The first archaeological excavations at a place called Cerro de Los Santos (near the Spanish municipality of Yecla) were carried out in the summer of 1860 with the consent of the owner of the land, Marquis de Valparaiso.
The researchers were attracted by stories that once there was an ancient temple in this place, the remains of which were finally dismantled for building material by the beginning of the 19th century.
The finds were not long in coming, as the silhouette of the ancient building was still visible on the plateau.
In the very first days, archaeologists managed to discover the foundation of an ancient temple and dozens of mysterious sculptures and figurines belonging to an unknown civilization.
But it was especially surprising that no human remains, weapons or household items were found around the temple. What made us think about a certain exclusive role of this place in ancient times.
A series of excavations carried out with an enviable intensity have revealed more than 400 ancient sculptures and statuettes made of stone and bronze. But the temple itself was finally destroyed, and modern researchers can only be content with information more than a hundred years ago left by their not the most accurate colleagues.
But what did the statues symbolize?
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And most importantly, what culture did the ancient temple belong to?
Lady from Cerro de Los Santos.
Due to the absence of any written sources and references to this place, it is rather difficult to judge its true purpose.
But most researchers familiar with the issue are inclined to believe that the temple belongs to the Iberian civilization.
The temple is considered to be one of the main sanctuaries in which physical incarnations (statues) of all the gods known to the Iberians were presented.
The study of materials obtained as a result of archaeological excavations made it possible to establish that the oldest statues date back to the 4th century BC. e., and the latest were made more than 500 years later.
That makes only wonder at the firmness of beliefs and respect for the shrines in ancient times.
It is believed that the place of worship was an analogue of the Athenian Acropolis and remained the sanctuary of all known gods, until its destruction (probably happened with the arrival of Christians).
At the same time, very little is known about the Iberian civilization itself.
The first mentions of the Iberians were made by the Greeks in the 6th century BC.
They were quite active in trade with other peoples of the Mediterranean, which is known thanks to the ceramic products found in France, Italy and even North Africa.
It is known that in a short period of the First and Second Punic Wars, the Iberians were subordinate to Carthage and even participated in the replenished army of Hannibal.
Later, the Romans conquered the Pyrenees, after which any trace of the Iberian people disappears.
No less mysterious are the statues from Cerro de Los Santos.
Despite numerous studies, scientists have not been able to establish exactly what deities they symbolized and whether they were deities, why their number is so large. And most importantly - in this connection, almost all statuettes depict women.