Late Bronze Age Stelas
Torrejon el Rubio. This diademed figure appears to be transitional, with stylistic differences from the most ancient statue-menhirs, such as the very round face and deep incisions.
More than a thousand years after the early statue-menhirs, new stelae appear. Some retain the radiant diadems but many more feature stick-figure warriors with prominent swords and outsize shields. The examples here illustrate more the continuities with the earlier images and less the stones with military emphasis.
At Madroñera, Almoroquí, the "shield" symbol resembles
the
concentric circles in very old rock art.
Female figure with necklace, earrings, and expansive, halo-like diadem. Capilla la Moraleja, western Spain.
Stela with feathered diadem and breasts, Belcazar El Mato
A large number of the stelas show men with swords facing a shape that has been called a shield, but it greatly resembles concentric circles seen in ancient rock art and megalithic monuments. A chariot shown at lower right. El Viso.
The "shield" floats above the warrior's head, and resembles the women's 3-tiered necklaces. Another chariot below. Zarza, Capilla.
The same motif from Val de Torres. Compare the relative sizes of the man and the colossal "shield."