Headless male figure from the sanctuary of la Bobadilla (Alcaudete, Jaén, Spain)

Acephalous male figure, made in a block, although with indication of the feet. She wears a long, short-sleeved tunic and adorned in the front and back of the neck with a crossstrip, to which they accompany bracelets in both arms. The left arm is attached to the body, while the right one holds what seems to be a vessel, which supports the height of the belly. Hands with fingers indicated by oblique incisions. Feet made individually, small and separate, although they allow the support of the piece. Chronology: II-I centuries B.C. Dimensions: 25 cm The cemetery of La Bobadilla is located in the municipality of Alcaudete (Jaén) and occupies an extensive hill with north-south orientation. The highest area of the hill is known as Cerro del Esde. On several occasions, and during the agricultural work, plows have repeatedly scrambled the cemetery, and most of it is the large number of ceramic fragments that are observed on surface along this area. The first archeological works were carried out by Juan Maluquer de Motes in the early 70’s in the farmhouse of Campanera Baja. This first intervention was made because of numerous discoveries of “pots and mouths full of bones and ashes” discovered by inhabitants of this town due to the aforementioned agricultural work. It is an iberian incineration necropolis. Incinerated remains are deposited inside one or more urns that are covered with a plate or with a stone. The urn is placed on the bottom of a simple hole without special covering. Only in some cases and according to the shape of the urn, it appears carriageway with small stones to maintain the verticality. The depth in which the polls appear is scarce. In some cases they reach 0.5 m and most appear at 0.25 m. This low depth explains the destruction of burials carried out by the repeated agricultural work. Overall, the excavated area of the cemetery seems to correspond to a zone of poor incinerations as they lack a trousseau. At most they offer some fusayola, sets of tabas between the incineration bones or small copper or silver tendrils. In one case the iron grip of a falcata appeared. In total, 19 simple burials were documented. Totally different is the result of the excavation of the camera A, located on the western edge of the hill at less than 0.18 m depth. It is a cyst formed with SO-NE oriented stone. The situation of the cista at the point of bankruptcy of the slope explains that the cover remained on surface and its elements had disappeared. In it appeared a brief cobblestone as a step, in which the urn would be deposited and on which was found one of the fragments of forest paste. In addition, fragments of two small vessels of vitreous blue paste, two fragments of pottery, three Iberian pomegranate aryballos, two bowls and two small fragments of a bronze ring were documented in this camera. A set of earrings and a gold ring appeared beneath a pointed step at the head and 0.20 m deep, in a small hole deeper than the general level of the cista’s floor. The earrings are large, shaped like geminated tendrils, and are made up of a finite sheet of plain gold. The documented material allows to deduce that it is a tomb of a lady of a certain rank, since apart from the gold jewels probably of local manufacture, it had several import pieces. The proposed chronology for this cemetery oscillates between the s. VI B.C. and mid s. V B.C. Bibliography: Aranegui, C. (1996): “Signs of rank in the Iberian society. Civil or religious aspects.” Journal of Iberian Studies, 2: 91-121. Maluquer, J., Picazo, M., and Rincón M. A. (1973): The Iberian cemetery of La Bobadilla (Jaén). Andalusia and Extremadura. Protohistoric Research Program I. Barcelona. Wheel, C. (2011): Territory, worship and iconography in the Iberian sanctuaries of Alto Guadalquivir (ss. IV a.n.e.-I d.n.e.), CAAI texts no. 3, University of Jaén.