The relief of El Cerrón: insights into central Iberian elite identity in the Late Iron Age

Sánchez de Oro, Pablo; Saccoccio, Fabio; Berrocal-Rangel, Luis; Torres Ortiz, Mariano

Abstract

The Late Iron Age (fourth-first centuries BC) district of Carpetania-Central Iberian Peninsula-, has traditionally been defined as a petty territory where cultural development was primarily attributed to acculturation, diffusionism, and imitation. By critically re-evaluating the published evidence discovered at the site of El Cerrón, Illescas-particularly a decorated terracotta relief showing 'Mediterranizing' taste, and imports-, this paper argues that the local elite was not a passive actor in history. Instead, it actively engaged in the cultural dynamics that shaped not only the Iberian Peninsula but also the wider Mediterranean basin during this crucial period.

Citation

Sánchez de Oro, P., Saccoccio, F., Berrocal-Rangel, L., & Torres Ortiz, M. (2025). The relief of El Cerrón: insights into central Iberian elite identity in the Late Iron Age. Antiquity, 99(405), 797-814. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.48

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 10, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 28, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025-06
• Deposit Date: Nov 14, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 28, 2025
• Journal: Antiquity
• Print ISSN: 0003-598X
• Electronic ISSN: 1745-1744
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 99
• Issue: 405
• Pages: 797-814
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.48
• Keywords: Central Iberia; Late Iron Age; Art; Interaction; Elite; Mediterraneanization process
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/41903517
• Publisher URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/relief-of-el-cerron-insights-into-central-iberian-elite-identity-in-the-late-iron-age/A1F5AE502EA421F57EBB8FA1EE5DB8D3