Shedding new light on the context and temporality of Iberian warrior stelae: The Canaveral de Leon 2 Stela and Las Capellanias burial complex (Huelva, SW Spain).

ABSTRACT: Iberian late prehistoric stelae stand out as a significant expression of European prehistoric art. For well over a hundred years, the context of use of the c. 300 Iberian stelae known to this date has been intensely discussed. This debate, however, was inherently flawed and limited in its scope, as almost all the available examples were found by chance, and no good-quality empirical evidence was available to understand their primary context. In this paper, we present the first conclusive scientific evidence demonstrating that Iberian late prehistoric stelae were used both as grave markers and landscape landmarks associated with pathways. This incontrovertible evidence stems from fieldwork undertaken in June 2022 and September 2023 at the site of Las Capellanías (Cañaveral de León, Huelva)

SUBMITTER: Garcia Sanjuan L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12017488 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature