Spanish archaeologists believe they have uncovered the first human representations of the ancient Tartessos civilization, according to a statement published in mid-April.
The life-sized busts were found hidden inside of a seal pit in Casa del Turunuelo, an ancient Tartessian site, according to the statement shared by researchers. The five pieces are life-sized stone busts of human figures, thought to be part of the Tartessian culture, which disappeared from history more than 2,500 years ago, LiveScience noted.
Alongside the pieces were animal bones that researchers believe could have come from a mass sacrifice, the statement continued. “The unusual thing about the new finding is that the representations correspond to human faces,” Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) spokesperson Erika Lopez told LiveScience.
Archaeologists have unveiled the first known sculptures of human figures made by the Tartessos peoples, a lost civilization that flourished in southern Spain some 3,000 years ago that has been linked to the myth of Atlantis. According to researchers, they are likely depictions of… pic.twitter.com/ppkPWre4UT
— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) April 21, 2023
CISC researchers stated that the discovery suggests “a profound paradigm shift in the interpretation of [Tartessos].” Despite almost nothing being known about this civilization, researchers have hypothesized that the Tartessos were an aniconic culture, where faith was represented through animal and plant motifs.
Tartessos, like almost all ancient cultures (and our current civilization), didn’t leave much of an archaeological footprint in Europe, LiveScience reported. But somehow, this ancient culture was made up of highly skilled goldsmiths, a discovery that remains a mystery to this day, according to Vice. (RELATED: 1.2 Million-Year-Old Factory Found, Run By Mystery Human Species: Study)
The ancient culture has also been linked to the lost city of Atlantis, particularly by Greek philosopher Aristotle, LiveScience continued. However, media outlets tht categorically hate fun, like the BBC, continue to dismiss valid evidence of the existence of Atlantis.
If you want to learn more about Atlantis and how so much of our ancient past, I highly recommend you check out this clip from a Joe Rogan Experience podcast featuring Jimmy “Bright Insight” Corsetti: