Scientists have found an ancient chariot in Spain among the remains of a mysterious society

Archaeologists in Spain have discovered a unique bronze cult chariot about 2.5 thousand years old. The discovery was made in the archaeological complex "Dom Turuñuelo" (Casas del Turuñuelo) in the south-west of the country — one of the most important monuments of the mysterious culture of Tartessa. However, scientists were interested not only in the rare artifact. The settlement where he was found belongs to a society whose representatives, shortly before their disappearance, deliberately burned monumental buildings, smashed valuable objects and covered the ruins with earth. Why they performed such rituals and what happened to the civilization itself, archaeologists have been trying to understand for years. About why a new find can bring researchers closer to solving one of the main mysteries of ancient Iberia — in the material of Izvestia.

The chariot that survived 2.5 thousand years: why archaeologists call the find unique

The bronze chariot was discovered during the eighth excavation season of the Turunyelo House complex. Despite the name, it's not about a human vehicle or a war chariot. The found object is a small bronze structure about 60 cm long with a rectangular platform and decorative elements. According to the researchers, it was used in religious ceremonies, probably as a portable altar for incense or sacrificial gifts.

Archaeologists call the find exceptional for several reasons. First of all, such iconic chariots had not been found on the Iberian Peninsula before. The artifact was also perfectly preserved, which made it possible to study its construction and decorative design in detail. In addition, the chariot itself turned out to be part of a complex that has been changing scientists' ideas about the Tartess culture for several years, one of the most mysterious societies in ancient Europe. Of particular interest were the images on the bronze plates.

Such a combination of symbols suggests that the chariot had not a domestic, but exclusively a cult significance and was used in rituals related to the protection of sacred space.

The origin of the artifact turned out to be no less interesting. Researchers suggest that the chariot was made by Etruscan craftsmen on the territory of modern Italy, after which it came to the Iberian Peninsula along trade routes connecting the western Mediterranean, as evidenced by the peculiarities of the artistic style and manufacturing technology. However, some details differ from the well-known Etruscan analogues, so archaeologists do not exclude that the object was created specifically for the customer from Tartess or later refined by local craftsmen.

Another mystery is related to the condition in which the chariot was found. It was deliberately broken up and ended up among the construction debris, which residents filled in the already burnt-out building. The archaeologists did not find any traces of fighting or spontaneous fire. On the contrary, everything suggests that the artifact was deliberately taken out of use as part of some kind of ritual. And this is far from an isolated case: researchers find similar traces in other monuments belonging to the same culture.

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A mysterious civilization that has disappeared almost without a trace

The Tartessa culture existed in the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula from about the 9th to the 5th century BC. Ancient authors also mentioned Tartess as a rich country in the far west of the Mediterranean, whose inhabitants traded in silver, copper and other metals. However, for a long time, historians could not understand whether it was really a real state or just a collective image of a distant and rich land. Only archaeological discoveries in recent decades have confirmed that there really was a highly developed society in this region with its own architecture, crafts, and complex social organization.

One of the most important monuments of this culture today is considered to be the Turunyelo House complex. Its excavations began relatively recently, but have already brought dozens of discoveries that have forced archaeologists to reconsider previous ideas about Tartess. Ornate rooms, imported luxury goods, bronze and ivory products, as well as the first known anthropomorphic images associated with this culture were discovered here. All this indicates that the local elite maintained close ties with other Mediterranean peoples, primarily the Phoenicians and Etruscans.

Archaeological evidence shows that Tartessus was not at all an isolated society on the outskirts of Europe. On the contrary, due to its advantageous location near the Atlantic and rich metal deposits, it has become an important trading center. It was through this region that the exchange of raw materials, handicrafts and cultural traditions took place between the local tribes and peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, it is not surprising that the researchers found motifs typical of Etruscan and Greek art on the newly found chariot.

However, around the 5th century BC, traces of this culture practically disappeared. Archaeologists still don't know what exactly happened. Some researchers attribute the decline of Tartess to a change in trade routes after the weakening of the influence of the Phoenicians. Others believe that political conflicts, an economic crisis, or gradual assimilation with neighboring nations could have played a role. So far, none of these hypotheses has been definitively confirmed, since there are practically no written sources about the last years of Tartessus' existence.

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Why did the ancient inhabitants deliberately destroy their own sanctuaries

It is the fate of such structures that remains one of the biggest mysteries of the Tartess culture. Archaeologists have already discovered more than a dozen monumental public buildings in the Guadiana River Valley, and they all have one thing in common: at some point, their owners deliberately stopped using the buildings, performed complex rituals, and then set the buildings on fire and completely covered them with earth. Due to this, many monuments have been preserved in exceptional condition, but the reasons for this behavior are still controversial among scientists. The researchers emphasize that we are not talking about the consequences of war or a natural disaster — all actions were carefully planned.

This scenario is particularly evident in the "House of Turunuelo". Research has shown that large-scale feasts and religious ceremonies took place here before the final destruction of the building. In the courtyard, archaeologists found the remains of 52 animals, among which adult horses predominated, as well as cows, pigs and a dog. Radiocarbon dating has shown that the sacrifices did not occur simultaneously, but in several stages over several years. After the rituals were completed, the structure was deliberately destroyed, set on fire, and then hidden under a huge embankment with a diameter of about 90 meters and a height of up to six meters.

Why the inhabitants of Tartess acted this way is still unknown. One of the most common hypotheses is that such structures were perceived not just as administrative or religious centers, but as objects with their own life cycle. After the most important ceremonies, they were symbolically "closed": everything valuable from the building was either taken out or deliberately broken, after which the building was burned and permanently sealed under a layer of earth. Similar practices are known in other ancient cultures, but the scale of rituals in Tartessa is considered unique to the Western Mediterranean.

It is even more difficult to answer the question of what happened to the native speakers of this culture themselves. Around the 4th century BC, Tartessus disappears from the archaeological record. Some scholars attribute this to a change in trade routes after the weakening of Phoenician influence, while others attribute it to political upheavals or gradual assimilation with neighboring peoples. So far, none of the hypotheses has been convincingly confirmed, and there are practically no written sources that can tell about the last years of the existence of this society.

That is why every new find in Casas del Turuñuelo arouses such interest among archaeologists. The bronze chariot is not just a rare monument of ancient art. It became another evidence that Tartess was a highly developed society with extensive international ties, a complex religious system and unusual rituals, the meaning of which researchers have yet to reveal. Perhaps it is precisely such discoveries that will eventually help to understand why one of the richest cultures of ancient Iberia decided to destroy its own sanctuaries, and then practically disappeared from history.