Editing Iberian language (section)

==History==
[[Image:Bronce ibero.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Lead plaque from [[Ullastret]] using the dual variant of the [[northeastern Iberian script]]]]

The origin of the language is unknown. Although Iberian ceased to be written in the 1st century AD, it may have survived in some areas until the [[Visigoth]]ic period (ca. 500s to 700s), according to [[Ramón Menéndez Pidal]].<ref>Garatea Grau, Carlos (2005) [https://books.google.com/books?id=9D8SGQOwyA4C&dq=%22men%C3%A9ndez+pidal%22+ib%C3%A9rico&pg=PA167 ''El problema del cambio lingüístico en Ramón Menéndez Pidal''], Munich, p.167</ref>

There are several theories about the geographical origin of Iberian. According to the ''Catalan theory'',<ref>Velaza, Javier (2006) ''Lengua vs. cultura material: el (viejo) problema de la lengua indígena de Cataluña, Actes de la III Reunió Internacional d'Arqueologia de Calafell'' (Calafell, 25 to 27 November 2004), Arqueo Mediterrània 9, pp. 273-280</ref> the Iberian language originated in northern Catalonia, where the earliest Iberian inscriptions are documented (600&nbsp;BC in [[Ullastret]]). Its expansion towards the north and south would have been due to broad population movements in times shortly before the first written documents, from the 11th to the 10th century BC, given that the Iberian language appears homogeneous in Iberian texts and, if it were of greater antiquity, the development of [[dialects]] should be evident. The presence of non-interpretable elements, such as Iberian [[anthroponym]]s amongst inscriptions in this area has not been considered statistically significant.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}