The Iron Age sacrificed horses from the Iberian Tartessic 'Turuñuelo de Guareña' site (Badajoz, Spain): Preliminary tudy

Abstract

Horses symbolise power in most cultures that count this animal among their domesticates. During the Iron Age, social stratification became more apparent across Western Europe, and horses played a significant role in this process. The Iberian Peninsula was no exception, and the site of 'Turuñuelo de Guareña' provides an exceptional example. Tartessos is described as a kingdom in the ancient Greek sources. The Tartessic culture originated from the interaction between indigenous communities living in the South-West of the Iberian Peninsula and the Phoenicians that established trading centres on the coast during the Iron Age. The excavation works at the site of 'Turuñuelo de Guareña' uncovered more than fifty horses – many in anatomical connection – sacrificed and disposed in pairs with bronze bites on them. The site was subsequently burnt and then covered with earth to seal it. This work presents the preliminary archaeological results and the multidisciplinary approach undertaken on this extraordinary assemblage, which constitutes a unicumacross the Mediterranean and a singular opportunity to characterise the equine population sacrificed at the site. In particular, strontium isotopes and ancient DNA analyses, together with accurate zooarchaeological studies will enable us to assess whether the animals originated from the local area or there were horses from different geographical origins and / or lineages.