Face fragments. Sculptural group of El Pajarillo (Huelma, Jaén, Spain)

Fragments representing the nose, mouth and chin of a human figure. Lips with the limits marked by a vertex are preserved. The mouth is closed. The vertical groove between the upper lip and the nose as well as the chin is indicated by a thickening. The dimensions of the fragments are: Nose: Height = 3 cm Length = 4.3 cm Width = 2.5 cm Mouth: Height = 8 cm Width = 4.9 cm Thickness = 2.9 cm These fragments come from the Sanctuary of El Pajarillo, this one was documented in a place located at the head of the river Jandulilla (Huelma, Jaén, Spain), just at the point where the river becomes such by converting several streams that pour from Sierra Mágina. Chronologically it has a limited sequence that begins with the fourth century B.C., but does not advance much beyond the middle of that same century. The sculptural group discovered in this place is currently preserved in the Provincial Museum of Jaén where it is part of the permanent collection and can be visited. It consists of four figures of animals, two lions and two taps, a large figure of a carnivorous interpreted as a wolf, similar figures of smaller size that could be dogs or wolves, and two human sculptures to one of which would presumably belong these fragments of nose and mouth. The first human sculpture is a naked male with the sex clearly indicated that by its own characteristics and by its relative size it is necessary to identify as a child or a young man. The second human figure seems to be the one that dominates the whole scene. He is a male character dressed in a short robe and covered by a cloak that collects on the left hand to protect her. With the right he has put hand to the falcata that he carries in the belt and is ready to take it out to face a danger. Character clothing is typically iberian, with a very careful study of folds and their different response on different category fabrics. The only ornament is the tapes that cross over his chest and that identify the characters of high rank and prestige. This clothing seems to indicate that his fight is against a beast and not against a warrior so he prepares with those elements that are essential. The anatomical study carried out by the sculptor is manifest: the wrist bends slightly to adapt to the orientation of the falcata and that it does not get stuck in the sheath. This causes the tension of certain muscles of the arm, perfectly captured. The legs are separated by advancing the left to use as a pivot in the movement and support of the body weight. The legs are protected by grebas, which is an indication that the confrontation was predictable. This position refers to the models that Mediterranean art reserves to those who fight against oppressors. Heroes usually go naked, protected only by the mantle over the left arm. The Iberian character, however, wears the attire typical of his high rank, with the only allusion to the nudity in the genitals that are represented under the robe. The monument has been interpreted as the representation and legitimation of the aristocratic power that controls a territory that exceeds the direct hinterland of an oppidum, Úbeda la Vieja (Iltiraka) in this case. The absence of stable settlement in a wide space indicates that what is intended with the location of the monument was to point out the limits of the controlled space and it was done in the most appropriate place: at the very entrance of the valley, where the passage was narrower and where it was necessarily forced to circulate. In this way, the very symbology of the sculptural group that crowned the monument must be related to the colonization. The idea of controlling the unknown, the mysterious, of dominating the uncontrolled nature, enhances the social role of the sociopolitical direction of colonization. Bibliography: Mills, M, Chapa, T.; Ruiz, A.Pereira, J.; RIsquez, C.; Madriga, A.; Stephen, A.Mayoral, V. and Llorente, M. (1998): El Santuario Heroico del Pajarillo (Huelma, Jaén) Provincial Council of jaén, University of Jaén. Consejería de Cultura of the Junta de Andalucía v Centro Andaluz de Arqueología Ibérica. Jaén. Mills, M, Chapa, T.; Ruiz, A. and Pereira, J.(2015): “El Pajarillo sanctuary, Huelma,” in A. Ruiz and M. Molinos (eds.): Jaén, Iberian land 40 years of research and transfer. University of Jaén.