Evidence of Repeated Mass Animal Sacrifices Link to Tartessian Culture Unearthed in Southwestern Spain

Researchers have unearthed signs of repeated mass animal sacrifice rituals in Spain. According to a report, the evidence found was linked to the enigmatic Tartessian culture.

Mass Animal Sacrifice Rituals

A team of researchers has discovered evidence of recurrent mass animal sacrifice ceremonies about 2,500 years ago. The site of the ritual sacrifices was identified as the huge Iron Age structure known as Casas del Turuñuelo. It is situated in the Guadiana River valley in the province of Badajoz.

The mysterious Tartessian culture, which flourished in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula between the 9th and 5th B.C., is linked to the structure. The culture appeared to vanish suddenly under strange circumstances.

Animal bones were discovered at the Casas del Turuñuelo courtyard in 2017. The remnants seemed to suggest that there had been an animal sacrifice ceremony at the location.

In the new study, the researchers examined over 6,700 bones, which correspond to the carcasses of 52 species that have been found in the courtyard. The results provided fresh insight into the animal sacrifices, which appear to have been a part of a sequence of rites connected to the site's final era of use before being abandoned.

Initially, experts thought the remains were a large sacrifice that happened once. However, according to Maria Pilar Iborra Eres, an author of the latest study with the Valencian Institute of Conservation, Restoration and Research in Spain, the remains were from a succession of sacrifices that occurred for several decades.

The animals were buried in three successive phases, the researchers discovered. Along with identifying the bones found at the site, they also discovered the remains of one dog and a smaller number of cattle, pig, and adult horse bones.

The majority of the skeletons in the first two ritual phases were discovered to be complete and undamaged. However, during the third stage, some of the bones had indications of having been prepared for eating, indicating that the rite had been followed by a feast of some kind.

According to the study's documentation, the courtyard was frequently utilized over several decades as a location for ceremonies involving animal sacrifice that included a variety of customs.

"It has been possible to establish with great precision the different stages of sacrifices that took place in the courtyard of Casas del Turuñuelo over several decades," Eres said. "It is really like going back to that place 2,500 years ago and contemplating the animal sacrifices that took place there within the complex Tartessian culture."

The findings were important because it was the first time a sequence of animal sacrifices was documented. She also pointed out the significance of the venue, noting that the building was among the important sites in the Iberian Peninsula due to its architecture and state of preservation.

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More About the Ritual Sacrifice

The ceremonies were performed in the latter half of the 5th B.C. when the structure was purposefully set on fire and then buried beneath an earthen mound around 300 feet in diameter and 20 feet high, according to the paper. Then, the location was deserted. The building's covering by the earth mound indicates how extraordinarily well-preserved the location is.

The skeletal remains offer proof of the courtyard's frequent usage for various stages of animal sacrifices.

However, it's unknown what inspired the customs. It's also unclear how many people are in charge of organizing the procedures and what their job is.

Large-scale animal sacrifices from the Iron Age are not commonly found in Mediterranean archeological sites, indicating that these customs are not well understood.