ABSTRACT
Since the Renaissance, histories of Spain have begun with the presentation of two strange phases. The first was represented by a mythical character, Túbal, son of Jafet and grandson of Noah, who was depicted as the singular ‘first’ inhabitant. Then, in the second phase, there was a shift to the plural and two tribes appeared, the Iberians and the Celts. These historical phases represent the convergence of two different traditions: Túbal came from biblical legend, created at the end of the Middle Ages, when historical origins were conceptualised in terms of the Old Testament. The Iberians and the Celts were the fruit of Renaissance readings of classical texts, knowledge of which was consolidated from the sixteenth century onwards.
