The relief from Structure 2 at El Cerrón (Museo de Santa Cruz de Toledo; Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte; inventory number: CE23580; photograph by J. Blánquez Pérez; drawing by P. Sánchez de Oro).Credit: Sánchez de Oro et al., Antiquity (2025)
Posted on 06/10/2025 1:11:48 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Recent archaeological research at the El Cerrón site in Illescas, Toledo, is reshaping traditional views of ancient Carpetania, a central Iberian region long considered culturally marginal. A study led by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid researcher Pablo Sánchez de Oro, published in the journal Antiquity, introduces firm evidence to propose that Carpetania's local elite were actively involved in Mediterranean trade and cultural networks throughout the Late Iron Age (4th–1st centuries BCE).
At the center of this find is a stunning terracotta relief discovered in Structure 2, which has been interpreted by archaeologists as a sanctuary. The artifact depicts a procession that includes a griffin bearing a lotus flower, charioteers on horse-drawn chariots, and a human figure holding what appears to be a staff of command or a spear. This iconography is typical of Mediterranean art, having parallels along the Iberian coast and northern Italy, regions distant from the inland location of El Cerrón, over 300 kilometers from the sea...
Finds such as Attic-style pottery, a horse-shaped bronze fibula that was likely produced in northern Italy, and other items also serve to further suggest the Carpetanian elite's access to and engagement with foreign markets. These imported artifacts were not merely copied but were selectively adopted to reinforce elite legitimacy and status.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeologymag.com ...
The relief from Structure 2 at El Cerrón (Museo de Santa Cruz de Toledo; Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte; inventory number: CE23580; photograph by J. Blánquez Pérez; drawing by P. Sánchez de Oro).Credit: Sánchez de Oro et al., Antiquity (2025)
I have learned to keep my pottery in the basement, where it is less likely to crack.
OK, I'll be Sirius. Carpetania is right smack dab in the middle of what today is Spain, but the Carpetani were Celts, meaning they had more in common with the Irish than with the Romans or other Mediterranean people. So how did they end up in the middle of Spain, and what are they doing with chariots and headpieces that look a lot like Assyria or Babylon? Inquiring minds want to know...
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