▁Pen ins ula ▁has ▁always ▁been ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁River ▁E bro ▁( I b ē ros ▁in ▁ancient ▁Greek ▁and ▁Ib ē rus ▁or ▁H ib ē rus ▁in ▁Latin ). ▁The ▁association ▁was ▁so ▁well ▁known ▁it ▁was ▁hardly ▁necessary ▁to ▁state ; ▁for ▁example , ▁Ib ē ria ▁was ▁the ▁country ▁" this ▁side ▁of ▁the ▁Ib ē rus " ▁in ▁Stra bo . ▁Pl iny ▁goes ▁so ▁far ▁as ▁to ▁assert ▁that ▁the ▁Gree ks ▁had ▁called ▁" the ▁whole ▁of ▁Spain " ▁Hi ber ia ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁Hi ber us ▁River . ▁The ▁river ▁appears ▁in ▁the ▁E bro ▁Tre aty ▁of ▁ 2 2 6 ▁BC ▁between ▁Rome ▁and ▁Car th age , ▁setting ▁the ▁limit ▁of ▁Car th agin ian ▁interest ▁at ▁the ▁E bro . ▁The ▁full est ▁description ▁of ▁the ▁treat y , ▁stated ▁in ▁App ian , ▁uses ▁Ib ē rus . ▁With ▁reference ▁to ▁this ▁border , ▁Poly b ius ▁states ▁that ▁the ▁" native ▁name " ▁is ▁Ib ē r , ▁apparently ▁the ▁original ▁word , ▁stri pped ▁of ▁its ▁Greek ▁or ▁Latin ▁- os ▁or ▁- us ▁term ination . ▁ ▁The ▁early ▁range ▁of ▁these ▁n atives , ▁which ▁ge ograph ers ▁and ▁histor ians ▁place ▁from ▁the ▁present ▁southern ▁Spain ▁to ▁the ▁present ▁southern ▁France ▁along ▁the ▁Mediter rane an ▁coast , ▁is ▁marked ▁by ▁instances ▁of ▁a ▁readable ▁script ▁express ing ▁a ▁yet ▁unknown ▁language , ▁dub bed ▁" I ber ian ." ▁Whether ▁this ▁was