Very Rare Ancient Decorated Stone Unearthed in Spain; What Is It?

Archaeologists unearthed a "very rare" stone monument from a nearly 3,000-year-old funerary complex. The exceptional find allegedly challenges previous interpretations of two prominent figures - a warrior and a headdress - typically found on such monuments.

Rare Prehistoric Monument in Spain

An ancient painted stone monument, or stela, was discovered in the village of Canaveral de León in southwest Spain's Las Capellanas Necropolis in September. Iberian stelae "were monuments made to commemorate important personages of the community," according to Marta Daz-Guardamino, a researcher from Durham University in the U.K. and one of the archaeologists involved in the discovery.

Up until this point, archaeologists have distinguished between two major categories of figures seen on Iberian stelae from this time. The first is the "warrior" figure, which was assumed to represent men since it had weapons, even though only a few of them had physical characteristics associated with men.

The other kind consists of people wearing headdresses, frequently with images of necklaces. Even though only a few had images of female physical characteristics, they were often considered female people.

However, despite extensive research dating back over 120 years, virtually little is known regarding the use contexts for prehistoric stelae and statue-menhirs in Iberia. The discovery is "very rare" and "changes long-held ideas about the nature of social elites in southwest Europe around 3,000 years ago, as well as the role and nature of these distinctive commemorative monuments," according to Daz-Guardamino.

The newly discovered stela reportedly shows a human figure wearing a headpiece, a necklace, and two swords. The figurine also features detailed hands, feet, and male genitalia. The stela thus incorporates characteristics of both the warrior and headdress.

The latest stela shows that these social functions were not limited to one gender but could be connected with other genders because it also depicts male genitalia. The stela demonstrates that earlier interpretations were oversimplified and more accurately represented our contemporary ideas of gender than those of prehistoric societies.

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What Is Stela?

Stela also spelled stele and plural stelae, is a standing stone slab for various purposes, including demarcation, dedication, and memorialization; ornamented or plain stone slab was frequently used as a tombstone in both the East and Grecian regions as early as Mycenae and the Geometric Period (c. 900-c. 700 BCE). However, the origin of the stela is uncertain.

The decorated stelae were made between 1250 and 700 B.C. are, according to Daz-Guardamino, already uncommon antiquities in Europe. The most recent discovery, however, is even more noteworthy because it is the first time a stela that combines the characteristics of the warrior and headdress figures has been discovered, in addition to the fact that it was discovered in its original environment.

Archaeologists have recorded numerous customs of decorated stelae from diverse historical periods worldwide. Approximately 300 of these items and statue-menhirs-related structures have been discovered thus far throughout the Iberian Peninsula. The majority of this region, which makes up the southwest of Europe, is now shared between Spain and Portugal.

In prehistoric Iberia, stelae were decorated with depictions of people that seem to have been fairly consistent between 1250 and 700 B.C. Las Capellanas was constructed during this time, which in this region corresponded to the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the early Iron Age.

The most recent stela appeared to be related to a circular cremation structure because it was lying on top of that. The first stela was uncovered in 2018 while workers were repairing a rural route that currently crosses over. This is the third stela to be unearthed there.