The Sphinx of Haches is an

Iberian sculpture Iberian sculpture, a subset of Iberian art, describes the various sculptural styles developed by the Iberians from the Bronze Age up to the Roman conquest. For this reason it is sometimes described as Pre-Roman Iberian sculpture. Almost all ext ...

depicting a

sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

. It is exhibited at the

Albacete Provincial Museum The Albacete Provincial Museum (Museo Provincial de Albacete) is a museum of archeology and fine art located in Albacete, Spain. The museum has existed in various incarnations since 1927, and settled in its present building in Abelardo Sánchez ...

. Presented as an example of the increasing influence of Greek colonists from the 5th century BC forward in the territory of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

currently occupied by the Spanish region of

Castilla–La Mancha Castilla–La Mancha (, , ), or Castile La Mancha, is an autonomous community of Spain. Comprising the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo, it was created in 1982. The government headquarters are in Toledo, and ...

, the smile of the mythical creature is reminiscent of those of the ''

korai Kore (Greek: κόρη "maiden"; plural korai) is the modern term given to a type of free-standing ancient Greek sculpture of the Archaic period depicting female figures, always of a young age. Kouroi are the yo ...

'' from the ancient Greek sculpture of the Archaic period. The piece was found in 1947 in the Cerro de los Gavilanes, near the tower of Haches (municipality of

Bogarra 250px, Panoramic view of Bogarra Coat of arms of Bogarra Bogarra is a municipality in Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 1,235. The town is approximately 78 km from the main city of Albacete. Bogarra is situated in ...

) during the course of some agricultural works.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *

External links

* Iberian art 5th-century BC sculptures Archaeological discoveries in Spain Stone sculptures in Spain Collection of the Albacete Provincial Museum Sphinxes {{Spain-sculpture-stub