Decorative terracotta pieces challenge existing ideas on Carpetania's role in Mediterranean globalization

Historians have long viewed Carpetania, an ancient district in what is now the Iberian Peninsula, Spain, as a passive player in the cultural landscape of the Late Iron Age. Its cultural development has been characterized as a product of borrowing or imitating artistic artifacts and architecture from more influential neighboring regions. A recent study led by a team of researchers from Spain and the U.K. studied decorative terracotta items from the area—a closer look at them revealed a different story.