In 2014, the first clue of what experts considered a reversal in the known history of Tartessian culture (8th-4th centuries BC) had already appeared in Guareña (Badajoz). It was then a large hidden building that hid a massive sacrifice of animals, mainly horses.

The magnitude of the find led a team from the Autonomous University of Madrid to request the corresponding permits to continue investigating at the site, where years later another impressive 70 m2 space was found where an altar in the shape of a bull’s skin appeared. Bingo. It is a Tartessian sanctuary. And now the fifth phase of this excavation campaign has just given another twist to history in an unexpected way: the remains of five figurative reliefs, dating from the 5th century BC, the first belonging to the Tartessian culture in the Iberian Peninsula.

Until now only animals have been found, never human representations. These are high reliefs, for now only heads, something hitherto unprecedented in this mysterious civilization.

There are five sculptures in total, with a probably idealized face, in which earrings can also be seen in the case of two women, and the helmet of a warrior. The other two sculptures are yet to be identified.

The discovery, as announced today by the CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) was made during the excavation of the eastern sector of the complex, which leads to the patio of the building where a massive sacrifice of horses was documented. “The unusual thing about the new finding is that the representations correspond to human faces,” they point out from this organization.

The works, directed by Esther Rodríguez González and Sebastián Celestino Pérez, have led to the recovery of two of the figurative reliefs, which are almost complete, and correspond to two female figures adorned with outstanding earrings or hoop earrings that represent typical pieces of Tartessian goldsmithing.

Until now, these gold pieces were only known through discoveries made in enclaves such as the Cancho Roano site or within the set that makes up the Aliseda treasure, a Tartessian funerary trousseau found in Cáceres. “It seems that we are facing the representation of two female divinities of the Tartessian pantheon”, point out those investigated, who underline “the technical quality and artistic detail with which they were made”. In fact, it is not ruled out that they are prominent figures of Tartessian society.

In addition, along with the two female figures, other fragments of reliefs have been recovered: they would be three other individuals, one of them identified as a warrior as part of the helmet remains. “This extraordinary finding represents a profound paradigm shift in the interpretation of Tartesus, traditionally considered an aniconic culture for representing divinity through animal or plant motifs, or through betilos (sacred stones)”, they highlight from the CSIS.

Thus, this culture had never before been found to have enshrined humans. Lastly, the finding presented today emphasizes the importance of the site as well as the importance of the Tartessian culture in the Guadiana valley during its last moments.

The main objective of the ‘Building Tarteso’ project is to characterize the Tartessian material culture through the architectural analysis of the large adobe buildings excavated in recent decades.

In this fifth campaign, the work is focused on the eastern sector to try to locate the access point to it: the building’s façade. “Since they are constructions that follow an oriental pattern, they are usually oriented towards the east, that is, towards sunrise. In addition, an attempt is made to discover if there is a symmetry with the patio or if there could be a door that communicates directly with said space “, the researchers point out.

The site is unique for many aspects, mainly for its excellent state of conservation. “To date, it is the best-preserved building built on land in the western Mediterranean. This is due, among other reasons, to preserving its two construction floors, that is, because of the possibility of walking through both the upper and lower floors” the experts say.

An example of them is the possible existence of a vault that covered one of its main rooms or the use of lime mortar, in this case, to make the ashlars for the lower steps of the stairs. In addition to the architectural elements, such as the conservation of adobe elevations up to five meters high, the mass sacrifice of animals is significant, the largest that has been documented to date in the western Mediterranean.

On the other hand, the materials it treasures and their state of conservation are exceptional: the presence of a marble sculpture from Mount Pentelicus, of which only the feet are visible, or the set of glasses of Macedonian origin, next to the collection of Etruscan ivories, show the cultural and material wealth of this unique enclave.

In addition to the CSIC, researchers from more than 28 national and international research centers and universities collaborate in these works.

In addition to the research team, the press conference was attended today by the director of the IAM-CSIC, Pedro Mateos; the representative of the CSIC in Andalusia and Extremadura, Margarita Paneque; and the mayor of Guareña (Badajoz), Abel González.

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