Resumen de The epigraphic stela of Montoro (Córdoba): the earliest monumental script in Iberia?

Leonardo García Sanjuán, Marta Díaz-Guardamino Uribe, David W. Wheatley, Juan Pablo Vita, José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez, Miguel Angel Rogerio Candelera, Ángel Javier Justo Erbez, Dominic S. Barker, Kris Strutt, Manuel José Casado Ariza

• A remarkable stela from Montoro, southern Spain, is unique in its morphology, epigraphic traits and landscape context. A programme of chemical characterisation, digital imaging, and geo-lithological and epigraphic analyses were conducted to determine its age and significance, and the results were integrated with data from archaeological investigations of the surrounding area. This multi-faceted approach allowed the stela to be interpreted within the context of early interactions between literate Mediterranean societies of the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age and non-literate Iberian societies. A key outcome of this research is a wider understanding of the complex patterns in the use and perception of early scripts.