Spanish sculpture 2,500 years old, to return to it town of origin

An early Spanish sculpture, symbol of the advanced nature of prehistoric culture on the Mediterranean coast, is to return on loan to the town where it was discovered.

The Dame of Elche _ a striking stone bust dating from between the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. _ was uncovered in 1897 by farm laborers who informed a local doctor and art connoisseur.

The find was made near the town of Elche on the eastern coast of Spain at a spot that had been called Illici Augusta Colonia Julia during the Roman Empire, and Helike by Iberian tribes that dominated the area before that.