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MANUEL DE GÓNGORA AND ROMANTIC ARCHAEOLOGY During Romanticism, people developed an idealised notion of archaeology personified in adventurers and treasure hunters that overlooked the herculean efforts of pioneers like Manuel de Góngora. At the same time, great strides were made in science, and prehistoric archaeology in particular benefited from new insights into antiquity and the natural world. Leading institutions like the Museo Arqueológico Nacional were established, heritage conservation became a priority, and photography and the press offered the public a far more accessible image of the past.

MANUEL DE GÓNGORA Y MARTÍNEZ (1822-2022) How little men know of what has great worth, and of what is worth nothing! Thus spoke Manuel de Góngora, lamenting the destruction of the Cave of Los Murciélagos by human ambition and ignorance. Two hundred years have passed since this father of Spanish archaeology was born. Although his scholarly interests were quite varied, today he is best remembered for his contributions to the development of prehistoric studies. Góngora published ancient rock paintings before those of Altamira were made known, recovered archaeological artefacts which we now know to be exceptional, drew attention to the megalithic culture of Andalusia and assembled a rich collection whose contents were among the first to enter our museum.

GÓNGORA AND LOS MURCIÉLAGOS The exceptional grave goods of Los Murcielagos de Albuñol (Granada), would have been lost without Góngora’s efforts. The cave had several tunnels with four areas where corpses had been deposited. At the time of their discovery, these bodies had mummified skin and were dressed in tunics, espadrilles and hats, ornamented with shells and boar tusks strung on esparto grass chains, and wore esparto grass pouches decorated in green and red at their waists that contained poppies, shells and locks of hair saved like precious relics. 1. Hemi-mandible of a roe deer 2. Pottery vessels: base with perforations along the perimeter and spout-handle 3. Esparto grass chain and small esparto grass basket with zigzag pattern 4. Lock of human hair 5. Ophite polisher, wooden awl and pendant made from a boar tusk 6. Espadrilles Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Granada). Góngora, M. 1868: Antigüedades prehistóricas de Andalucía.

TIRELESS TRAVELLER In the course of his travels, Góngora collected more than two hundred polished tools, documented schematic paintings which he interpreted as a primitive form of writing, and excavated and recorded megalithic complexes from which he managed to rescue a few small grave goods. 7. Diorite axe and chisel (Jaén and unknown provenance) 8. Sillimanite axes (Jaén) 9. Beaker (Cave of El Serón or Morciguilla, Serón, Almería) 10. Grave goods (Molinos de Viento, Almería) 11. Flint knife (unknown provenance) 12. Flint dagger (Albanchez - Torres, Almería) 13. Flint arrowhead (Large Burial Dolmen, Gorafe, Granada) Cueva de los Letreros (Vélez Blanco, Almería). Góngora, M. 1868: Antigüedades prehistóricas de Andalucía.

SOLDIER OF SCIENCE This is how Góngora described himself in his most important work, Antigüedades prehistóricas de Andalucía, where he also recorded the materials he found or excavated at Bronze Age and later sites. Góngora was an insatiable scholar who amassed a wealth of religious, philosophical, legal, linguistic, historical and natural knowledge in his lifetime, knowledge that he attempted to condense in his thrilling accounts of the past. 14. Cup, bowl and shark vertebra from a possible Argaric cist (Caniles, Granada) 15. Argaric carinated bowl, cup and pot (Alcudia de Guadix, Granada) 16. Palmela points and dagger (Dolmen Grande de las Ascensias y Los Eriales, Gorafe y Laborcillas, Granada) 17. Comb from the shrine of Santa Cruz (Baza, Granada) Hacha de talón y dos anillas de Baza, Granada. Góngora, M. 1868: Antigüedades prehistóricas de Andalucía.

THE CANARY ISLANDS COLLECTION Manuel de Góngora was also interested in the ancient settlers of the Canary Islands and assembled a collection that was quite unusual in his day (human remains, hides, wood and pottery pieces). Góngora saw similarities between his Canary Islands artefacts and those from the Cave of Los Murciélagos, a theory developed by other authors in consonance with the prevailing trend of attempting to link the prehistory of the islands with that of mainland Spain. 18. Cranium (Tenerife) 19. Fragment of a pottery vessel (Caves of Arucas, Gran Canaria)

6. Espadrilles

7. Diorite axe and chisel (Jaén and unknown provenance)

8. Sillimanite axes (Jaén)

9. Beaker (Cave of El Serón or Morciguilla, Serón, Almería)

10. Grave goods (Molinos de Viento, Almería)

11. Flint knife (unknown provenance)

12. Flint dagger (Albanchez - Torres, Almería)

13. Flint arrowhead (Large Burial Dolmen, Gorafe, Granada)

14. Cup, bowl and shark vertebra from a possible Argaric cist (Caniles, Granada)

15. Argaric carinated bowl, cup and pot (Alcudia de Guadix, Granada)

16. Palmela points and dagger (Dolmen Grande de las Ascensias y Los Eriales, Gorafe y Laborcillas, Granada)

17. Comb from the shrine of Santa Cruz (Baza, Granada)

18. Cranium (Tenerife)

19. Fragment of a pottery vessel (Caves of Arucas, Gran Canaria)

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1. Hemi-mandible of a roe deer

2. Pottery vessels: base with perforations along the perimeter and spout-handle

3. Esparto grass chain and small esparto grass basket with zigzag pattern

4. Lock of human hair

5. Ophite polisher, wooden awl and pendant made from a boar tusk