On day one in Cadiz the crew visited the Phoenician section of Museum of Cádiz.
Known to the Phoenicians as Gadir or Agadir - "The Wall" or "The Stronghold" Cadiz was an important checkpoint on the Phoenicians Before Columbus Expedition. Of course many Phoenician voyages would have set sail from the city but many are unaware that on his second voyage to the New World Christopher Columbus set sail from Cádiz, on September 24, 1493
Thank you to Fernando Pineiro for showing us the best parts of the museum and town.
Our guide Fernando was beaming with excitement as he began telling us the story of these two sarcofogi in the Museum of Cádiz. It's so poignant and coincidental it seems like fiction:
"In 1887, a male sarcophagus was discovered in an archaeological site called the Necropolis of Punta de la Vaca. The discovery of this Phoenician object was so profound that it prompted the creation of a new museum.
Additional findings proved the importance of the Phoenician colony of Gadir, one of the earlier Phoenician settlements in what is now Spain. As these objects continued to pour into the humble museum, archaeologists became more and more attracted to Cádiz.
One such archaeologist was Pelayo Quintero Atauri, who was convinced of the existence of a female sarcophagus similar to the male one found in the necropolis. He searched throughout the city, excavating various Phoenician and Roman sites, but could not find what he sought. Pelayo Quintero was so intrigued by the elusive “Lady of Cádiz” that he even dreamt about her at night. But sadly, his dreams never came to fruition, and he moved away in 1939.
In 1980, years after Pelayo Quintero’s death, an excavator stumbled upon something large and made of marble—the female anthropoid sarcophagus. Amazingly, the artifact was unearthed near the very spot where Pelayo Quintero had so often slept and dreamt of her"
Atlas Obscura, Full article:
Gallery photos 1, 2 and 3: Tom Westcott
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