The civil war broke out in the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1009 and lasted for more than two decades.
The armed confrontation (
fitna
) between the two factions fighting for power in the south of the Peninsula led to the deposition of Caliph Hisham II and the division of Al-Andalus into numerous taifa.
Political instability spread and fear prevailed among the inhabitants.
For this reason, according to the hypothesis of the experts, a rich Jew buried, in what is now the municipality of Baena (Córdoba), a spectacular trousseau.
A thousand years later, a photograph on social networks put the National Police Unit attached to the Junta de Andalucía on the trail.
The result was the seizure last year of the “best collection of jewelry of the 11th century,” according to Alberto Canto, professor of Archeology at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Since yesterday, the ensemble can be admired in the Archaeological Museum of Córdoba.
No funds for the Rico Hall of Medina Azahara
The Treasure of La Amarguilla - named after the estate where it was found - is a set of 623 Andalusian jewels
from the 11th century that includes 98 pieces of gold, silver and gilt silver.
Among these goldsmith items are four bracelets for wrists and ankles, the ends of which simulate the heads of birds, as well as a delicate Star of David encased in a gold ring.
Also noteworthy are 14 quartz and rock crystal beads, another four of pink coral, 31 of glass paste of different colors and 476 irregular or seed pearls.
"The state of the complex is good, especially when it has been subjected for a year to a restoration process by the experts of the Museum of Córdoba", according to the Junta de Andalucía, which has invested 15,000 euros in the recovery of the jewels.
Canto, one of the world's leading specialists in Al-Andalus and a researcher from Medina Azahara, details it: “It is simply spectacular.
I have not seen anything like it.
We cannot know who hid it or who it belonged to, because it lacks coins, but it is most likely the property of a Jew, since among the pieces is the Star of David.
It also looks like a bride's trousseau, because it includes many pieces to hang on vests ”.
However, the university professor and researcher considers that the set is not complete, as its numismatic part has not appeared.
“All the Umayyad treasures include coins, which shows that in this case they have been sold, because these types of pieces have a very easy way out, not the jewels.
No antique dealer or collector would buy them.
The lack of coins makes it difficult for us to establish exactly when he was buried.
But I lean towards the beginning of the 11th century ”.
The treasure, according to the specialists consulted, was buried inside a bag or a ceramic container on the ground.
Therefore, all the pieces were dirty, with dirt, which shows that it did not belong to any private collection and that it had been recently extracted.
The police investigations spread through the Cordovan municipalities of Lucena, Luque and Baena, where the treasure was finally found in an industrial warehouse.
The person who had it in his possession took the police to a farm in Baena where he claims he found it.
But, according to the sources consulted, his statements did not seem very coherent.
In fact, as the archaeologists were not convinced that the place they indicated as the site of the find is the correct one, an excavation has not been undertaken to determine if other elements had been abandoned or forgotten.
Sources from the National Police explain that "a municipal archaeologist from Córdoba discovered on social networks some photographs of various pieces with possible archaeological value."
The police investigators thus managed to "identify a person, who in turn facilitated [intermediaries] the identification of another person who was related to the holder of the pieces."
The latter, upon being discovered, "had the intention of handing over the treasure to the Baena City Council", but finally did so in the Junta de Andalucía, specifically in its Provincial Delegation of Córdoba.
From there, to the museum.
The Police emphasize that their investigation was only aimed at “avoiding the possibility that said pieces could become part of the illegal trade.
For her part, the director of the Archaeological Museum of Córdoba, María Dolores Baena, highlights the work of the restoration carried out, which includes the most advanced techniques (laser technology) to restore its original appearance.
From this Thursday until June 6, it will be shown in a temporary exhibition, although when it ends it will go to the permanent collection of the center.
“It is one of the best jewelry sets we have.
The six-pointed star is something unique.
There is nothing like it, which gives it extraordinary value ”, says the director of a museum with more than 35,000 records, and that each record can include up to 500 pieces.