Trade with the West: the ivory and bone plaques of the wooden box of the Room 100 of Casas del Turuñuelo (Guareña, Badajoz, Spain) archaeological and iconographic context, analysis and restoration

During excavations at the Tartessic site of Casas del Turuñuelo (Guareña, Badajoz) in 2015, the so-called room 100 was excavated. Among the archaeological materials documented on the floor of the room, four plates were recovered in primary position and seems to point that they decorated the four faces of a wooden box lost by the fire that put an end to the life of the building. This work gathers the information referring to its find and archaeological context. This also applies the study of the objects and their iconography, the results of the analyzes carried out both on the plates and the preserved nails, as well as the restoration and conservation process to which the pieces objects have been submitted. This study has allowed us to launch new research lines around Phoenician trade with the West and the existence of a craftsman specialized in the work of bone and ivory, in peninsular enclaves.