8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Recent Excavations in Spain Reveal 7th Century BCE Religious Structure, Showcasing Eastern Influences within Tartessian Culture

A research team led by the National University of Distance Education (UNED) has made an important archaeological discovery at the La Bienvenida-Sisapo site in Almodóvar del Campo, Ciudad Real, Spain, revealing artifacts and structures that provide significant insights into the religious practices and societal dynamics of the Tartessian culture.

This finding is reshaping our comprehension of the Tartessian culture’s expansion into the Iberian Peninsula during the Iron Age.

Recent excavations, part of archaeological heritage research initiatives in Castilla-La Mancha, have unveiled the remains of a substantial religious structure rooted in Eastern traditions, dating back to the 7th century BCE. This discovery not only affirms the presence of Tartessian people in the area but also highlights their pursuit of new mineral resources beyond their established territories.

Strategically located on an elevated site adjacent to a volcanic formation known as the eastern “castillejo” of La Bienvenida, the sanctuary exhibits architectural and ritual features that connect it to other religious centers within the Phoenician-Tartessian sphere.

Among the notable findings is a ceremonial altar designed in the shape of an outstretched bull’s hide, a characteristic element of Tartessian sanctuaries previously documented at significant sites like Caura (modern Coria del Río, Seville) and Malaka (Málaga).

Aerial view of the archaeological site of La Bienvenida-Sisapo, with the Tartessian sanctuary near the castle mound of La Bienvenida. Credit: Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, Germán Esteban Borrajo / Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha
Aerial view of the archaeological site of La Bienvenida-Sisapo, with the Tartessian sanctuary near the castle mound of La Bienvenida. Credit: Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, Germán Esteban Borrajo / Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha

The thorough archaeological investigations have revealed various phases of the building’s use, spanning from the mid-7th to the mid-6th century BCE. These findings illustrate how the sacred site underwent multiple renovations, adhering to a meticulous process of dismantling, cleaning, and preparing for new constructions—reflecting the profound respect and significance this site held for its users.

The recovered artifacts have provided compelling evidence of the building’s religious function and its connections to the Mediterranean world. Among the most significant discoveries are fragments of Proto-Corinthian Greek ceramics, utilized in ritual banquets, and chardon vessels, large containers linked to the worship of the Phoenician goddess Astarte.

Additionally, basalt baetyls representing deities have been uncovered, alongside various metallurgical artifacts, including crucibles, tuyères, and copper and lead slag.

State of the archaeological intervention in the Tartessian sanctuary of La Bienvenida-Sisapo in the 2023 campaign. Credit: Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, Germán Esteban Borrajo / Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha
State of the archaeological intervention in the Tartessian sanctuary of La Bienvenida-Sisapo in the 2023 campaign. Credit: Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, Germán Esteban Borrajo / Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha

One of the most intriguing aspects of the discovery is a ritual dump containing extensively manipulated animal bones, along with symbolic items such as marine shells and modified goat astragali, potentially used in divination practices. This assemblage offers valuable insights into the ritual customs and economic foundations of the protohistoric population of Sisapo.

The implications of this discovery are profound for understanding urbanization processes in the inland peninsula. Professor Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, the project’s lead researcher, notes that the establishment of Sisapo was part of a Tartessian strategy to control local mineral resources—including silver, lead, cinnabar, mercury, and copper—and to integrate them into Mediterranean trade networks influenced by the Phoenicians.

The ongoing research involves a multidisciplinary team, including experts from UNED, the Autonomous University of Madrid, and other institutions, with financial backing from the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and the Almodóvar del Campo City Council.

La Bienvenida - pit filled with ritual waste from the Sisapo Tartessian sanctuary Credit: Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, Germán Esteban Borrajo / Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha
La Bienvenida – pit filled with ritual waste from the Sisapo Tartessian sanctuary Credit: Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, Germán Esteban Borrajo / Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha

The findings from this project are illuminating a crucial period in the peninsula’s protohistory and enhancing our understanding of the early Iberization processes that would eventually contribute to the development of the Oretan culture in subsequent centuries.

Department of Education, Culture and Sports of Castilla-La Mancha (Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha)

Cover Image Credit: Mar Zarzalejos Prieto, Germán Esteban Borrajo / Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha

Related Articles

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in Spain: A new decorated stela has been found in context, in the 3000-year-old funerary complex

15 October 2023

15 October 2023 2

Archaeologists have discovered a new decorated stela in the 3000-year-old burial complex of Las Capellanías in Cañaveral de León (Huelva,...

Japan-Persia Ancient Ties

20 June 2021

20 June 2021

Japanese and Persian ancient ties go back to the 7th century. Silk Road connected Japan with countries and regions far...

An artificial intelligence “Ithaca” that will improve our understanding of ancient history

11 March 2022

11 March 2022

A deep neural network trained to restore ancient Greek texts can do so with 72% accuracy when used by historians,...

From Destruction to Discovery: Ancient Greek Tombstone Discovered in Libya After Storm ‘Daniel’

2 March 2025

2 March 2025

The Libyan Antiquities Authority has officially confirmed that an ancient artifact uncovered in the torrents caused by Storm “Daniel” in...

Magnificent Discovery: A Major Tomb Filled with Gold and Ceramic Artifacts was Discovered in Panama

3 March 2024

3 March 2024

In an archaeological find in the El Caño Archaeological Park, located in the district of Natá, province of Coclé, in...

Antikythera underwater excavation digs up new discoveries “huge marble head”

20 June 2022

20 June 2022

The second phase of underwater archaeological research (May 23 to June 15, 2022) on the Antikythera shipwreck resulted in the...

Return of a 4,250-year-old Hattian golden beak-spouted ewer to Turkey

27 October 2021

27 October 2021

The 4,250-year-old golden beak-spouted ewer was returned to the Anatolian Civilizations Museum by the Gilbert Art Foundation. Culture and Tourism...

An important discovery in Haltern: Mini temples and sacrificial pit discovered in Roman military encampment

16 November 2023

16 November 2023

Archaeologists from the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL) have found remains of the foundations of two mini Roman temples and a...

Archaeologists Discovered a Mysterious Ancient Bone Floor in Alkmaar, the Netherlands

16 December 2024

16 December 2024

Archaeologists found a part of a floor made of animal bones in Alkmaar, North Holland, the Netherlands. Experts are intrigued...

1700 years ago the Korean peninsula had more genetic diversity than in our time, “Facial reconstruction possible through DNA analyses”

22 June 2022

22 June 2022

An international team led by The University of Vienna and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration...

Archaeologists Discovered a Fragmentary Inscription in Cypriot Syllabary Found Dating to the Cypro-Archaic Period

1 December 2024

1 December 2024

During excavations at Palaepaphos, located within the municipal boundaries of the modern village of Kouklia-Martsello on the southwest coast of...

Study refutes previous assumptions, DNA evidence rewrites story of people buried in Pompeii eruption

8 November 2024

8 November 2024

Researchers from the University of Florence, Harvard University, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig analyzed the...

Stone reliefs describing the Persian-Greek wars were found in the ancient city of Daskyleion in northwestern Turkey

16 August 2021

16 August 2021

A relief depicting a fifth-century BC battle between the Greeks and Persians was discovered in the ancient city of Dascylium...

2,000-Year-Old Dancing Man Statuette Unearthed in Siberia

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

During excavations for a new bridge over the Ob River in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest district, a ten-centimeter-tall figurine was discovered....

Ancient Mesopotamians bred horse-like hybrids

17 January 2022

17 January 2022

New research finds that Mesopotamians were utilizing hybrids of domesticated donkeys and wild asses to drive their war wagons 4,300...