ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters phenomena have been encountered which seem to presuppose the existence of an original centre of civilization in the west. Some authorities attribute to this centre located in the Iberian Peninsula a creative activity to which even the Ægean was deeply indebted. Iberia is thus the centre of the conflict between occidentalists and orientalists. The continuity of palæolithic civilization in that area has been emphasized in chapter I. It remains to sketch the subsequent developments to enable the reader to judge between the contentions of the rival schools.
