Sculpture fragment, lion. Iberian cemetery of La Guardia (Jaén, Spain)

Sculptural fragment made of white sandstone representing the front leg of a lion with part of the pedestal. The paw rests on a plinth that has not been polished and has numerous traces of the chisel. The claw has two cylindrical fingers whose three phalanxes are separated by living edges and end in huge nails. A third finger is under the previous ones, without indication of phalanxes, but with the same powerful nail. The elbow is outside the plinth. It is important to emphasize that the outside side of the leg has a great rupture in oblícuo plane that has been made to chisel, and therefore it is ancient. Likewise, the right side of the plinth, in its front half, is sculpted, not broken, which must rule out the idea of a solid common base. The elbow and the left outer half of the leg are left out of the plinth. Chronology: V to III B.C. Dimensions Height = 17.5 cm Width = 21 cm Depth = 64.5 cm Weight = 13.66 Kg The Iberian cemetery of La Guardia is located on the hill of Ejido, next to the road of Jaén outside La Guardia in a northern direction. From this hill is dominated the valley of the river of La Guardia that will lead to the Guadalbullón, a natural passage that connects the Campiña Alta with Granada. This cemetery occupies a global extension of 6 ha and its chronology covers from the fifth to the third century B.C. The casual discovery in 1959 of several fragments of sculptures corresponding to Iberian lions and their exceptional quality motivated an archeological intervention in this place, supported by the Institute of Giennenses Studies and directed by Antonio Blanco Freijeiro, thus revealing the existence of this extensive cemetery. This, together with the fact of not finding any trace of settlement, has allowed to suppose that it could have been found in the hill currently occupied by the population, controlling the obligatory step for those who, from Despeñaperros, went to the area of Granada by the Guadalbullón Valley. Between 1959 and 1960, more than 30 tombs of diverse typology (graves excavated in the rock, cists and chambers), some with the ashes introduced in ceramic urns, and with their corresponding trousseau, will be excavated. Of the 18 tombs studied, 2 are ritual of inhumation, 15 of incineration and one corresponds with a burial chamber, where no cinerary urn was found. The contrasts between these burials, as far as the trousseau is concerned, are significant. The absence of trousseau in the rites of burial contrasts with the richness of the rest of the tombs, where the ceramics painted with geometric decoration, the gray ceramics and the Greek import ceramics could be highlighted. Weapons were also found, such as spear regatons, potted knives or shields; among the elements of ornament, fibulas, bronze rings, belt brooches, gold earrings in amorcillated form, vitreous necklace beads, etc. Remains of sculptures were documented in the camera. Bibliography: Blanco Freijeiro, A. (1959): “Archaeological excavations in the province of Jaén.” Bulletin of the Institute of Giennenses Studies 22: 89-128.