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Spain occupies the major part of the Iberian peninsula. The Greek colonies in Spain were established by the Phocaeans. Of the three known colonies - Emporion, Rhode, and Maenace - the first, which was indeed the major Hellenic centre in Spain, has received the most detailed archaeological study. Spain first experienced a Roman presence at the very end of the 3rd century bc. In the 1st century ad many provincial Roman senators came from the colony of Hispania; and several emperors - Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius - could boast Spanish ancestry. Emporion was also surrounded by the settlements of the local population; peaceful relations between colonists and natives were very important for ensuring the survival of the Greeks in the region. Iberian society was highly organized but not centralized. reek influence is clearly discernible in the planning of the settlement, in features such as an acropolis with its own inner walls and small temples, and a porticoed marketplace.