The Casas del Turuñuelo archaeological site, in the municipality of Guareña, has turned up a remarkable specimen, an extraordinary bronze votive chariot, the likes of which has never been uncovered in the Iberian Peninsula. Its decorative and iconographic complexity are unparalleled, says Esther Rodríguez, one of the co-directors of the investigation. Along with her counterpart, Sebastián Celestino, she presented her findings in a press conference on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid.
The find consists of half of a ceremonial wagon, including two wheels and the main vessel. It brings together multiple bronze elements using iron components. The rich symbolic program includes two mythological figures: Acheloo, the oldest and most powerful water spirit in ancient Greece; and two griffins, creatures that sport the head of an eagle head and the body of a lion. Also incorporated are two male Atlantean figures, who hold up the box of the car.
The site, where excavations began in 2014, is associated with the Tartesian culture, active in the 5th century BCE, and was one of the most important enclaves of that civilization in the Iberian Peninsula. Other findings have included evidence of massive animal sacrifices and the first human figurative relief sculptures from Tartesos, depicting women adorned with gold earrings and a warrior wearing a helmet. Archaeologists have learned much about Tartesian ritual and architectural practices at the site, which they believe may have been a temple or an important ceremonial site. Only about a third of the site has been excavated, and work remains underway.
The site is located in the region of Las Vegas Altas del Guadiana, near the mouth of the Búrdalo River, leading experts to think that it may have been at the administrative head of a wide-ranging territory.
