A mythical civilization, Tartessos, became the obsession of German historian Adolf Schulten, seeking his own private Troy in South region of Spain, a sort of Atlantis, origin of Europe and his dream as pioneer of a new science: Archaology.

Tartessos is one of the most interesting cultures of Ancient times as well as a landmark in the History of Andalusia and the Mediterranean Sea. The mysterious atmosphere that surrounds Tartessos is due to German historian Adolf Schulten. Influenced by Schliemann's success in finding Troy, and his own findings in the Spanish city of Numantia, Schulten set up a myth around Tartessos and some of the ideas still persisting in Spanish nationality. He imagined an ideal civilization in the Andalusian Atlantic coastline, between East and West, the first city-state inhabited by peaceful, long-living people, with great culture, and ability for navigation, a set up mixing the Greek Atlantida and the American Eldorado. Apart from researching Schulten's life and work, this documentary contrasts that myth of Tartessos with the present knowledge, and proposes a reflection on the use of Archaeology and History during the 20th century to built national identities in Europe.—Hergueta, José Antonio

The search for a mythical civilization in the south of the Peninsula, leads German historian Adolf Schulten to embark on an archeological adventure in Spain in the 1920's. Obsessed with the idea of becoming the discoverer of Tartessos, Schulten is to confront scientists, academics, aristocrats and even a rival of his stature; the Anglo-French archeologist George Bonsor, who had spent years doing research work on Andalusian antiquity. And he will occasionally rely on dubious methods to back his daring and obsession to locate ancient Tartessos in the Doñana Nature Reserve. In spite of his intuition and organizing skills, fortune does not smile on Schulten, who continues to publish his theses, against all evidence, his work being rejected by the scientific community because of the dubious scientism of his methods -and his exorbitant eagerness to upstage others. Only the discovery of the Carambolo Treasure shortly before his death confirmed the existence of an ancient kingdom in the remote past; a rich, cultured, seafaring people who were a focus of civilization 3000 years ago. Nowadays, science has managed to disassociate itself from Schulten's theories and proposes a new vision and approach to the Tartessian quest, within a historical and archeological context, which is still undergoing constant research at present, even on the spot. Nevertheless, that pioneering German succeeded in linking his name forever to that of Tartessos.—Hergueta, José Antonio