A little-known culture sowed the Iberian Peninsula of enigmatic stone animals whose meaning or purpose are still a matter of debate for archaeologists. Are vettones.
One of the archaeological phenomena related to the Celts of Spain's most important has to do with sculptural representations of the Roman peoples who lived between the Douro and the Tagus, in the plateau Vetoni. Bulls, boars, pigs, bears, elephants may ... Crude sculptures granite of various sizes and found in such diverse areas that researchers have not yet agreed on its meaning - it may be several reasons for their production? -. These are called "boars" which is as known to this culture that contains more than 400 copies in a narrow strip of rock and forest. Correspond to the work of a group of artisans who tilled the rock and vetones provided to these shadowy figures, whose meaning has not been disclosed.
2,500 years ago ... The
vetones were Celts, living on livestock and prepared to be welded first class. Initiation rites for future warriors carved into the rock saunas and worshiped the forces of nature and celebrating human animal sacrifices on altars cave. They divided the territory extended between the Duero and Tajo, what is now Toledo, Cáceres, Salamanca, Avila, Zamora, Segovia and the Portuguese province of Tras-os-Montes and Beira Alta. They built fortified cities (oppida) more important in the Avila Valley Amblés in forests adjacent to the hills surrounding the city of Avila. In this framework carved boars, considered the most representative artistic expression Vetoni.
Curiosity about these ancient sculptures has responded to several patterns. The Romans used figuration of bulls and boars of small size in their cemetery, as a cist and cupa - symbol of the burial of someone whose ancestors worshiped vetones these animals, as is now done with the Cross? - or use them as blocks in the Middle Ages in important buildings such as the walls of Avila or more churches in this and other cities and towns in the area, perhaps with contempt in order to save grinding stone when they received good rock elements, and also carved -. And as the ages are so many turns to art, from the XVI century noble families by placing them in the gardens of their palaces - recognition their artistic value, their age, or an attraction of the mysterious power of these ancient sculptures to rich estates? -. Archaeological evidence and from the fifteenth century, the documentation of the chroniclers, put the construction of these sculptures in the Iron Age, from V-IV century a. C. Only since the late nineteenth century, a time when the figure of the archaeological research excavations have been made more systematic in vetones forts, trying to discover something of the past of pastoralists and warriors, and meeting with a culture full of mystery and doubt.
Any idea or image? Among
Gods and men have always been a strange relationship. Fear, love, fear, submission, protection ... different sides of the same currency in which the circumstances surrounding us are vital. In the case of the Celts, the forces of nature were the mystery of rain and rivers, the energy of the sun and moon, and strength and power of stone animals. Understanding what happened influenced to transform everyday items into objects of worship there.
"Worship the bull or stone? Or both? It is one of the unknowns of boars. Schematic figures, simple, very geometricized, therefore, when compared with the representations Iberian the same time, it is almost impossible to relate. Question of wealth, media, stupidity, or is it a vision sought, the mere representation of an idea without an effort figurative? Celts relations with nature was so marked that the idea may be just the combination of two natural elements central to his life: the rock on which they built their villages, protecting them and the bull, sacred animal classical mythology, charged, in this case, a sociological component that can not be ignored: one of his sources of wealth was cattle.
stones in worship and educated himself to the stones have also been associated with streams. For example, in the fort of Ulaca (Solosancho, Avila) found a boar near a spring, and next to the fort of El Raso (Candeleda, Avila) also found a copy beside a river, next to the pre-Roman Sanctuary Postolabosa. The presence of sculptures is tas extensive grasslands, as a milestone in the landscape, and some near villages and even within them, has played a sacred eat thereof, in relation to the protection of both livestock habitats. It has been more than seventy years since archaeologist Juan Cabral, one of the first forts dug vetones highlighted the magic-religious function of these zoomorphic figures, relating to rites of protecting livestock, fertility and reproduction of the species. Sculptures found in grassland areas especially rich in ravines near medieval on the edge of land and retailers - so sacred landmarks. There are theories that indicate even the boars trying to signal the possessions of the great warriors (the privileged in the hierarchy of settlements), as a symbol of social status. What remains to be confirmed is whether, in fact, bulls and boars found were at these places in their origins or, conversely, have been displaced from their location original over the centuries. Yes to some uncertainty about their movement, which calls into question the original location of the rest. What will be very difficult to figure out is when and why.
One of the archaeological phenomena related to the Celts of Spain's most important has to do with sculptural representations of the Roman peoples who lived between the Douro and the Tagus, in the plateau Vetoni. Bulls, boars, pigs, bears, elephants may ... Crude sculptures granite of various sizes and found in such diverse areas that researchers have not yet agreed on its meaning - it may be several reasons for their production? -. These are called "boars" which is as known to this culture that contains more than 400 copies in a narrow strip of rock and forest. Correspond to the work of a group of artisans who tilled the rock and vetones provided to these shadowy figures, whose meaning has not been disclosed.
2,500 years ago ... The
vetones were Celts, living on livestock and prepared to be welded first class. Initiation rites for future warriors carved into the rock saunas and worshiped the forces of nature and celebrating human animal sacrifices on altars cave. They divided the territory extended between the Duero and Tajo, what is now Toledo, Cáceres, Salamanca, Avila, Zamora, Segovia and the Portuguese province of Tras-os-Montes and Beira Alta. They built fortified cities (oppida) more important in the Avila Valley Amblés in forests adjacent to the hills surrounding the city of Avila. In this framework carved boars, considered the most representative artistic expression Vetoni.
Curiosity about these ancient sculptures has responded to several patterns. The Romans used figuration of bulls and boars of small size in their cemetery, as a cist and cupa - symbol of the burial of someone whose ancestors worshiped vetones these animals, as is now done with the Cross? - or use them as blocks in the Middle Ages in important buildings such as the walls of Avila or more churches in this and other cities and towns in the area, perhaps with contempt in order to save grinding stone when they received good rock elements, and also carved -. And as the ages are so many turns to art, from the XVI century noble families by placing them in the gardens of their palaces - recognition their artistic value, their age, or an attraction of the mysterious power of these ancient sculptures to rich estates? -. Archaeological evidence and from the fifteenth century, the documentation of the chroniclers, put the construction of these sculptures in the Iron Age, from V-IV century a. C. Only since the late nineteenth century, a time when the figure of the archaeological research excavations have been made more systematic in vetones forts, trying to discover something of the past of pastoralists and warriors, and meeting with a culture full of mystery and doubt.
Any idea or image? Among
Gods and men have always been a strange relationship. Fear, love, fear, submission, protection ... different sides of the same currency in which the circumstances surrounding us are vital. In the case of the Celts, the forces of nature were the mystery of rain and rivers, the energy of the sun and moon, and strength and power of stone animals. Understanding what happened influenced to transform everyday items into objects of worship there.
"Worship the bull or stone? Or both? It is one of the unknowns of boars. Schematic figures, simple, very geometricized, therefore, when compared with the representations Iberian the same time, it is almost impossible to relate. Question of wealth, media, stupidity, or is it a vision sought, the mere representation of an idea without an effort figurative? Celts relations with nature was so marked that the idea may be just the combination of two natural elements central to his life: the rock on which they built their villages, protecting them and the bull, sacred animal classical mythology, charged, in this case, a sociological component that can not be ignored: one of his sources of wealth was cattle.
stones in worship and educated himself to the stones have also been associated with streams. For example, in the fort of Ulaca (Solosancho, Avila) found a boar near a spring, and next to the fort of El Raso (Candeleda, Avila) also found a copy beside a river, next to the pre-Roman Sanctuary Postolabosa. The presence of sculptures is tas extensive grasslands, as a milestone in the landscape, and some near villages and even within them, has played a sacred eat thereof, in relation to the protection of both livestock habitats. It has been more than seventy years since archaeologist Juan Cabral, one of the first forts dug vetones highlighted the magic-religious function of these zoomorphic figures, relating to rites of protecting livestock, fertility and reproduction of the species. Sculptures found in grassland areas especially rich in ravines near medieval on the edge of land and retailers - so sacred landmarks. There are theories that indicate even the boars trying to signal the possessions of the great warriors (the privileged in the hierarchy of settlements), as a symbol of social status. What remains to be confirmed is whether, in fact, bulls and boars found were at these places in their origins or, conversely, have been displaced from their location original over the centuries. Yes to some uncertainty about their movement, which calls into question the original location of the rest. What will be very difficult to figure out is when and why.
