The epigraphic stela of Montoro (Córdoba): the earliest monumental script in Iberia?

A remarkable stela from Montoro, southern Spain, is unique in its morphology, epigraphic traits and landscape context. A programme of chemical characterisation, digital imaging, and geo-lithological and epigraphic analyses were conducted to determine its age and significance, and the results were in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antiquity 2017-08, Vol.91 (358), p.916-932
Main Authors: García Sanjuán, Leonardo, Díaz-Guardamino, Marta, Wheatley, David W., Vita Barra, Juan-Pablo, Lozano Rodríguez, José Antonio, Rogerio-Candelera, Miguel Ángel, Justo Erbez, Ángel, Barker, Dominic, Strutt, Kris, Casado Ariza, Manuel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeology
Bronze Age
Context
Digital imaging
Epigraphy
Excavation
Historic artifacts
Inscriptions
Iron Age
Lithology
Memorials & monuments
Morphology
Museums
Paleography
Scripts
Sculpture
Spanish history, to 711
Stele (Archaeology)
Stone
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Summary:A remarkable stela from Montoro, southern Spain, is unique in its morphology, epigraphic traits and landscape context. A programme of chemical characterisation, digital imaging, and geo-lithological and epigraphic analyses were conducted to determine its age and significance, and the results were integrated with data from archaeological investigations of the surrounding area. This multi-faceted approach allowed the stela to be interpreted within the context of early interactions between literate Mediterranean societies of the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age and non-literate Iberian societies. A key outcome of this research is a wider understanding of the complex patterns in the use and perception of early scripts.
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.15184/aqy.2017.86