Ibiza, The Island of Bes

The island of Ibiza (or Eivissa in catalan) has a deep archaeological background of the Bronze Age, keeping traces of the cultures of Phoenician and Punic. The privileged position of this island became an important location in the Mediterranean Sea.

Marine currents and winds around the island were important to the prosperity of the ancient island of Ibiza. The port determinate the location of the city and the current city sits on the first built in the VIII century BC.

But these early settlers, located on the current “Sa Caleta” fled the island mysteriously and without a trace.
During the Roman Empire Ibiza belonged to the Roman province of Tarraco. It was well known for the quality of its wool, its wine, its fruit, and its production of salt. Such was the wealth that they minted their own currency on the island.

The Ibiza currency had, in one of its faces, the representation of the Egyptian god Bes. This could be because the Phoenicians, from Gadir, founded the civilized “Island of Bes”. after the Roman conquest the name decline in “Ebusus”, and finally today in Ibiza.

The God Bes, in Egyptian mythology, was represented by a long-armed dwarf, with his tongue out and kind of barbarian look. Its representation was a sign of home protection, so we could think that it intends to protect the island from different attacks and consequent achievements. Also, Bes embodied the figure of love and sexual pleasure.