As if it were a journey through time: five faces transferred to the present day from some temporary space located five thousand years ago. It is an exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum (MAN), which, in addition to showing one of the last archaeological wonders of the peninsula, presents a renovation that gives it a fresh air without losing its historical soul. The claim: Faces of Turuñuelo, five stone faces that look at us from more than 4,500 years ago.
The discovery of these figures at the site of Casas del Turuñuelo, in Guareña (Badajoz), is as recent as it is surprising. In April 2023, these Tartessian sculptures came to light and, for the first time, they can be contemplated in their restored and perfectly preserved form in the new Archaeological Novelties Room of the MAN. A room that, by the way, inaugurated the exhibition and that will house future exhibition capsules with other recent findings of Spanish archeology.
Less than a month to see these faces
And although archaeological novelty is almost an oxymoron, the answer lies in the context: these faces were carved in biocalcarenite more than four thousand years ago, a common material in Iberian sites.
These faces are not mere stone figures, but testimonies of a civilization, the Tartessian, of which we know very little. The Tartessians, that mysterious people who traded with the Phoenicians and who appeared in the Bible as the place rich in silver on “the westernmost shore of the Mediterranean”.
What stands out most about the sculptures are the details. Among the five faces, some are more worn, others better preserved. The most impressive face is that of a female figure adorned with a diadem. Other pieces sport flashy earrings and braided hair, details that, rather than adornment, may indicate high social status.
The exhibition, which can be seen until February 2, not only invites us to admire these fragments of history, but also offers a more complete view thanks to the posters and the contextual video.