Hispania is possibly a derivation of I - Shipania , a Punic word . What does this translate as ?
Another theory , proposed by the etymologist Eric Partridge in his work " Origins " , is that it is of Iberian derivation and that it is to be found in the pre-Roman name for Seville , Hispalis , which strongly hints at an ancient name for the country of " * Hispa " , an Iberian or Celtic root whose meaning is now lost .