The Mayor of Mijas, Josele González (PSOE), and the Councillor for Historical Heritage, Laura Moreno (PSOE), have visited the Cortijo de Acebedo site to learn first-hand, together with the Co-Director of the research project, Desirée Piñero, about the discoveries made at this site, which is currently in the General Research Project's second phase.  

Piñero emphasised that "the latest results have brought a series of tombs to light, which are continuations of those already found in the first phase, and which have great archaeological, heritage and historical value. The opportunity to excavate this type of site provides a large amount of data that has not been available until now in the world of archaeological research in the province of Malaga," she said.

 

In this sense, the Mayor of Mijas has recalled that " Acebedo is doing a remarkable, and much-needed work to continue to know our history. It is a commitment of this government team to join the maximum effort to continue advancing in the study of this site, in which we have found numerous historical findings for our province and beyond," he stressed.

González also stressed that "the importance of our necropolis lies in the fact that it is, to date, one of the few examples, if not the only one in the province of Malaga with these characteristics that have been excavated under an archaeological intervention within the framework of a general research project".

For her part, Councillor Laura Moreno also praised the work carried out in this project by the staff of the municipal department. "At the moment, seven people are working in the field, plus the head of the department. We also have the collaboration of a conservator, plus an archive technician. It is really important the Town Hall provides all the human and economic resources to ensure that this project continues to take steps towards the future Interpretation Centre that will put us on the Andalusian map", he added.

Surprising discoveries

Piñero also reported that during the excavations they found "a handmade ceramic pot, which is now in the laboratory, a shaved knife, and several items such as bowls and plates that show the ritual offering to the deceased. On the other hand, we have been able to find another urn of the Cruz del Negro type", he points out.

Thus, the second phase of the General Research Project has continued with the excavation of the Phoenician necropolis dated between the 7th and 6th century BC. Specifically, several tombs have been documented with remains that indicate the performance of a primary cremation funerary ritual, that is, one that takes place in the same place as the grave or tomb. This includes the cremated bones along with some objects that make up the grave goods and other elements and which provide a glimpse of the process of offering to the deceased.

 

It should be remembered that in the first phase of the research project a ‘Cruz del Negro’ urn was already found, dating from the 7th century BC. After a CAT scan and subsequent micro-excavation, the preliminary results were surprising for the researchers as the remains of the deceased were not found inside the urn, as was usual in this type of vessel.

The new Phoenician urn found in this second research phase could support the theory that this type of vessel could also have been used as a trousseau or a liquid container that formed part of a funeral ceremony or ritual. It is still too early to make conclusions, and this research has not been documented so far.
 

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