Searching for a lost civilisation

The Cancho Roano archaeological site in Zalamea de la Serena, in the western Spanish region of Extremadura.

FOR centuries, the lost civilisation of Tartessos has been shrouded in mystery. But 3,000 years after flourishing in the Iberian peninsula, its secrets are slowly emerging thanks to the meticulous work of archaeologists.

Viewed by historians as Western Europe’s oldest civilisation, Tartessos has long been considered a “mysterious” puzzle, but little by little, the pieces “are falling into place”, said archaeologist Sebastian Celestino Perez.