image: Human reliefs found at the Casas del Turuñuelo site (Badajoz). view more
Credit: Samuel Sánchez (El País)
The work carried out during the 5th archaeological dig at the Tartessian site of Casas del Turuñuelo (Guareña, Badajoz) has brought to light the remains of five figural reliefs dating back to the 5th century BC, the first belonging to the Tartessian culture (8th-4th centuries BC). The discovery was made during the excavation of the eastern sector of the site, the area leading to the building’s courtyard where a large-scale sacrifice of animals, mainly horses, has been documented. What is rare about this new find is that the figures represent human faces.
The team led by Esther Rodríguez González and Sebastián Celestino Pérez from the IAM, a joint research centre of the CSIC and the Regional Government of Extremadura, confirmed at a press conference today that, of the finds recovered to date, two of the figural reliefs are almost complete and correspond to female figures adorned with exceptional earrings or adornments, typical of Tartessian gold-smithery.
Before now, our knowledge of gold items like these was confined to discoveries made at archaeological sites like Cancho Roano or those pertaining to the Aliseda treasure, a Tartessian funeral trousseau found in Cáceres. Given the technical quality and the artistic detail of these items, it would appear that we are dealing with the representation of two female divinities from the Tartessian pantheon. However, researchers do not rule out the possibility that they were prominent figures of Tartessian society.
Besides these two female figures, other fragments of reliefs have been recovered. These belong to at least three other individuals, one of which has been identified as a warrior, as part of the helmet is preserved.
This extraordinary discovery represents a profound paradigm shift in the interpretation of Tartessus, traditionally considered an aniconic culture because it represented divinity through animal or plant motifs, or through baetylus (sacred stones). Lastly, this discovery further emphasises both the importance of the site and the great relevance of the Tartessian culture during its last moments in the Guadiana valley.
Besides the research team, today’s press conference was also attended by the director of the IAM-CSIC, Pedro Mateos; the CSIC representative in Andalucía and Extremadura, Margarita Paneque; and the Mayor of Guareña (Badajoz), Abel González.
Construyendo Tarteso
Construyendo Tarteso is a project run by the AEI (State Research Agency) within the State’s R&D&I plan of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Its main objective is to characterise Tartessian material culture through architectural analysis of the large adobe (mudbrick) buildings excavated in recent decades.
The Construyendo Tarteso project team, which began its first archaeological campaign in 2015 at the Casas del Turuñuelo site located in Vegas Altas del Guadiana, is currently immersed in the fifth archaeological dig. This campaign has received support from the Extremadura Regional Government’s General Secretary of Science, Technology, Innovation and Universities, through the granting of a FEDER Fund, and the Diputación de Badajoz and Fundación Palarq.
This archaeological campaign focuses on the eastern sector of the site since, after the work carried out in 2022, the current objective is to try to locate the entry: the façade of the building. As these constructions follow an oriental pattern, they usually face eastwards, i.e., towards the rising sun. Furthermore, the aim is to find out if there is symmetry with the courtyard or if there could be a door that opens directly onto this courtyard.
The site is unique in many ways, not least because of its excellent state of preservation. To date, it is the best-preserved earthen building in the western Mediterranean. Among other reasons because both floors are preserved, in other words, it is possible to walk on both the upper and lower floors.
Its excellent state of preservation enables us to document construction techniques and architectural solutions previously undocumented at a Tartessian site. One example is the conceivable existence of a vault that covered one of its main rooms or the use of lime mortar, in this case, to make the ashlars of the lower steps of the staircase. This is undoubtedly a unique site.
On the one hand, besides the architectural elements like the preservation of five-metre-high mud-brick elevations, we should highlight the large-scale sacrifice of animals, the largest ever documented in the western Mediterranean.
On the other hand, the materials contained and their state of conservation are exceptional: the presence of a marble sculpture from Mount Pentelicus, of which only the feet are preserved, or the collection of Macedonian-origin glass, together with the trove of Etruscan ivories, all bear witness to the cultural and material wealth of this unique enclave.
Archaeology Institute of Mérida
The IAM is a joint centre pertaining to the CSIC and the Regional Government of Extremadura through the Regional Ministry of Economy, Science and Digital Agenda. This research institute carries out activities regionally, in different parts of Spain and abroad, extending its research to numerous sites in North Africa, Europe and America. At present, the IAM is predominantly focused on Extremadura, where it is undertaking research projects in different parts of the region, such as the archaeological site of Mérida or in ancient cities of Botija, Contributa Iulia and Metellinum, among others.
One of these archaeological sites is Casas del Turuñuelo, where research has been carried out by the Institute since 2015. In addition to the CSIC, researchers from more than 28 national and international research centres and universities are collaborating in this work.
Erika López / CSIC communications - Andalucía and Extremadura
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People