by Karl Juergen Hepke
English translation from spanish text on the excavation site. The original spanish text is at the end.
Remarks of TOLOS in italic.
The town at the castle Dona Blanca
The town at the castle Dona Blanca is positioned on an artificial hill 34 m above sea level and extends over nearly five hectare. This hill laid at the time of foundation direct at the coast line. The alluvial sedimentations have caused the progressing distance from the sea.
The town was founded at the beginning of the VIII century B.C. and was surrounded by a big wall with moat. Its inhabitants were living here until the
III century B.C. , when it was left in course of the second punic war.
Its here found archaeological features, its position and especially the fact, that we have here a complete phoenician town without later rebuilding
make of Dona Blanca an excellent key for the knowledge of the phoenician world.
The direct transition of the inclination of the hill into the flat plain shows clearly, that we have here no coast line, but a
by sedimentation of the river or other filled up depression.
The first settlement in the area of Dona Blanca comes from groups of men in a later phase of chalkolithicum at the end of the third millennium B.C.
This period is documented in soils and traces of scattered laying huts, with position adapted to the original topography. In follow there is a time of no
settlement until the time of the middle of the VIII century B.C., the time in which was the first phoenician settlement. Shortly after that was built the
first town wall .
The settlement was used than in unbroken succession until the arrival of the romans in the course of the second punic war (206 B.C.).
During these 600 years were built two new fortified town walls (in VI and III century B.C.) and made several new arrangements of the town.
After that comes a new time of no settlement until the middle age, which changes only in IX and XIII century A.C. In later time
in the XV century A.C. was built the tower or eremitage in form of a greek cross, in which places the legend the captivity until
murder of Dona Blanca, the wife of Peter I , the cruel.
Phase------Chronology-----------------------historic period
I------------2000-1800 B.C.----------------end of copper time
--------------1880-800 B.C.-----------------no settlement found
II------------- 800-775 B.C.-----------------phoenician foundation
III--middle of VIII until VII century B.C.---old phoenician period
IV----------VI-III century B.C.--------------- turdetanian period
V----------middle of III century B.C.--------karthagian period
------------206 B.C.-XIII century A.C.-----no settlement found
VI----------VIII-XIII century A.C.-----------spanish-musulman period
VII----------XV-XVI century A.C.-----------after middle age period
From the early period we know complete blocks of houses and some flats. They have three or four rectangular or square living rooms. Their walls show a base of strong plastered stone work and the rest is made from clay or air dried brick up to the roof, which was surely covered by parts of plants. The doors to the street have a large plate of stone, which served as threshold and bench. The floor is made from tamped clay according to Phoenician tradition. Often one can see in the corners of rooms frames, serving for the reception of amphoras- Recently we know further architectural elements of the town. An oven at the street and a circular basin made impermeable for water by lime. Also remarkable is a winepress with two cemented basins (ancient concrete) in which were stepped the grapes. The juice flew through two canals in another deeper basin with a floor of an water impermeable mix from lime, sand and crushed ceramic.(ancient concrete "opus signinum")
It is remarkable, that in the most used simple stonework, made from stones found on the ground and put together with mortar, sometimes are used, without special reason, big exactly hewn
stones made from granit. They look like recycled stones from an earlier period, possibly from Atlantis-Tharsis ,now put into the wall indiscriminately. (see foto)
The necropolis of the town is situated in the area called "Las Cumbres" of the Sierra de San Cristobal and covers an area of 100 hectare.
In it we find a distribution in centers or cemeteries of certain epochs reaching from Middle Bronze until Turdetanian times.
The types of burials and the matter of burying which we can find are different. They are reaching from graves hewn into the rock to structures of
artificially placed hills or "tumulus", covering graves of burned dead.
The group of professor Diego Ruiz Mata carried out a campagne of digging up in the years 1984-85. The tumulus I of Las Cumbres, the only one excavated until now, contained five burials of to 80 persons, placed in circular structure. The center had here an "Ustrinum", that means a place ,where were burnt the dead. In its surrounding were placed according to their status the burned rests of the dead in that way, that the richest were buried next to the ritual place of burning.
At the end of the VIII century is pointed out a still stronger respect to the status in a tumulus, which is included in an earlier one and in the center of which is positioned the burning place of an individuum with rich equipment and in his surrounding a certain number of much simpler burials.
The arrival of Phoenician people at our peninsula results from the intense business relationship, mainly referring to the trade with metals.
Some authors mean, that they were also searching fertile country for cultivation. The most important is, that their presence caused deep structural changes in the local population.
1.Ceramic: The potter's wheel appears, causing a better quality of the product and making production more effective.
2. Metallurgy: The processing of iron is introduced.
3.Settlement: There are fundamental changes. The oval or circular buildings of the end of Bronze Time are changing into straight walls
of square or rectangular typ. With that is possible the construction of inner town streets. The accumulation of huts, more or less dispersed
, is changing into an urban organized structure.
4. Alphabet: Although the tartessian script has a complex syllable structure, the signs are coming from the Phoenician alphabet. (It is also
possible ,that the Phoenicians used the Iberian signs, which had a tradition of thousands of years)
5. Society: One estimates religious customs and a new form of burials as a stronger marked social structuring.
The head of the tribe takes part in product merchandising and luxury, the difference can be seen clearly in the burials.
There is a stronger specialization of work and a more important role of commerce.
The temple of Melquart, who is later on equaled to Hercules, in Gadir is one of the greatest hits in the ancient world. In it is estimated the Iberian peninsula.
Its fame extended over the whole mediterranean area and many classical authors wrote about it, described the rite and cult, its treasures, its famous visitors
and gave dates about its architecture. Strabon is telling in the first century about the foundation of Cadiz:" the inhabitants of Tyrus founded Gades and built the
sanctuary in the eastern part of the island and the town in the western part...". The temple lays today in the water of the mouth of Cano de San Pedro,
in front of the island of today.
Melquart is the god of the town. The existence of Gadir, the later Gades, is always in extended context to the temple. This point is very important,
for some authors mean, that the foundation of Gadir was directly managed by the temple of Tyrus. At the other side the temple is the
great patron of the big maritime actions and the trade of early times. The temple of Melquart-Hercules was the crucial point of all life
in Gadir, especially of trade. The god played the role of guarantor and superviser of commerce and assured the realization
of the trade agreements. This shows the trade orientated character of Phoenician life and the skilful integration of religious
and economic matters.
The Phoenicians, great traders and searchers for new ways of shipping, were skilled in coast shipping. Short voyages along the coast at day and passing the night on land. The necessity of wider spreading of trade forced them to find new routes over the sea from the harbours they knew, to areas every time more distant. This forced them at least, to cross the open sea.
To cross the whole Mediterranean Sea required not only big sea experience, it was also necessary , to have a complete
system of orientation. At day it was the observation of the land, which was known, in the night allowed the Pole Star and the knowledge
of firmament the crossing.
To go from Phoenicia to the West, it was not possible to use the southern route along the coast of Africa, because there is a constant current against.
The best way was to go to Cyprus, than near to the coast of Asia Minor, to the Ionian Islands, further on to Sicily, the Balears,
to the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. To reach the straight of Gibraltar, the ships had to go to land, and that sometimes for several days.
That mainly in times, when the wind came from the West. Than it was better to wait for a soft wind from the East which lead them to Gadir.
The way back was easier and without great difficulties. One could follow the African coast and use the currents of the sea. The western winds of the summer helped additionally at the voyage to Tyrus.
These natural conditions are a proof for the fact, that the eastern shores of Kanaan , Egypt and Phoenicia were easier and earlier to reach from the West, as in opposite direction. For the voyage from East to West required, as described here, a high developed art of shipping, and with that a high level of civilization.
Phoenician people were the first, who changed the script of hieroglyphs, which were signs, derived from natural or artificial created things, by creating an alphabet consisting of 22 simple signs and containing no vocals. There were only consonants and it was written from right to left. This discovery is the key and one of the greatest achievements, they have brought to us. It flew into all languages, bordering to the Mediterranean Sea. Essentially it consists in discovery of a serie of graphical signs, which contain completely the simple forming of sounds of a language by reporting it in a simple sign. The first attempts in that direction used still the systems of than existing scripts.
In the Sinai was found a first Alphabet with nearly 30 signs, derived from simplified hieroglyphs. In Biblos were used the Egyptian forms to develop a script, which was also a syllable and letter script. In Ugarit were texts made, the signs of which were cuneiform , for they were pressed into damp clay with a triangular pencil, but it had no relationship to the syllable script of Mesopotamia.
Finally the Phoenician alphabet conquered the whole mediterranean area. The alphabetical system is marked by its commodity. 22 signs serve for description of the consonants. Radiating from the Kananaean world , the alphabet was quickly accepted from other oriental people: Aramaes, Israels and Arabs, but also from residents of the mediterranean area. The Greek, who inserted vocals and gave it to the Etruscians, Latins and with that to all languages derived from Latin.
Dona 1/pic 153
Dona 2 / pic 00142
Secuenca cronologica del yacimiento Arqueologico del Castillo de Dona Blanca.
Chronologische archaeologische Folge der Besiedlung vom Castillo de Dona Blanca
Fase_____ Periodo historico___________Cronologia/Cronologie_________Historische Periode
I_______ Calcolitico final____________ 2000 -1800 a.C.___________ Ende der Kupferzeit
_________Vacio historico________________________________________ Keine Besiedlung erkennbar
II_______ Fundacion Fenicia____________800 - 775 a.C.__________ Phoenizische Stadtgruendung
III_____ Epoca Fenicia Arcaica____1/2 del s. VIII - s. VII a.C.___ Alte phoenizische Periode
IV________Epoca Turdetano_____________ s. VI - III a.C.____________ Turdetanische Periode
V_________Epoca Barcida_____________2o. mitad del s.III a.C.______ Karthagische Periode
__________Vacio historico_____________________________________Keine Besiedlung erkennbar
VI_______Periodo Hispano-Musulman____s. VIII - s.XIII d.C.______ Spanisch-Muselmanische Periode
VII______Periodo Postmedieval___________s. XV - XVI d.C._______Nachmittelalterliche Periode
Dona3 / pic 00158
Dona 4/pic156
El tumulo I de las cumbres, unico excavado hasta ahora cubria una incineration de hasta 80
individuos repartidos en una estructura circular. El centro lo ocupa durante el siglo
VIII a.C. un "ustrinum", es decir, el lugar donde incineraba el cadaver. A su alrededor
y de forma jeraquizada se dispusieron las cenicas de los quemados, con los mas ricas a
menor distancia del espacio ritual de cremacion.
A finales de siglo VIII a.C. se advierte una mayor jerarquizacion con un tumulo incluido en el
anterior en cuya zona central se incinera un individuo con rico ajuar y a sa alrededor un
cierto numero de cremaciones mucho mas sencillas.
Dona 5 / pic 152
1. Ceramica: Aparece el torno del alfarero, lo que supone una mayor calidad del producto y
una produccion mucho mas eficaz.
2. Metalurgia: Se introduce la metalurgia del hierro.
3. Urbanismo: Se detectan cambios fundamentales. La plantas ovales o circulares de las viviendas
de las poblaciones del Bronze final pasan a ser de muros rectos, de tipo cuadrado o rectangular
. Esto favorece la planificacion de calles. La aglomeration de cabanas mas o menos dispersas
deja paso a una estructura urbana organizada.
4. Alfabeto: Aunque la escritura tartesica tiene una estructura compleja, de tipo silabico,
los signos proceden del alfabetico fenicio.
5. Sociedad: Se aprecian manifestaciones religiosas y funerarias nuevas ademas de una
jerarquizacion social mucho mas acentuada: Los jefes tribales acaparan buena parte de
los productos manufacturados o de lujo y la diferenciacion en los enterramientos es ahora
evidente. Se detecta una mayor especialacion del trabajo, y un amplio desarollo del
comercio.
Dona 6 / pic 151
Melqart-Hercules es el "dios de la ciudad". La existencia de Gadir y la posterior Gades
siempre va unida y en estrecha relacion con el templo. Hasta tal punto esto es esencial
que para algunos autores, la fundacion de Gadir es una operacion directamente dirigida por el
Templo de Tiro. Por otra parte, es el gran patron de la aventura maritima y comercial de los
primeros tiempos.
El templo de Melqart-Hercules fue el pivote en torno al cual giro toda la vida gaditana,
especialmente el comercio. Asi, el dios se erige en garante y regulador de las transacciones
y aseguraba el cumplimiento del trato comercial acordado. Indica el caracter mercantilista
de la vida fenicia y una habil integracion de las facetas religiosas y economicas.
Dona 7 / pic 00150
El regreso no presentaba mayores dificultades; siempre se podia navigar cerca de la costa africana y aprovechar asi las corriente marinas. Los estivales vientos de poniente tambien ayudarian en el viaje a Tiro.
Dona 8/ pic 149
Read to this, (for the moment only available in German language) :
DIE GESCHICHTE VON ATLANTIS, der vergessene Ursprung unserer Kultur
von Karl Juergen Hepke
TRIGA - DER VERLAG, 2.Aufl. 2008, Hardcover, 268 Seiten, Eur 22,00 , ISBN 978-3-89774-539-1
