According to D. Antonio Gallardo Ballart, president of the Palarq Foundation , "the winning project illuminates the myth of Tartessos, translating it into reality and bringing the results of cutting-edge archaeological research closer to society." The distinguished research of Constructing Tartessus , according to the jury of this I Palarq Foundation National Award for Archeology and Paleontology , which awarded the prize unanimously, sheds new light on the importance and extent of the culture of Tartessos (8th to 4th centuries BC) and its enormous relevance for the global history of the Mediterranean. Likewise, the jury has taken into account not only the quality of the research, but also that of the field work and the future challenges presented by the project, and in whose development the use of new technologies will play a very important role. In total, twenty-five proposals were submitted for the award, all of great scientific value.
For D. Luis Monreal, general director of the Aga Khan Foundation and spokesman for the jury, “Tartesos was a plural political entity, interrelated with the entire Mediterranean, prefiguring the global nature of our times”.
The announcement of the winning project of the Fundación Palarq National Award for Archeology and Paleontology took place in Barcelona, after the meeting of the jury on November 9. In addition to the president of the Palarq Foundation, all the members of the international jury were present at the winner's announcement ceremony:Prof. D. Yves Coppens, who in 1974 was one of the discoverers of 'Lucy', the famous Australopithecus found in Africa, and which, among many other distinctions, has received the Great Scientific Award from the Foundation of France; Andrew Selkirk, Vice President of the Royal Archaeological Institute and co-founder of the British Archeology Award; Luis Monreal, General Director of the Aga Khan Foundation, Geneva; Pepe Serra Villalba, director of the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC); Josep Guitart Duran, Emeritus Professor of Archeology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and currently president of the international project Tabula Roman Empire-Form Orbis Romani, promoted by the Union Academique Internationale; and the journalist Jacinto Antón de Vez, National Prize for Cultural Journalism awarded by the Ministry of Culture.
Construiendo Tarteso aims at the architectural study of the buildings from the Tartessian period (8th-4th centuries BC). The excavations of the site of Casas del Turuñuelo are inserted in this framework. (Badajoz), to date the best preserved protohistoric building in the western Mediterranean, as it maintains its two floors, which makes it an exceptional case study.
Despite the fact that it has only been intervened for four years, the site has already had a huge impact given the innovative construction techniques used in its construction, among which the use for the first time in our peninsula of the lime mortar to obtain the ashlars with which the monumental staircase that connects the upper floor with the patio was built.
Added to all this is the identification of a great animal sacrifice (hecatomb), among which the fifty-two horses found in anatomical position stand out, that is, with the parts of the body where it belongs, and placed two by two, being the first documentation of this type of ritual in the entire Mediterranean.
Building Tartessus. Interview with Sebastián Celestino and Esther Rodríguez
Taking advantage of the granting of the 1st Palarq Foundation National Award for Archeology and Paleontology to the project Building Tarteso, we have the pleasure of interviewing its directors, Sebastián Celestino and Esther Rodríguez , with whom we also had the pleasure of collaborating on our Archeology and History No. 12:Tartessus .
First of all, congratulations on this I National Award for Archeology and Paleontology Palarq Foundation. In addition to the prestige it represents, it has a significant financial endowment, and any help is good in projects as complex as yours, which can sometimes run out of resources, with the consequent frustration that this entails. Projects such as Construyendo Tarteso, which achieve great success in the media, are a perfect showcase for making the general public aware of the enormous quality of the archaeological research that is currently being carried out in this country. What is the purpose of the Building Tarteso project?
In recent years, you have carried out an intense study of the territory of the Guadiana valley and have located a large number of burial sites from the Iron Age that They come to join other previously excavated finds such as Cancho Roano or La Mata, in addition to a still poorly known settlement such as that of Cerro del Tamborrio. Finally, you decided to excavate the Casas de Turuñuelo burial mound. What prompted you to choose this site?
The archaeological evidence shows a strong influence of the Tartessian culture, but the chronologies of the Guadiana sites are somewhat later than those that, judging by archaeology, mark the crisis and abandonment of a good part of the emblematic deposits of the Tartessian nuclear region par excellence, in the Guadalquivir valley. What do you think of the name "tartessian" commonly used in this peripheral region? Do you think there is a change in perception regarding the concept of "tartessian"?
First of all, we must take into account that at the height of the Tartessian culture of the Guadalquivir, there is already a clear presence of Tartessian in the Guadiana. Examples include the oldest buildings in Cancho Roano or the well-known necropolis of Medellín. But, it is from precisely the crisis of the sixth century a. C. in the nucleus of Tarteso when the Guadiana valley experiences a notable demographic increase that is reflected in the appearance of new occupation enclaves; and Turuñuelo is a clear example of this circumstance. This does not mean that the culture detected in the Guadiana valley is identical to that reflected in the Guadalquivir valley, since, as is logical, the role of the local population that inhabited these territories gives them their own personality.
The Turuñuelo finds were already more than remarkable when you began the excavation of the upper floor of the structure, but when undertaking the excavation of the great stairs, you found the discovery of an authentic hecatomb, with a large number of sacrificed animals and some very striking objects such as a sculptural fragment. How do you assess this type of finding?, and in relation to it, what is your working hypothesis regarding these and its relationship with the abandonment of the place?
Without a doubt, the finding of animal sacrifice It constitutes a unique example within the protohistory of the Mediterranean. So far we have evaluated several working hypotheses that only the analyzes that are currently underway will be able to answer us. In this way, DNA and isotope analyzes will allow us to know if the horses come from the same equine herd, their diet, how they were slaughtered and even the color of their fur. Meanwhile, the sacrifice of this remarkable number of animals has to date been linked to a ritual activity that seems to have taken place in the building just before its closure. Until now we have a large number of open questions that we hope to answer with the development of the investigations and the excellent team of zoologists that the project has.
Regarding the material findings, although they agree with the Tartessian culture, we have been surprised by the presence of elements that denote a wealth hitherto unknown in other sites of the time. This is the case of the marble sculpture or the set of glass bowls that accompanied it.
Do you have the date of abandonment well dated? To what extent does it coincide with a generalized phenomenon in the region?
The excavation at Casas del Turuñuelo is a real archaeological challenge, not only because of the exceptional finds, but also because a two-story building was found in a very good conservation conditions. What is your approach to solve the logistical problems posed by an excavation of this caliber?
What are the steps to follow in the immediate and medium term? Do you see any possibility of making the site visitable or musealizing it in the long run?
Nothing more from our side. We would like to thank you for your attention and, of course, your valuable work in disseminating archaeological research, and wish you the best of luck in everything to come.