chiefdom · Iberia
Balearic Islanders
Origins
From around 1000 BCE the islanders of Mallorca and Menorca developed what archaeologists call the Talaiotic culture, named after the talaiots, massive dry-stone towers that dominated fortified villages. It grew out of the earlier Naviform culture of boat-shaped houses and stone tombs such as the Naveta des Tudons on Menorca.
Rule and society
There was no single state: the islands were divided among village communities, probably led by local chiefs, living from herding, farming and some trade with Phoenician and Punic merchants, especially from nearby Ebusus. Menorca's T-shaped taulas stood in sanctuary enclosures. The islanders were famed throughout the Mediterranean as slingers and served as mercenaries in Carthaginian armies, including Hannibal's.
Decline and legacy
Accused of sheltering pirates, the islands were conquered in 123 BCE by the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus, who took the name Balearicus and founded the towns of Palma and Pollentia. Talaiotic traditions faded under Roman rule, but hundreds of monuments survive.
Lineage
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- Balearic Islanders was conquered by Roman Republic123 BCE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Balearic Islanders. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/balearic-islanders
- MLA
- “Balearic Islanders.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/balearic-islanders. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Balearic Islanders.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/balearic-islanders.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Balearic Islanders’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/balearic-islanders (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻