Bronze Age burial site of powerful woman discovered under ancient palace in Spain
The cache of silver grave goods suggest she was an important leader in prehistoric El Argar society.
Archaeologists excavating at La Almoloya, Spain, have discovered a grave filled with precious items and the remains of a woman, who may have been a ruler or powerful member of society.
The woman was buried alongside a man in a large pot in
The Art Newspaper
March 11, 2021
© Arqueoecologia Social Mediterrània Research Group, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
around 1700 BC, beneath the floor of what may be western Europe’s earliest palace. The majority of the grave’s objects, and particularly those of silver, were found with the woman, including a rare silver diadem, still worn on her head. Scholars argue that this was a symbol of power in El Argar society, which existed in south-eastern Spain from around 2200 to 1550 BC.
Among the woman’s other grave goods were a set of silver earlobe tunnel-plugs; silver spirals that were perhaps part of her headdress; two silver bracelets; a necklace; and a silver ring on one of her fingers. In total, the burial contained about 230g of silver. The man’s objects, by contrast, were less prestigious.
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