An ancient alphabet has been uncovered in a unique manner – through a social media scroll. Joan Ferrer i Jané, a software engineer from Barcelona, stumbled upon this discovery while browsing updates on X, formerly known as Twitter, from an archaeological site in southern Spain. The site, dating back to the 5th century B.C., is linked to the civilization of Tartessos, which emerged from the interaction between indigenous people of the Iberian peninsula and Phoenician settlers. Recent findings have shed light on the wealth and complexity of Tartessos, a civilization rich in iron, silver, and gold that mysteriously vanished in the 5th century B.C.
El Turuñuelo, excavated in 2015, contains a large temple believed to have been intentionally burned and buried as part of a ceremonial act. The clay used for burial has preserved the site and its contents. This year’s excavations revealed a square slate rock engraved with warriors, geometric shapes, faces, and other symbols, likely used as a sketching tool by an artisan or apprentice, according to excavation codirector Esther Rodríguez González from the Archaeological Institute of Mérida in Spain.
2024-06-24 10:15:00
Originally published on www.sciencenews.org