Archaeologists Uncovered A “Rare” And “Exceptional” Prehistoric Stone Monument At A Near-3,000-Year-Old Funerary Complex In Southwestern Spain
Archaeologists have unearthed a prehistoric stone monument at a nearly 3,000-year-old funerary complex. The find has been called “rare” and “exceptional” because it challenges long-held interpretations of elite figures in southwest Europe around 3,000 years ago.
The ancient painted stone monument, also known as a stela, was discovered in the necropolis of Las Capellanías located in the town of Cañaveral de León in southwestern Spain.
A stela is described as an upright stone slab carved with inscriptions and decorations and used for commemorative purposes.
Decorated stelae from different time periods and traditions have been documented by archaeologists all over the world.
So far, around 300 of these artifacts have been found across the Iberian Peninsula, which is an area of land that stretches between Spain and Portugal.
Up until this point, archaeologists had identified two major categories of figures featured on Iberian stelae from the period 1250 to 700 B.C., when the Late Bronze Age transitioned to the early Iron Age.
The first is the image of the “warrior,” which was thought to represent men because it had weapons, even though only a few of them included male physical characteristics.
The other image depicts people wearing headdresses and pictures of necklaces. These were considered to be female individuals even though only a handful had the bodily traits associated with women.
Stelae from prehistoric Iberia have been studied for over a century. Still, very little is known about them. There is a fierce debate among archaeologists over their meaning and purpose.
Photo 68586062 – © Jarcosa – Dreamstime.com – illustrative purposes only
The most recently discovered stela uncovered in the region was found by archaeologist Marta Díaz-Guardamino and her team in September. The stone slab was placed on top of a circular cremation structure, and it is the third stela to be unburied at the site.
The first one was found in 2018. The fact that the third stela was found in the same area as two others is a unique phenomenon.
“The contexts of use of these monuments are totally unknown, so this is the first time that we have a context to interpret how these very rare monuments were used and their significance among Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age society,” said Díaz-Guardamino.
The artwork on the newest stela shows a human figure wearing a headdress and a necklace with two swords. It also has a detailed face, hands, feet, and male genitalia, incorporating both characteristics of the warrior and headdress symbols.
Therefore, the social roles featured on the stelae are not limited to a specific gender. This stela demonstrates that previous interpretations were oversimplified and reflected contemporary ideas of gender rather than those of prehistoric societies.
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