Learn More About The Historic Lady Of Elche From Your Alicante Villas

One of the most important archaeological finds was in the ALICANTE VILLAS village of Elche

, a small village renown for the Palmeral and the Mystery play full of enigma and intrigue. One of the most important discoveries in the village was made, according to local legend, on August 4th 1897 when a young worker, Manuel Campello Esclapez, discovered the Lady of Elche.

The town's scribe stated that it was Antonio Macia who found the bust but whoever found it is not so important any more, as Pierre Paris, a French archaeologist, purchased the sculpture a few weeks later and shipped it to France. It was given to the Louvre Museum where it was kept and subsequently hidden during World War II. The polychrome stone bust was discovered by chance on a private estate two kilometres south of Elche. The Lady of Elche is a piece of Iberian sculpture from the 4th century BC and the artisanship suggests strong Hellenistic influences.

According to the Encyclopaedia of Religion, the Lady of Elche has a direct association with Tanit, the goddess of Carthage who was worshipped by the Punic Iberians. It is also believed that the bust represents a woman wearing a complex headdress with big coils on each side of the face; others feel it represents a man. There is an opening in the rear of the bust which indicates it was used as a funerary urn. Some also feel that the bust was part of an original statue seated similar to the Lady of Baza or a standing one like the Gran Dama Oferente.

All three figures and the Biche of Balazote are exhibited in the same hall at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. When she was discovered, the Lady of Elche had inadvertently started a popular interest in anything pre-Roman including Iberian culture. She also made a brief appearance on the Spanish 1 Pesata note in 1948 and was mentioned in the American novelist William Gaddis's The Recognitions in 1955.

Since she was taken from Elche in 1897 the Lady has made only one appearance in Elche which happened in 2006. Although there have been many appeals to the city of Madrid to return the Bust to its right full home, as yet that has not happened. John F Moffitt, an art historian, in 1995 published "The Case of the Lady of Elche", in which he claims it is a forgery. His research made him to believe that the local physician and resident surgeon in Elche not only was well informed about Iberian studies, he also owned an archaeological site at La Alcudia. Experts in Spanish archaeology though feel that the Lady is a genuine ancient Iberian artwork. Whoever is right you would need to see to judge for yourself, and what better place to start than when you are staying in ALICANTE VILLAS just a few miles up the road?

by: Porsche Klinger

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