​The landing of the Roman armies in Emporion (218 BC), at the beginning of the Hannibalic War, has been generally regarded as the start of Rome's presence in the Iberian Peninsula. The human landscape of north-eastern Iberia was very swiftly impacted by Rome's far-reaching military and political might, even in its crudest form. All this provides us with an advantageous scenario for observing the progressive implementation of Rome's strategies in its own interests in the region. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to trace Rome's early involvement in the Iberia Peninsula by analysing the archaeological evidence from the north-east from the late 3rd to the early 1st century BC. On the basis of the data from 62 archaeological sites, a funcional classification is first put forward. Secondly, a comprehensive analysis of the historical context of north-east Hispania Citerior is presented in the framework of three different periods of war stress and the intervals between them.