Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

2,600-year-old stone busts of 'lost' ancient Tartessos people discovered in sealed pit in Spain
Live Science ^ | published 4 days ago | Jennifer Nalewicki

Posted on 04/30/2023 10:53:51 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Archaeologists in Spain recently discovered five life-size busts of human figures... that could be the first-known human depictions of the Tartessos, a people who formed an ancient civilization that disappeared more than 2,500 years ago.

The carved stone faces, which archaeologists date to the fifth century B.C., were found hidden inside a sealed pit in an adobe temple at Casas del Turuñuelo, an ancient Tartessian site in southern Spain. The pieces were scattered amongst animal bones, mostly from horses, that likely came from a mass sacrifice, according to a translated statement published April 18.

"The unusual thing about the new finding is that the representations correspond to human faces," Erika López, a spokesperson for the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), said in the statement... since this ancient civilization, which existed from about the eighth to the fourth centuries B.C., was long considered an aniconic culture in which divinity was represented through animal or plant motifs, rather than idolized humans, according to the statement.

Of the figurative reliefs, two are nearly complete and likely portray female divinities wearing earrings, which could be a nod to the Bronze Aged peoples' adept goldsmithing skills. Archaeologists found only fragments of the other three reliefs, but identified one as a warrior wearing a helmet, according to the statement.

Although the Tartessos didn't leave much of an archeological record, archaeologists do know that they were skilled at goldsmithing; for instance, gold pieces similar to the reliefs' earrings have been unearthed at two nearby Tartessian sites, Cancho Roano and La Mata. These locations were torched to the ground in a similar manner to the newly discovered pit site, but why and how these conflagrations occurred remains a mystery...

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: bronzeage; celtiberians; godsgravesglyphs; herodotus; misnomer; spain; tarshish; tartessian; tartessians; tartessos
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last
Two of the carved figures likely depict goddesses wearing gold earrings.
Image credit: Samuel Sánchez
Image credit: Samuel Sánchez

1 posted on 04/30/2023 10:53:51 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

Selections from the Tartessos/Tartessian/Tarshish keywords, sorted:

2 posted on 04/30/2023 10:54:57 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

Selections from the basques keyword, sorted:

3 posted on 04/30/2023 10:55:03 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

4 posted on 04/30/2023 10:55:26 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Saw somewhere a theory that these were the actual Atlanteans of history.


5 posted on 04/30/2023 11:00:22 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

They weren’t, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have topics about that! :^) Links above.

https://www.csic.es/es/actualidad-del-csic/investigadores-del-csic-hallan-las-primeras-representaciones-humanas-de-tarteso


6 posted on 04/30/2023 11:03:33 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

Upcoming topics:

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987238
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11406-230428-spain-nerja-cave-visitors

https://www.avcr.cz/en/news-archive/Czech-archaeologists-unearth-unique-finds-in-Oman/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11403-230428-oman-arabian-stonehenge

https://news.umich.edu/digesta-an-overlooked-source-of-ice-age-carbs/
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11401-230427-hunter-gatherer-bison-digesta

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987183
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223006582
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11402-230427-alaska-native-dna

This one probably the next one:

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/04/19/underwater-nabataean-temple-discovered-in-major-archaeological-find-in-italy
https://www.archaeology.org/news/11396-230426-italy-nabataean-temple


7 posted on 04/30/2023 11:09:52 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv; All
"The Lady of Aix"


8 posted on 04/30/2023 12:02:37 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_Elche


9 posted on 04/30/2023 12:03:05 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Faces carved from stone. Sealed in a pit. Pit broke open and the faces taken out.

I think we’ve seen this movie before.

Have they figured out the curse yet?


10 posted on 04/30/2023 12:06:29 PM PDT by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

That one in particular looks Etruscan, which figures btw.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2139616/posts


11 posted on 04/30/2023 12:47:44 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Likely related to the Phoenicians, in whole or culturally in part at least.


12 posted on 04/30/2023 12:47:47 PM PDT by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

The archaic smile.


13 posted on 04/30/2023 12:48:46 PM PDT by livius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

La Dama de Elche. Some people think it’s a 19th century fraud, but it’s always seemed pretty plausible to me.


14 posted on 04/30/2023 12:50:48 PM PDT by livius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Wuli

Influenced, but that also figures. :^)


15 posted on 04/30/2023 12:50:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: livius

:^) (that’s a modern one)


16 posted on 04/30/2023 12:51:21 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Grimmy

Aiiiiie!


17 posted on 04/30/2023 12:51:46 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Dama_de_Elche.jpg


18 posted on 04/30/2023 12:52:58 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpers are Republicans the same way Liz Cheney is a Republican.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Grimmy
Have they figured out the curse yet?

Four more years of biden.

Then we'll have nothing and be happy...

19 posted on 04/30/2023 1:16:24 PM PDT by null and void (Attention! Non-compliant Resident Alert! Attention! Non-compliant Resident Alert! Attention! Non-com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

More images of what they looked like.... : )
https://tinyurl.com/5c4f6jdp


20 posted on 04/30/2023 1:34:53 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson