Stela of Binéfar

Although it is called the Stela of Binéfar (Estela de Binéfar), this fragment of carved, beige sandstone pilaster was found at the La Vispesa archeological site in Tamarite de Litera, Huesca. Important Iberian artifacts were discovered at this site and are now kept in the Huesca Museum. Its purpose may have been commemorative, or it may have been a unique architectural element of a building. The two sides that have been preserved feature flat sections decorated with reliefs of hands, weapons, a griffin, and the remains of warriors. Each carved section is framed by molding. A vertical inscription in Iberian script has been carefully carved on the main face. It reads, "…tan : orkeikelaur : agisiran . neitin…" (…in the large gate in the sky, in the pastures on the plains, and on the hillsides of the great valley is Neitin…). From a translation by Antonio de la Guardia Sánchez, through Basque and Spanish.