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The scientific study of Neolithic monuments holds fundamental keys to the analysis of early social complexity. This is often impeded by the challenges involved in understanding their temporality and, particularly, their initial construction dates. This problem is most severe in monuments that were not predominantly used for burial and went on to have long biographies in which activity in later periods obliterated the material record of the earliest phases. That was certainly the case of the Menga dolmen, part of the Antequera World Heritage site (Málaga, Spain), and one of the most remarkable megaliths in Europe, for which, after nearly 200 years of explorations and research, no firm chronology existed. The research presented in this paper shows how this problem was tackled through a multimethod, scientific, and geoarchaeological approach. The analysis of 29 fresh numerical ages, including radiocarbon determinations as well as optically stimulated luminescence, thermoluminescence, and uranium-thorium dates, led to the successful establishment of Menga's construction date and the subsequent contextualization of the monument within the social and cultural background it arose in. Placing the dolmen in the context of its time of “birth” introduces entirely new possibilities for its interpretation, both in terms of local and supralocal social and cultural processes.

Antequera in southern Spain is widely recognised as an outstanding example of the European megalithic phe- nomenon. One of its most remarkable features is the evident relationship between conspicuous natural for- mations and human-built monuments. Here, the authors report the results of their investigation of a tomb newly discovered at the site of Piedras Blancas at the foot of La Peña de los Enamorados, a limestone massif that dominates the Antequera plain. Excavation and multidisciplinary study, including geological, architectural and archaeoastronomical investigations, have revealed a complex funerary monument that is part natural, part built, part hypogeum, part megalith. The results emphasise the centrality of La Peña in the Neolithic worldview and encourage wider investigation of prehistoric place-making.

Valencina (Seville, Spain) is one of the most important megalithic sites of the third millennium BCE in Western Europe. Among its most celebrated monuments are the tholoi of Montelirio, La Pastora, Matarrubilla, and Structure 10.042-10.049. Although sharing the same architectural tradition, these monuments were raised at different times of Valencina’s history and present important formal differences. In particular, the tholoi of La Pastora and Matarrubilla contrast with that of Montelirio in that they are devoid of artistic ornamentation such as paintings and engravings, showing instead an inordinate number of natural geological features. This study, focusing on La Pastora and Matarrubilla, offers an innovative approach to the notion of “megalithic art.” Firstly, these elements are characterized and classified and their natural origin established. Thus, the calcareous sandstone blocks dated from the Tertiary reveal structures on their surfaces generated by biological (bioturbation) and physical (by currents) processes during the Neogene. The surfaces of certain slabs of identical lithology at La Pastora experienced more recent intense marine bioerosion and bioconstructions in the form of Ostrea preserved to this date. Secondly, we emphasize the choice of different rock types following a certain pattern or serving to highlight a particular constructive element. In sum, all the natural elements bear highly aesthetic qualities and appear to have been deliberately chosen to highlight specific decorative or symbolic aspects. As a result, we suggest that future research on “megalithic art” should include analogous geological examinations in order to discern the origin and nature of the different elements.

Gender archaeology approaches to Iberian late prehistory have experienced a significant growth in the last two decades. However, much of the work undertaken has focused on specific aspects of the archaeological record (rock art, burial practices), particularly from the Bronze Age and Iron Age periods for which the evidence is more readily available. In addition, it has tended to be regional or local in scope. Here, we attempt an empirically robust multi-proxy approach to the development of early gender inequalities in Neolithic Iberia. Inspired by Gerda Lerner's ideas on the origins of patriarchy and based on a systematic collection of data analysed by means of significance testing, we present the first comprehensive study of gender dissymmetries in Iberian prehistory. Our conclusions suggest that, first, the multi-proxy method used has potential for the systematic study of gender inequalities on the basis of archaeological data and, second, that the Neolithic witnessed emerging gender inequalities that set the basis for male domination in later periods.

The Antequera dolmens site (Malaga, Spain), included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since July 2016, has a research history of almost 200 years that goes back to the work of Rafael Mitjana y Ardison in 1840s. After the discovery of the dolmen of Viera and the tholos of El Romeral, in 1903 and 1904 respectively, the research of the great megalithic site received a renewed impulse, both nationally and internationally. Published in 1943, the first volume of the great corpus of Iberian megalithic monuments by Georg and Vera Leisner ( Die Megalithgraber der Iberischen Halbinsel, Erster Teil: Der Suden ) was to become the most detailed and detailed study of the Antequera site during the second half of the 20th century, despite the fact that because it was published in German limited its penetration among Spanish scholarship. In this article we review the importance of the work of the Leisners to understand the characteristics of the Antequera megaliths in light of the results of the research that has been undertaken in the last 15 years. Many of the issues raised by the German couple continue to be fully pertinent within the context of today’s research on these monuments. In addition, to facilitate future access to their work, this paper is accompanied by full translations into English and Spanish of the Leisners’s work on the Antequera megaliths.

In this study, total mercury (THg) was analyzed in archaeological human bone from 23 sites dating to between the Middle Neolithic and the Antiquity. A total of 370 individuals from individual or collective burials was sampled, mostly using cortical bone from the humerus. These individuals were recovered from over 50 different funerary structures ranging from tholoi, pits, caves, and hypogea. Although cinnabar (HgS) is a likely cause of mercury poisoning and toxicity for people exposed to this mineral from mining or use as a paint or pigment, not all sites investigated here had cinnabar associated with the burials or other excavated areas. We found unusual levels of THg in many of the sampled individuals that we assume were caused by exposure to cinnabar in life, and not by diagenetic processes or other exposures to mercury such as through diet, which would only cause negligible accumulation of THg in bone. Our data, based on the largest sampling ever undertaken on contamination of human bone through archaeological evidence, provide a baseline for additional research on cinnabar and its use in Prehistory. Moderate to high levels of THg in human bone are mainly associated with societies dating from the second half of the 4th to late 3rd millennia B.C. (Late Neolithic to Middle Chalcolithic) in southern Iberia. By the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, the use of cinnabar decreased significantly and became minimal or absent. The use and abuse of cinnabar appears to have been pervasive throughout the above-mentioned period and particularly between c. 2900-2300 B.C. This occurred in connection with the high symbolic and probably sacred value of the substance, which was sought after, traded, and extensively used in a variety of rituals and social practices. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Description, Ancient human DNA from southern Iberia reveals social and genomic changes during the emergence of the Bronze Age in Europe., The emerging Bronze Age (BA) of southeastern Iberia saw marked social changes. Late Copper Age (CA) settlements were abandoned in favor of hilltop sites, and collective graves were largely replaced by single or double burials with often distinctive grave goods indirectly reflecting a hierarchical social organization, as exemplified by the BA El Argar group. We explored this transition from a genomic viewpoint by tripling the amount of data available for this period. Concomitant with the rise of El Argar starting ~2200 cal BCE, we observe a complete turnover of Y-chromosome lineages along with the arrival of steppe-related ancestry. This pattern is consistent with a founder effect in male lineages, supported by our finding that males shared more relatives at sites than females. However, simple two-source models do not find support in some El Argar groups, suggesting additional genetic contributions from the Mediterranean that could predate the BA.

18 páginas.- 12 figuras.- 1 tablas.- 75 referencias., A newly discovered prehistoric stela from Cañaveral de León (Huelva, Spain) is studied through a combination of scientific methods, including thin section petrography and lithological contextualisation, various state-of-the-art digital imaging techniques for the analysis of the engraved motifs (3D modelling and Reflectance Transformation Imaging), and detection of pigments on its surface (Principal Components Analysis, HSI-contrast stretch, ferric pigments index and algebraic operations between bands), as well as archaeological surveys aimed at establishing the landscape context the stela was part of. The results reveal this stela is analogous to a larger series of late prehistoric sculptures portraying personages with ‘headdresses’, largely concentrated in the Iberian south-west and often connected to Bronze Age settlements and burial sites. In addition, the Cañaveral de León stela is closely associated to an old pathway that has had a historical prominence in terms of long-distance mobility, connecting various regions of western Spain in a South-North direction. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Activity patterns at large prehistoric sites are often difficult to interpret, as they frequently combine productive, domestic and funerary components. Valencina, the largest of the Copper Age mega-sites in Iberia, has proved particularly challenging in this regard. Macrolithic tool assemblages have been generally neglected in these debates but can provide specific insight into the nature and patterning of activities. In this study, 185 grinding tools from seven separate excavations across this 450 ha mega-site were subjected to multiple lines of analysis including quantification, morphology, raw material, use-wear and depositional context. A surprising feature of this assemblage is the high degree of fragmentation, with more than half of the items representing less than 25% of the original artefact and only a small minority of them (

Los monumentos megalíticos de Antequera (Málaga) han sido objeto de numerosas excavaciones arqueológicas, trabajos de restauración y proyectos de “urbanización” desde que entre 1842 y 1847 se iniciara la excavación de Menga y en 1903 y 1904 la exploración de Viera y El Romeral. El objetivo principal de estas intervenciones ha sido ampliar el conocimiento sobre las construcciones prehistóricas, mejorar su estado de conservación y facilitar su acceso al público. Sin embargo, muchas de ellas han tenido consecuencias negativas para la conservación y el conocimiento científico de los monumentos. Este artículo valora críticamente estas intervenciones a partir del análisis de la documentación disponible, consistente en proyectos previos, informes y memorias, planimetría, fotografías y publicaciones. Además, planteamos un conjunto de criterios que todas las actividades futuras realizadas en los megalitos antequeranos y sus alrededores deberían cumplir para evitar el deterioro y la pérdida de registro arqueológico. The Antequera dolmens have been the object of numerous archaeological excavations, restoration work and “urbanisation” projects since the first explorations were carried out at Menga between 1842 and 1847, and at Viera and El Romeral in 1903 and 1904 respectively. Although the main aim of these interventions was to increase the existing knowledge on these prehistoric constructions, improve their state of preservation and make them accessible to the wider public, the truth is that many of them had negative consequences for their conservation and scientific knowledge. In this paper, we attempt a critical valuation of the long history of interventions at the site, based on the analysis of the available documentation, including ‘grey literature’ (planning documents, projects, reports, planimetry and photographs) as well as published material. As a result, we propose a set of criteria that all future activities carried out at the site and its surroundings should meet in order to avoid previous problems, including the deterioration of the monuments themselves and losses to the archaeological record. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad HAR2017-87481-P

We would like to thank Professors Antonio Gilman and Alasdair Whittle for their comments on earlier drafts of this paper. We also would like to thank both anonymous reviewers for their insightful and useful comments. This research has been funded by two projects of the National R&D Plan of the Spanish Government: Megalithic Biographies: The Antequera Megalithic Landscape in Its Temporal and Spatial Context (HAR2017-87481-P, 2018-2021), and Nature, Society and Monumentality: High-Resolution Archaeological Investigations of the Antequera Megalithic Landscape (HAR2013-45149-P, 2014-2017). All work undertaken as part of this research was framed within the General Research Project Societies, Territories and Landscapes in the Prehistory of Antequera (Malaga), authorised by the Ministry for Culture and Historical Heritage of the Andalusian Government (2013-2021).

This article draws together work from previous studies and new mortuary evidence in order to describe the non-adult population at the Copper Age settlement of Valencina de la Concepción (Sevilla). In total, we examine 39 non-adult individuals found in a range of burial structures which span the entire chronology of the site. We observed a high variability in both the proportion of the non-adult segment of the population interred in each burial structure, as well as evidence of differentiated funerary treatment related to age. We discuss the distribution of these individuals across different types of burials, as well as their association with adult individuals and grave goods, thus providing the basis for an assessment of their demographic and social significance., A partir de la revisión de estudios previos y de la aportación de datos inéditos se realiza un análisis de la población no adulta del asentamiento de la Edad del Cobre de Valencina de la Concepción (Sevilla). En total se examinan 39 sujetos no adultos inhumados en contenedores funerarios de distinto tipo y repartidos a lo largo de la amplia cronología de este asentamiento. Como resultado se constata la alta variabilidad de la proporción de este segmento de la población en las estructuras funerarias de Valencina así como la existencia de indicios de un tratamiento diferenciado para el mismo. Como parte de la discusión se examina la asociación de estos individuos con tipos de contenedores funerarios, individuos adultos y ajuares, valorándose su significación demográfica y social.

The great site of Valencina de la Concepción, near Seville in the lower Guadalquivir valley of south-west Spain, is presented in the context of debate about the nature of Copper Age society in southern Iberia as a whole. Many aspects of the layout, use, character and development of Valencina remain unclear, just as there are major unresolved questions about the kind of society represented there and in southern Iberia, from the late fourth to the late third millennia cal BC. This paper discusses 178 radiocarbon dates, from 17 excavated sectors within the 450ha site, making it the best dated in later Iberian prehistory as a whole. Dates are formally modelled in a Bayesian statistical framework. The bulk of samples were chosen from the varied mortuary contexts, from pits and artificial caves to megalithic tholos tombs, which constitute a major part of the archaeology of Copper Age Valencina. The resulting formal date estimates provide the basis for both a new epistemological approach to the site as well as a much more detailed narrative of its development than previously available. Beginning in the 32nd century cal BC, a long-lasting tradition of simple, mainly collective and often successive burial was established at the site. There is plenty of evidence for a wide range of other activity, but no clear sign of permanent, large-scale residence or public buildings or spaces. Probably by the 30th or 29th century cal BC, a new form of mortuary practice had emerged alongside older traditions, in the shape of the distinctive megalithic tholos tombs, some of which contained exotic and abundant goods accompanying the dead. Though the models lack precision, this phase of showy funerals and social display, perhaps aimed at establishing new forms of descent and social hierarchisation partly based on the manipulation of the past, may not have lasted much beyond the 28th century cal BC. It is possible that activity as a whole had declined before the middle of the third millennium cal BC, and around 2500 cal BC, dated sectors indicate further changes in mortuary practice, with possible single events, containing in one instance signs of defleshing (perhaps associated with violence); by this date, Bell Beaker pottery was present on the site. Major monuments, such as La Pastora and Matarrubilla were probably also late constructions. At least some of the ditches known at the site probably also belong late in the sequence. Overall, a pattern is indicated of initial establishment and consolidation of mortuary tradition, followed by the emergence of the more elaborate tholos architecture and the sometimes exotic contents. Funerary activity probably declined in intensity in the second quarter of the third millennium cal BC but was followed by a resurgence including the construction of the grand tholos of La Pastora in the generations around 2500 cal BC. This resurgence was relatively brief and the intensive funerary activity probably ended during the 24th century cal BC. Results in general support a model of increasingly competitive but ultimately unstable social relations.

Rock crystal appears relatively frequently in Late Prehistoric Iberian sites, especially in the form of micro-blades and knapping debris. With some exceptions, however, these finds have seldom been looked into in any detail, and therefore little is known about the technology involved in the use of this material, its social and economic relevance or its symbolic significance. In this paper we examine a collection of rock crystal artefacts recently found at Valencina de la Concepcion (Seville, Spain), one of the largest 3rd millennium BC sites in Western Europe. Among the objects included in this study are a long dagger blade, twenty-five arrowheads and a core, all of which form the most technically sophisticated and esthetically impressive collection of rock crystal material culture ever found in Prehistoric Iberia. Through the analysis of the procedures and techniques applied in the production of these objects, the chemical characterisation of the raw materials through Raman spectroscopy and RTI image processing and the careful assessment of the archaeological contexts in which they were found, this paper makes a robust contribution towards the study of the role of rock crystal in Copper Age technology and society. Recent research suggest that Valencina was a major node in the circulation of exotic materials such as ivory, amber, cinnabar or flint in Copper Age Iberia, which provides a very good background to assess the relevance of rock crystal as a traded commodity. In addition we discuss the role of rock crystal as a marker of status in large megalithic monuments, as well as its possible symbolic connotations.

30 páginas.-- 28 figuras.- 8 tablas.- referencias.- Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00909-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users., Iberian ‘warrior’ stelae have captured the imagination of researchers and the public for more than a century. Traditionally, stelae were considered ‘de-contextualised’ monuments, and research typically focused on the study of their iconography, paying little or no attention to their immediate contexts. As a result, despite the large number of these stelae known to date (c. 140) and the ample body of literature that has dealt with them, fundamental questions remain unanswered. This paper aims to demonstrate the potential of a multidisciplinary and contextual approach to push forward the research agenda on these monuments through a case study. Firstly, we introduce the Mirasiviene stela and the methods deployed for its investigation, which include a variety of digital imaging techniques, petrography, pXRF, intensive survey and multiscalar spatial analysis. Secondly, we discuss the results in relation to three main topics: stela biography, social practices and landscape context. Comparisons to the well-known nearby Bronze Age and Iron Age site of Setefilla are made throughout the discussion. Ultimately, this paper makes a case for the stelae of Mirasiviene and Setefilla being polyvalent monuments made by local artisans, that served both as landmarks and memorials in connection with dense late second and early first millennium BCE settlement patterns in the region. Probably linked to elites, ‘houses’ or kin groups of this time, stelae were set in symbolically charged places, liminal spaces nearby water, burials and pathways, attracting a range of ritual activities throughout the centuries. The study of the newly discovered Mirasiviene stela shows that multidisciplinary, cutting-edge non-destructive archaeology can shed significant new light on these prehistoric monuments, thus providing a glimpse of what in our opinion is a paradigm shift in the research of similar monuments throughout Europe., The research was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education (Programa Nacional de Movilidad de Recursos Humanos del Plan Nacional de I-D+i 2008-2011) (post-doctoral grant awarded to MDG) and the Polish National Science Centre (grant number DEC-2017/25/B/HS3/00635) (awarded to MK).

El libro contiene las comunicaciones y pósters presentados en el The third International congress of Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, TechnoHeritage 2017, was held in Cadiz, from 21 to 24 May 2017, under the umbrella of the TechnoHerita, The dictionary defines a stela as > a usually carved or inscribed stone slab or pillar used for commemorative purposes >. Despite the vague commemorative idea implicit in the concept, we are currently far from having an unambiguous interpretation of Iberian late prehistoric stelae. A formal question periodically updated in Iberian archaeology is that of the surface treatment of the late prehistoric stelae. These stone monuments, usually engraved following several models, could have been painted, as various apparent colours randomly detected suggest. A complete study on a wide series of stelae would clarify the question, but due to different factors (mainly of an economic nature, but also linked to the need of sampling in order to perform most analytical techniques), this kind of study has not yet been conducted. This contribution presents the methodology and results of the study of the external appearance of two engraved Spanish stelae: Mirasiviene, which is a typical Late Bronze Age stela from the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, and Montoro, a probably pseudo-epigraphic stela from the Iron Age. These stelae remain unpublished, although the complete publications of both them are currently under preparation. The image analysis protocol implemented on these stelae was designed from an extensive previous experience in rock art recording and involved the decorrelation of standard RGB images by means of Principal Components Analysis.

18 páginas.-- 17 figuras.-- 6 tablas.-- 99 referencias.-- Supplementary data related to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2018.05.005, The background of this paper is the biographical relationship between the Menga dolmen and La Peña de los Enamorados mountain (a conspicuous and highly-recognisable natural formation), both part of the Antequera megalithic landscape. Our main aim is to provide a high-resolution characterisation of the Matacabras rock art shelter, located on the northern side of La Peña de los Enamorados. This is achieved through a photogrammetric topographic survey, a detailed assessment of the graphic motifs identified through the use of digital image processing and various types of physical and chemical analysis, a geo-chemical characterisation of pottery found on its surface, and a comparative stylistic analysis of its motifs. Our study suggests that Matacabras (and the site of Piedras Blancas I, located just below it), played an important role in the genesis of Menga, which perhaps makes it the most important rock art location of Spanish Late Prehistory. © 2018, This study has been funded by the project of “Nature, Society and Monumentality: High Resolution Archaeological Investigations on the Megalithic Landscape of Antequera ”(HAR2013-45149-P ) (2014–2017), sponsored within the National R&D Plan of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spanish Government). It has also been carried out within the project “Societies, Territories and Landscapes in the Prehistory of Antequera (Málaga)” (2013–2018), approved by the Ministry of Culture of the Andalusian Government.C2TN/IST authors also gratefully acknowledge the FCT support through the UID/Multi/04349/2013 project. Appendix A

Taking as a point of departure the in-depth analysis and description of an exceptional discovery, consisting of a large hammered gold sheet decorated with embossed motifs from the well-known Chalcolithic settlement of Valencina de la Concepción (Seville, Spain), this article presents a general appraisal of the social and ideological role of gold in Copper Age Iberia. The information available for this find, including both its context and its inherent characteristics, opens up new perspectives for research into the technology, use, sociology and symbolism of gold during this time period. We describe and analyse this unique item in detail, including the characterization of the raw material used and the manufacturing process (via SEM-BSE and LA-ICP-MS), as well as an extensive reconstruction of the graphic motifs that are represented, by using digital imaging processing techniques (RTI). We compare this find with the data currently available for the (approximately) 100 Chalcolithic golden artefacts (or fragments of artefacts) found in Iberia to date. Finally, we present an appraisal of the social and ideological framework in which gold was used in Copper Age Iberia, discussing its relevance in aspects such as the dynamics of social complexity, worldviews or artistic creations.

Summary This paper is the first updated review of the scope, depth and problems related to the current radiocarbon chronology of the late prehistory of southern Iberia. The aim is twofold. First, it critically analyses the quantity and quality of radiocarbon dates used to interpret the diverse trajectories of western Mediterranean societies throughout more than four millennia. Secondly, it reviews a set of three different and prominent archaeological phenomena from an inter-regional comparative perspective: primary and secondary burial practices, domestic stone architecture and ditched enclosures. Our long-term, geographically wide-ranging approach locates similarities while highlighting the effects of local and historical conditions in certain divergent circumstances.

RTI is a powerful technique for recording, interpreting, and disseminating rock art. RTI enhances the perception of the micro-topography of the rock surface and it is particularly helpful for the study of engraved art. Subtle details, such as the traces left by different engraving techniques, the outlines of motifs or superimpositions are more clearly revealed through RTI's interactive re-light and enhancement tools. This paper describes the application of RTI for the re-examination of two Iberian south-western stelae, Setefilla and Almaden de la Plata 2, whose preserved decoration is engraved. Previous studies focused on the iconographic analysis of motifs and employed methods of examination and recording that posed limitations. Based on the more robust data provided by RTI and supported by RTI's tools for surface interpretation, we provide a new analysis of the decorated surfaces of both stelae, including insights into their manufacturing techniques and later modification.

17 páginas.-- 10 figuras.- 1 tabla.-- 20 referencias.-- To view supplementary material for this article, please visit http://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2017.86, A remarkable stela from Montoro, southern Spain, is unique in its morphology, epigraphic traits and landscape context. A programme of chemical characterisation, digital imaging, and geo-lithological and epigraphic analyses were conducted to determine its age and significance, and the results were integrated with data from archaeological investigations of the surrounding area. This multi-faceted approach allowed the stela to be interpreted within the context of early interactions between literate Mediterranean societies of the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age and non-literate Iberian societies. A key outcome of this research is a wider understanding of the complex patterns in the use and perception of early scripts

Los sig en la arqueología de habla hispana. temas, técnicas y perspectivas.

A pished axe donated to the Valencina de la Concepción Museum (Seville, Spain) in November 2010, and that had belonged to Francisco María Tubino y Oliva's (1833-1888) personal clection, is studied. Although the exact provenance of this object is unknown, there are reasons to think that it might have been found on some archaẽogical site of the Seville province. Through the application of two different analytical techniques (XRD, DCμRS), this axe is identified as a jade-jadeite of purity above 95 ml%, which necessarily implies it came from the Alps. In the conclusions a discussion of this artifact is made in terms of long distance contact in Iberian Late Prehistory. En este trabajo se estudia un hacha pulimentada inédita excepcional depositada en el Museo de Valencina de la Concepción (Sevilla) en noviembre de 2010 y que formó parte de la colección personal de Francisco María Tubino y Oliva (1833-1888). Aunque la procedencia exacta de la pieza es desconocida, existen razones para pensar que podría proceder de algún yacimiento arqueológico de la provincia de Sevilla. Mediante la aplicación de dos técnicas analíticas diferentes (XRD, DCμRS), se identifica la pieza como jade-jadeíta de una pureza superior al 95 ml%, lo que implica su procedencia de los Alpes. En las conclusiones se realiza una valoración de la significación de esta pieza en términos de contactos a larga distancia en la Prehistoria Reciente ibérica. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad HAR2013-34620

Although the megalithic phenomenon in southern Iberia has received attention since the mid 19th century, there has been very little attention paid to the role that megalithic structures played in the organisation of prehistoric landscapes. Just as in other areas of Europe, however, southern Iberian megalithic structures must have played complex roles in the social organisation of landscapes that go far beyond their use as funerary containers. Using examples from our work in southern Iberia, we employ GIS-based spatial analysis to explore for the first time various aspects of the landscape dimension of these monuments. We discuss three case studies for which fresh field data have been recently made available. In the first (Almaden de la Plata) we find patterns of association between medieval transhumance routes and megaliths and we use cost-surface modelling to suggest that medieval routes may reflect earlier, prehistoric patterns of movement which in turn suggests that megalithic structures functioned in this area as waypoints within an emerging mobility system for people and livestock. In the second case (Aroche) we show correlations between the locations of megaliths and theoretical territories defined by isochrones and contrast this pattern with the distribution of non-megalithic funerary sites of the Early Bronze Age, concluding that the spatial distribution of megaliths in this region may relate to their role as landmarks. Lastly we describe a far more specific relationship we have encountered in the Antequera region where we believe we have identified a relationship between the orientation of the megalithic structure of Menga, a prominent natural feature and several newly-discovered prehistoric sites. Together, these three examples suggest that the current focus on typology, chronology and contents in the study of Iberian megaliths needs to be matched with efforts to identify and interpret the often highly complex structure of the prehistoric landscapes of which they form an integral part.