In the year 1967 a small terracotta figure was found at the archaeological site of Tossal de Manises, popularly known as the '.The Orellut' of Lucentum. Since yesterday, the Archaeological Museum of Alicante has been exhibiting this piece, which represents a male head with a smooth neck and an oval face.
The Deputy for Culture, Juan Bautista Roselló, presented the exhibition entitled "To hear you better...", watches will remain in the MARQ hall for the next few months. The event was also attended by the centre's technical director, Manuel Olcina. The exhibition is complemented by an audiovisual and a monographic catalogue that provide further knowledge of this piece.
During the presentation, the figure of a ninot who was pardoned from the Children's Bonfire The new exhibition, which included a replica of l'Orellut, is evidence, according to Roselló, that this is a figure that is perfectly integrated into the popular culture of the province of Alicante.
The 'Orellut' from Lucentum is a hollow terracotta figure representing a man's face with short fringe. In addition to the big eyes almond-shaped, the most distinctive feature of this object are the exaggerated ears irregularly placed and are its most visible feature.
In this sense, the deputy for Culture pointed out that the piece is one of the hallmarks of the Tossal de Manises and an icon for the MARQ. The piece was discovered, in the course of excavations, embedded in an Augustan wall near the so-called 'eastern gate', so its chronology would be prior, perhaps, to the third century BC.
Although it is most probably an indigenous work, the figure has numerous parallels in other parts of the ancient Mediterranean, such as some heads or busts identified in the Punic world, especially on the island of Ibiza. Typically Semitic features, recognisable in these terracottas, are the large ears with perforations for wearing metal earrings and certain conventions in the way the hairstyle is depicted, explained the museum director.
Similar pieces have been found in Iberian culture, evidence of a craftsmanship that adopts and interprets elements typical of Punic choroplasty. These materials have been found both in temples and in natural spaces or domestic chapels and are usually interpreted as votive offerings. These representations, as in the case of l'Orellut, express communication with a divine beingThe eyes, a listening or attentive attitude, hence the disproportionate size of certain organs such as the eyes or ears.
