two factions, following the natural division made by the alpine karst mountains of the Picos de Europa range: the Transmontani (located in the modern Asturias, "beyond" that is, north of the Picos de Europa) and Cis