The replicas of some small figures that represent Melkart, the Phoenician divinity linked to trade, bring us to the world of Antiquity.
The replicas of some small figures that represent Melkart, the Phoenician divinity linked to trade, bring us to the world of Antiquity.
The Phoenicians reached the south of the Iberian peninsula between 800 and 1000 B.C. According to classical sources, they founded the Temple of Melkart near the small island of Sancti Petri. Following the course of the Iro River inland, they built a walled fortress on the hill called El Castillo*, vestiges of which still remain today. This archaeological excavation, which revealed built elements as well as domestic objects and industrial remains, has a special importance in explaining the colonization of our coasts and the cultural interchange between Tartessians and Phoenicians.
Given that trading was a significant activity among Phoenicians, it makes sense that they looked for inhabited areas on their travels. The commercial meeting and cultural exchange went beyond the barter of products, as is well illustrated by the pottery found in this area displayed in dialogue with genuine Phoenician ceramics and the small figure of Hercules-Melkart which, once we enter the Roman world, once again speak of the cultural meeting among peoples.
In the section devoted to Classical Antiquity, there is a wide selection of pieces from Rome that speak to us of industry (containers for salted fish), commerce (vases and coins), everyday life (plates, oil lamps) and funeral rites (tombstones, ointment jars, remains of household items). The Romans made good use of the faster, cheaper and safer sea routes which included, though we sometimes forget, the North of Africa, as the shipwreck with African vases illustrates. The ocean is seen as a bridge between peoples, not a frontier separating them.
* Phoenicians often located their settlements on promontories or hill tops near river mouths.
