Necrópolis Ibérica de Tútugi, Iberian necropolis in Galera, Granada, Spain

The Necrópolis Ibérica de Tútugi is an Iberian burial ground near Galera with three zones of tumuli. The visitable Zona I, on the right bank of the Orce river, holds chamber tombs cut into rock or built of stone and adobe, some with plastered walls painted red and black. Juan Cabré and Federico de Motos recorded 88 tombs there, of which 54 are identified.

The necropolis was used from around the 5th century BC and shows how burial practices evolved as the Iberian community developed over time. The long use of the site suggests it remained important to local people across several generations.

The name Tútugi comes from the Iberian settlement beside the necropolis. Iberian funerary rites cremated the dead on wooden pyres dressed and, for warriors, with weapons deliberately damaged: falcata edges nicked, swords and soliferrea bent, metal helmets crushed. Bones and ashes went into ceramic urns or stone boxes inside the tombs, with offerings of food.

Wear sturdy shoes as you will walk on uneven ground and climb around the rock-cut tombs on the slopes. The visitor center provides information and context that helps explain what you are seeing as you walk around the site.

The 1918 campaign by Juan Cabré and Federico de Motos documented 88 tombs in Zona I; 54 have been identified and three new ones located since. Their published report made the site known archaeologically from 1920 onward.