A new analysis reveals the origin of El Carambolo’s treasure, and contrary to what some claimed, it is not linked to Atlantis.
New analyses have solved the mystery surrounding the El Carambolo treasure, a magnificent treasure made up of gold objects unearthed by Spanish workers near Seville in 1958.
When the 2,700-year-old treasure was discovered, it immediately sparked speculation and debate about the Tartessos, a civilization that flourished in southern Spain between the 9th and 6th centuries BC. Ancient sources describe the Tartessians as a singularly advanced and prosperous monarchy. This wealth, and the fact that the Tartessians somehow disappeared around 2500 years ago, led to theories equating Tartessos with the mythical site of Atlantis.
Another aspect of the debate was that jewelry was popularized by the Phoenicians, a Semitic and maritime culture of the Near East, arriving in the western Mediterranean in the 8th century BC, where it was a commercial port in the present-day Cádiz.
Local Gold
The Treasure of El Carmen is a collection of 21 pieces of goldwork, including a necklace adorned with finely carved pendants, several chest ornaments in the shape of oxskins, and sumptuous bracelets. While archaeologists estimate that the treasure was deliberately buried around the 6th century BC, most of the jewelry was probably made two centuries earlier. Ana Navarro indicates that no other object from this period ever discovered in Spain bears the seal of such extravagance.
To resolve the question of the origins of El Carambolo’s treasure, Ana Navarro and her research team used chemical and isotopic analyses to examine tiny fragments of gold that had come loose from one of the jewels.
A multicultural heritage
Ana Navarro also indicates that if the gold was extracted locally, the jewelry was made using Phoenician techniques. A Phoenician temple has been identified in the area where the El Carambolo treasure was unearthed, and the treasure itself is likely the product of Phoenician and Tartessian craftsmanship.
Alicia Perea, an archaeologist at the Center for Humanities and Social Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council, specializing in the study of gold and who has studied the treasure of El Carambolo, acknowledges that Tartessos probably possessed a mixed culture of indigenous peoples of the Western Mediterranean and sailors from the Near East.
Mark