High status female skeleton found at La Almoloya

A silver diadem still adorned the skull of a woman when her 3,700-year-old grave was discovered at La Almoloya, Spain in 2021. The trove of ornate jewelry confirms the Princess of La Almoloya was elite status.

The woman was buried alongside a man in a large pot, beneath the floor of what may be western Europe’s earliest palace.

La Almoloya is an archaeological site about 35 miles northwest of Cartagena in southeastern Spain. Radiocarbon dating suggests the burial occured about 1700 B.C.

The rare silver diadem was still worn on her head. Scholars say that the immense silver riches were a symbol of power in El Argar society.

El Argar, an early Bronze Age culture that was based within modern Spain, is one of the great enigmas of world archaeology. After emerging in 2200 BC, it disappeared 650 years later for uncertain reasons.