Alamares metálicos: un sistema de cierre para correajes ecuestres en la protohistoria de la Península Ibérica

Abstract

There’s a group of metallic fits which are present in many Iberian Iron Age contexts that are being usually interpreted as horse bits by the Spanish research. However, neither their morphology, nor their archaeological contexts make credible these interpretation. In addition, there are a lot of European similar findings, mainly from chariot tombs from the Hallstatt and La Tene Cultures, which are interpreted as closing yoke pieces (toggles) and which can indicate the true function for these Spanish findings. Some iconographical evidence from a horse stone sculpture coming from Andalusia could confirm this use in the Late Iberian Iron Age.