- chapter 17: Etruria Marittima –
and Toscanos (mouth of the Vélez). The extensive excavations at Toscanos have revealed the
presence of Etruscan ceramics, and although a detailed study has yet to be made of these
goods, an appreciable number of bucchero kantharoi has already been identifi ed. For the
record, we shall recall the recent attribution to this littoral region of an Etruscan mirror,
of Hellenistic date, an unconfi rmed and suspect discovery.^86 The exemplary excavations at
the insular port of Cerro del Villar have revealed several types of bucchero vases, of which
some are unique on the Iberian Peninsula: the extremely characteristic small Caeretan
amphorae decorated with incision like those at Carthage, and possible imitations of
kantharoi and grey-black ware, as at Marseille.^87 The central city of Malaga has furnished
bucchero vases, Etruscan amphorae and Etrusco-Corinthian ceramics, while the slopes
of the citadel of Malaga, the Alcazaba, revealed two exceptional objects, one Punic, one
Etruscan, both attributable to a sanctuary erected on the summit in the sixth century.
The Punic object is an ivory plaque, whose relief carving and Egyptianizing decoration
fi nd their closest parallels in Carthage.^88 The second object is a handle in bronze in the
shape of a despotes therōn mastering two man-headed bulls and a siren.^89 This bronze, of
exceptional quality, is certainly a product of Etruria, dating to the end of the sixth century
(Fig. 17.17) and it has close parallels at Carthage and at Schwarzenbach in the Celtic
hinterland (see Fig. 19.8).^90 The Malaga bronze, like the Etruscan bronzes of the sanctuary
at La Algaida (mouth of the Guadalquivir) would have been a votive offering.^91
CONCLUSIONSEtruscan maritime enterprises in the Mediterranean beyond the Tyrrhenian Sea differed
from those of the Phoenicians and Greeks, as they did not rely on a network of colonial
foundations. However, their maritime accomplishments were as extensive as their
expeditions upon land, and in fact their power was both considerable and signifi cant
Figure 17.17 Malaga, old excavations at the foot of the Alcazaba, handle in bronze with a
young hero controlling human-headed bulls and a siren. End of the sixth century
(Gran-Aymerich 1991 et al., photos G.-A.).