Sacrificer of Bujalamé (La Puerta de Segura, Jaén, Spain)

Bronze sculpture from the oppidum of Bujalamé, which was fortuitously located and is currently exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum, has been called the “Sacrifier of Bujalamé.” It is a bronze figure of 15.30 cm high and 5.10 wide that represents a warrior-priest sacrificing a ram and stepping on a wolf’s head. The figure is dressed in short skirt by a very wide belt and combs long loops that fall to the shoulders, with a ritually clear forehead. The figure rests on a capital with volutes from which emerges a central stem that would serve to attach itself to an instrument, possibly a ritual knife given the scene depicted. This piece has been the subject of different studies. It is worth mentioning the composition of the gesture, the embodiment of the rite of sacrifice and the connection between it and the territory: the blood of the sacrificed animal interrelates the man with the god, to the territory with the appropriation of the sacred. In addition, an element of the liturgy of sacrifice appears: the curved knife, present in the iberian ritual contexts belonging to the oldest phases. Thus, although it can be considered as an element that can be amortized over time, that is, reused for generations, it can be dated around the fifth century B.C. The Iberian oppidum of Bujalamé is located in the municipality of La Puerta de Segura, in the easternmost area of the province of Jaén. The importance of the situation of the oppidum is defined by its strategic location: it controls the passage from the high Andalusia to the Plateau and the Levant, as well as the exit of products from the Sierra. It is both a strategic and economic control point. Bibliography: Bellón, J.P; Gómez, F.Ruiz, A. (2015). “The sacrifier of Bujalamé and the Iberians of the Sierra de Segura,” in A. Ruiz and M. Molinos (coord.): Jaén, Iberian land. 40 years of research and transfer. University of Jaén. Jaén. Olmos, R. (2001): “Rites d’ initiation et espaces sacrificiel en Ibérie préromaine,” in P. Linant de Bellefons, J. Leclant and J. C. Balty (edit): Rites et cultes dans le monde antique. Actes de la Table Ronde du LIMC à la Villa Kèrylos. 12. Paris: 39-60.