Castle of Irulegi

Castle of Irulegi is the ruin of a fortified hilltop settlement more than two thousand years old, sitting atop Mount Irulegi in the municipality of Aranguren, a short distance south of Pamplona in Navarre, Spain. It was here, in 2021, that archaeologists made one of the most talked-about epigraphic discoveries in recent Spanish history: a bronze hand-shaped object bearing the oldest known inscription in a language related to the ancestors of modern Basque.

What can you see on the hill today?

Mount Irulegi rises above the Arga river valley and holds the remains of an Iron Age fortified settlement — surviving wall foundations, house remains, and the layout of a community that once guarded the approaches to Pamplona. The site forms part of a trail promoted by Navarre's regional tourist board, combining a walk across the hilltop with the story of the excavation and the find that brought the site international attention.

How was the discovery made?

On 18 June 2021, during excavation work near the entrance of one of the uncovered dwellings, archaeologists came across a small bronze object. It wasn't until cleaning and conservation work began on 18 January 2022 that an inscription on its surface came to light — a discovery that quickly made headlines among researchers of Iberian Peninsula history.

What exactly is the Hand of Irulegi?

The object is shaped like a right hand with extended fingers, measures roughly 14.5 centimeters, and dates to the 1st century BCE, the closing phase of the Iron Age. Four lines of characters — around forty symbols in total, written in the northeastern Iberian script — are carved into the back of the hand, likely forming five separate words. Researchers consider it the oldest and most extensive known text written in a language of the Vasconic family, ancestral to today's Basque. Resembling a pendant, the object was probably an amulet meant to be hung near a doorway, intended to bring good fortune or ward off harm.

Why was it found at this particular spot?

The mud-brick building where the hand was unearthed was destroyed by fire during the Sertorian Wars (82–72 BCE), a Roman-era conflict fought across the Iberian Peninsula. That very fire, paradoxically, is what helped preserve the object for two millennia, burying it under rubble and shielding it from decay.

Why does this discovery matter so much?

Researchers regard the Irulegi inscription as key evidence that writing existed among the ancestors of the Basques well before the Roman period. The find sparked wide scholarly debate about the relationship between the ancient Vasconic language and historical Basque, as well as the territorial extent over which this script was once used.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Castle of Irulegi located? On top of Mount Irulegi, in the municipality of Aranguren, a short distance south of Pamplona, in the Navarre region of Spain.

What is the Hand of Irulegi? A bronze, hand-shaped object from the 1st century BCE, bearing what is considered the oldest known text in a Vasconic language related to Basque.

When was the inscription discovered? The object itself was found on 18 June 2021, but the inscription only became visible during conservation work that began on 18 January 2022.

What else is there to see besides the artifact itself? The remains of an Iron Age fortified settlement — sections of defensive walls and house foundations — accessible via a trail promoted by the Navarre tourist board.