An Iberian bull found in Tarragona in the 1990s was found on a farm in Córdoba while olive trees were being planted.
National Police agents identified the person responsible for the looting, who admitted that in the 1990s he found two blocks of the same statue representing a bull and later sold them to a Barcelona resident.
The Sculpture a Iberian bull It was recovered by the National Police in Tarragona, and it was found on a farm in Castro del Rio at the end of the 1990s. The part has a definite life 4th-5th centuries BC, Represents a bull and is located in a Private Foundation Museum It is located in the province of Tarragona.
According to the National Police on Monday, the investigation began in 2020 when agents found an Iberian statue of a bull in a private museum in Tarragona. this statue found complete and restored, But he drew the researchers’ attention to the fact that it is clearly made of two blocks of stone.
For a long time, The agents took steps to locate and recover two stone blocks which was part of a statue of an Iberian bull. There were references to them in an academic article from 2004 published by a famous archaeologist in Córdoba, as well as a review on a blog written by a resident of the capital. In the above-mentioned article to which he had access Cordoba Newspaperfrom the Prensa Ibérica collection, showing that the piece was found When digging wells to grow olives In an area between farmhouses in Polvillo and Santa Sofía, in the municipality of Castro del Río, about 3.5 kilometers from the city.
Al-Baqari found, as stated in the article quoted by the police, It is not completed and only two parts remainone views of one head on the torso dAnimal”. Regarding the materials used, it shows “he is Very soft white limestone Fine grains, very suitable for carving.that allowed the restoration that it underwent. Regarding the size of the statue, the author states that “the dimensions of the torso are 0.81 meters long, 0.35 meters wide, and 0.45 meters high.” In addition, it is indicated that the animal stands “on a footstool 10 cm thick, rectangular in shape and forming part of the same piece”.
It is also indicated that “the best side is the left, not only because it came to us more completely, but also because it was the most working and caring.” “The animal is lying on its front limbs – the article continues – and the hind limbs are bent in their normal position. The right hand is missing, although the beginning of the elbow can be seen. If the statue is observed from behind, it can be seen how almost the entire animal is lying on the left part of the footrest, causing a slight inclination of the body towards the other side.” The head is 0.27 meters long, 0.24 meters wide, and 0.32 meters high. As a detail, the author notes that “the jaws have not been fully preserved and must be decorated with a series of undulating slits that extend up to the neck and cover them completely.”
The research work states that “in this case no direct relationship can be established between that place and a large settlement, because the area of the Polvillo-Santa Sofía farm lies midway between the two places.” Opposite The closest, located in the neighborhood of Villa de Castro del Río, about 3.5 kilometers to the west, and Opidom From the farm Ízcar de Baena.” Yes Alternatively, it can be related to Funeral purpose of the monument to which you belonglike other sculptures found in the Cordoba countryside, such as the lioness of La Rambla
With all the data collected, the agents contacted the author of the article and the owner of the blog, who explained in their statement that they were able to see the two parts shortly after they appeared in the field. After several investigations, identified the person responsible for the looting, He points to the police. He admitted this in his testimony as a witness, since the crime had already been stipulated In the 90s, when he was doing agricultural work, he found two blocks of the same statue which represents the bull.
As this person explained, news of the discovery spread quickly, with many people from different parts of Spain expressing interest in acquiring it. Finally sold it to a neighbor Barcelona. The agents decided that when the statue was found in the 1990s, with the current Spanish Historic Heritage Act in effect, Existence He had to notify the authorities Being public domain, connections not implemented. For this reason, acknowledgment of the findings and subsequent sale by the person who found them proves the illegal source of the piece.
As a result of all efforts, the statue was intervened and moved to the headquarters of the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute (IPCE). Interdisciplinary study of the artifact
In the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute A multidisciplinary scientific-technical study was carried out for it, using various imaging techniques and material characterization to Determine Damage to the piece Because of the changes made. The result of the report shows that the standards and recommendations issued by the competent authorities in matters of preserving and restoring cultural heritage are not followed. Similarly, the cleaning treatments applied and the interventions made to assemble the two fragments caused irreversible changes.
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