A small bronze bull head figurine discovered by a hiker in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range in Mallorca, Spain, is now being studied by archaeologists. The head is just three centimeters (1.2 inches) long and is only miniature bull head found in Mallorca known to survive. Thanks to the diligence of the hiker who immediately notified the Consell de Mallorca of the find and handed it over to the authorities, this unique artifact will be preserved in a Mallorca museum.
Dating to between 600 and 200 B.C., the bull head was crafted by the sophistic metal craftsmen of the post-Talaiotic culture, descendants of the first settlers of Mallorca and other Balearic Islands. They are named after megalithic towers known as talaiots that pepper the landscape of the islands, about 300 of them on Mallorca alone. The features of the bull — ears, horns, eyes, nose — are meticulously shaped and incised in the stylized form typical of the Talaiotic Culture. Archaeologists believe it was once part of a larger sculpture or a decorative fitting.
The wee bull head shares common design elements with and is a contemporary of the far larger bull heads of Costitx, icons of the bull’s ancient totemic significance in Spain’s cultural history. The three life-sized heads were discovered at the archaeological site of Son Corró outside Costitx, Mallorca, in the late 19th century, and are believed to be related to a Talaiotic bull-worship cult. They are now exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, much to the consternation of Costitx, which has repeatedly petitioned Spain’s government to return the heads to their home only to be denied over and over again. That loss adds a great deal of weight to the miniature version staying put.
The bull head is now undergoing archaeological and metallurgic analysis by Consell de Mallorca researchers. They hope to narrow down when it was manufactured, the metallurgic techniques employed, the metal composition and answer the question of whether it was originally mounted to a larger piece.
* This article was originally published here
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