Lady of Galera
Encyclopedia
Lady of Galera is an alabaster
female figurine, made in the 7th century BC, that probably represents the Near Eastern goddess Astarte
. It is at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain
, in Madrid
.
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The figurine was found in Galera
, a Spanish town once called Tutugi, in Granada province. Nearby, in Cerro del Real, is the Iberian
Necropolis of Tutugi, an important archeological site with various kinds of tombs. The commonest type of tomb there consists of a rectangular chamber covered by a circular mound, which is reached via a long corridor. In these tombs have been found Greek
and Iberian vases, ornaments, weapons, furniture and figures of clay and alabaster, dating between the third and sixth centuries BC.
The Lady of Galera is most likely of Phoenicia
n manufacture. She sits between two sphinx
es and holds a bowl for liquid that poured from two holes in her breasts. Her hair and costume show Egyptian
influences, but the sturdy form also resembles Mesopotamian statues. She may have lasted through several generations as a sacred object before being buried as funeral goods.
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
female figurine, made in the 7th century BC, that probably represents the Near Eastern goddess Astarte
Astarte
Astarte is the Greek name of a goddess known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Classical times...
. It is at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain
National Archaeological Museum of Spain
The National Archaeological Museum of Spain is a museum in Madrid, Spain, located beside the Plaza de Colón , sharing its building with the National Library....
, in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Galera, Granada
Galera is a municipality in the comarca of Huéscar, province of Granada, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain, roughly from the provincial capital, Granada.- Demographics :...
, a Spanish town once called Tutugi, in Granada province. Nearby, in Cerro del Real, is the Iberian
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
Necropolis of Tutugi, an important archeological site with various kinds of tombs. The commonest type of tomb there consists of a rectangular chamber covered by a circular mound, which is reached via a long corridor. In these tombs have been found Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Iberian vases, ornaments, weapons, furniture and figures of clay and alabaster, dating between the third and sixth centuries BC.
The Lady of Galera is most likely of Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n manufacture. She sits between two sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
es and holds a bowl for liquid that poured from two holes in her breasts. Her hair and costume show Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
influences, but the sturdy form also resembles Mesopotamian statues. She may have lasted through several generations as a sacred object before being buried as funeral goods.