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An international shrine at Gorham's cave.

The importance of the shrine at Gorham's Cave, given its location at the base of one of the Pillars of Heracles at the limits of the known world and of the maritime trade routes, is reflected in the diverse origins of the offerings which have been recorded. This diversity in origins is due to either the different trade routes or the nationalities of the devout mariners that entered the cave, which is why Gorham’s Cave can be considered a first class archive to discover the geographical nature of the traffic of goods and people through the Strait of Gibraltar throughout antiquity.

By analysing the forms of the ceramics and the clays used, we can identify the provenance of many of the offerings left at the shrine. These are as follows:

Phoenician mainland: bowls, plates and bottles
Carthage: jugs, red varnished bowls and red slipware oil lamps
Tyrrhenian Sea area: painted and red varnished bowls
Phoenician workshops on the Mediterranean coast of present-day Andalusia (Malaga and Granada): vessels, plates, oil lamps, bowls and basins
Inland Iberian Peninsula: handmade Tartessic ceramics
Tangier Peninsula: jugs, bowls and plates
Gadir (Cadiz) and surroundings: painted bowls, fish plates and red varnished plates
Egypt: scarabs
Greek colonies in the East: amphorae, bowls, lids, and bottles
Greek Attic: black varnished ceramics shaped as cups, bowls and a 'lekythos' (a small bottle used for perfumed oils).

Previously, we showed you some of the scarabs deposited at the shrine but today, within the array of international offerings, we will focus on this carinated jug from Carthage. Although fragmented, it is an exceptional piece, painted in red and black over whitish and red slip. This same style of jar has also been documented at the 'Tophet' in Carthage, serving as funeral urns for infants in these sacred cemeteries consecrated to the Phoenician gods 'Tanit' and 'Baal'.


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