Carlos Odriozola

The identification of archaeological amber has been used in Iberian prehistory to evidence long-distance exchanges and engage Iberia in networks that connect western Europe with central and northern Europe, the emergence of social complexity, and the consolidation of trade networks. However, until now, no comprehensive analytical study of the Iberian amber has been produced to support any of the interpretive models currently in use. This paper approaches the analysis of Iberian Peninsula amber artefacts by considering their provenance (based on FTIR characterization), chronology, and spatial relationship with other exotica. Our work increases the number of analyzed artefacts to 156 (24%), out of the c. 647 currently known for the Iberian Peninsula. Based on these new data and a review of Murillo-Barroso and Martinón-Torres (2012), this overview outlines amber consumption patterns from the 6th to 2nd millennia BCE and demonstrates long-distance amber exchange connecting Iberia with the Mediterranean region from the Neolithic period onwards.

En este artículo se pretende 1) actualizar la base documental de hachas de jade ibéricas exponiendo los resultados de la ca-racterización de cinco hachas procedentes de la Meseta Norte Española (espectroscopía Raman y UV-VIS-NIR) y 2) contrastar la hipótesis sobre el intercambio direccional entre Bretaña (hachas repulidas de jade) y el Occidente de la Península Ibérica (adornos de variscita) durante el V y IV milenios a.C Los análisis arqueométricos apuntan a un origen alpino de las hachas en estudio. Sin embargo, distintos argumentos arqueológi-cos –que incluyen aspectos tipológicos y cronológicos de la distribución de hachas, adornos de variscita y otros artefactos– así como un análisis estadístico de correlación espacial entre la distribución de las hachas de jade y minas y adornos de variscita, nos facultan a rechazar dicha hipótesis: no consideramos que haya existido un intercambio directo de hachas de jade bretonas por adornos de variscita del occidente peninsular sino, más bien, una distribución de tipo " down-the-line/prestige chain ".

Artikulu honen helburua da: 1) jade-aizkora iberiarren dokumentu-basea eguneratzea, Espainia Iparraldeko Goi-ordokiko bost aizkoraren ezaugarrien emaitzak azalduz (Raman espektroskopia eta UV-VIS-NIR) eta 2) K.a. V eta IV. milurtekoetan Bretainiaren (jade-aizkora txukunduak) eta Iberiar Penintsulako Mendebaldearen (bariszitazko apaingarriak) arteko norabide-trukeari buruzko hi-potesiak alderatzea. Azterketa arkeometrikoen arabera, aztertutako aizkorek jatorri alpetarra dute. Baina zenbait argudio arkeologiko (horien artean aizkoren banaketaren alderdi tipologikoak eta kronologikoak, bariszitazko apaingarriak eta beste gailu batzuk) eta jade-aizkoren eta meatzeen eta bariszitazko apaingarrien banaketaren arteko korrelazio espazialaren azterketa estatistikoak hipotesi hori baztertzera garamatzate. Ez dugu uste zuzeneko trukerik izan denik Bretainiako jade-aizkoren eta penintsulako mendebaldeko bariszitazko apain-garrien artean, baizik eta " down-the-line/prestige chain " motako banaketa bat

The focus of this paper is to update the Iberian jade axe database with new unpublished data and the archaeometric characte-risation (Raman and UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy) of five jade axes of the Spanish Northern Meseta. This data will be used to test the hypothesis published by other authors which suggests that during the 5th and 4th millennia BCE there was a directional exchange of sociotechnic artefacts between Brittany, France (repolished alpine jade axes), and the Western Iberian Peninsula (ornaments of variscite mined in Zamora and Huelva). Archaeometric data shows a supra-peninsular exchange for axes based on the alpine origin of the jade. Besides this, previously untangled archaeological questions such as 1) Breton and Western Iberian jade axes and variscite ornaments typologies 2) exchange dynamics of other sociotechnic artefacts in Central Iberia and 3) the correlation of the distribution of jade axes, variscite sources and variscite beads, are analysed together. In our opinion, the data available suggest that, instead of a " directional trade " exchange, green sociotechnic objects –jade and variscite-reflect a decentralised " down-the-line/prestige chain " model.

El Rebollosillo is a small karstic cave located in the
center of Iberia used for the disposition of secondary
burials during the mid third millennium BC. We present
bioanthropological, isotopic (87Sr/86Sr, δ 13C y δ 18O)
analyses and 16 radiocarbon dates on human remains,
as well as mineralogical characterization of 6 beads (4 of
them variscite from Palazuelo de las Cuevas, Zamora), and
a quantitative analysis of 43 pottery fragments recovered
during the 1989 excavations. A minimum of 21 individu-als
have been identified, covering all age ranges and sex. Low
percentages of pathologies have been detected, mainly
dental calculus and caries, with specific cases of cribra
orbitalia, periostosis and arthritis. Only adults received
a clearly individualized treatment, suggestive of achieved
status. We interpret the evidence as a multi-staged mortuary
program, the last phase of which is documented at the site,
with previous stages perhaps carried out elsewhere, and
we evaluate these results in the context of the regional
funerary record.

Positive results have been obtained from resuming the study of the dolmen of El Portillo de las Cortes (Guadalajara, Spain) taking into account materials that are nowadays kept in the MAN (Museo Arqueológico Nacional) as well as recent fieldwork. We hereby present a new C14 date obtained from a recently found and documented skull from the MAN, and new perspectives about possible ancient interventions to rebuild the monument
and about supply sources for the community that erected it.

Presentamos a continuación un " ídolo tipo tolva " hallado en el Llano de los Covachos (Almadén de la Plata, Sevilla). Esta representación idolátrica forma parte de la extensa variabilidad tipológica de los productos ideológicos de IV y III milenios a.n.e., muy relacionados con la plasmación física de la ideología predominante. El producto ideológico de Los Covachos destaca, en el SW peninsular, por el soporte material sobre el que está elaborado, siendo el único ejemplar en esta región manufacturado en alabastro, materia prima que se constata de forma recurrente en Andalucía Oriental, más concretamente en la necrópolis de Los Millares.

We present a " bowling pin " found in the Llano de los Covachos (Almadén de la Plata, Sevi-lla). This idolatrous representation is part of the extensive typological variability of ideological products IV and III millennia BC, closely related to the physical shape of the dominant ideology. The ideological product Los Covachos stresses in the SW peninsular, the material on which support is made, the only copy in this region manufactured in alabaster, raw material is found recurrently in eastern Andalusia, more specifically in the necropolis of Los Millares.

Se presentan las herramientas prehistóricas de minería recuperadas en prospecciones y excavaciones de las minas de variscita de Palazuelo de las Cuevas (Aliste, Zamora) y Pico Centeno (Encinasola, Huelva). Los útiles de piedra tallada no son raros en los contextos mineros prehistóricos peninsulares aunque, probablemente debido a que aparecen con poca frecuencia, no han despertado gran interés. Aquí planteamos una aproximación a las características morfológicas y capacidades tecnológicas de estos artefactos mediante el análisis de las unidades tecnofuncionales. A través de la identificación de características como la técnica de obtención, la forma y la funcionalidad de las distintas zonas de un útil, junto con la valoración de su distribución a lo largo de la pieza y la constatación de la presencia o ausencia de huellas de uso, creemos posible averiguar el modo de utilización de estos objetos. Así, hemos identificado que los mineros prehistóricos diseñaron y emplearon herramientas compuestas o multifuncionales. Al comparar el utillaje de ambos distritos mineros creemos haber encontrado suficientes diferencias como para hablar de dos tradiciones tecnológicas independientes que, según se argumenta, creemos que son debidas a que las minas zamoranas fueron explotadas a una escala mayor.

The excavation and study of the archaeological materials recovered in the 8 postcardial Neolithic layers of cova de Can Sadurní give proof of the mining activity that the group was carrying out since the beginning of the Middle Neolithic (what we call Middle Neolithic I and until recently was considered as belonging to the late early Neolithic).
This mining activity, initially focused on the exploitation of quartz in the outcrops found in the Garraf Massif, particularly in the area known as Garraf negre (“black Garraf”), ended up with the discovery of variscite and other green-coloured minerals present in the same geological context. These groups started exploiting the green stone along with quartz.
The first distribution networks were developed. Prestige goods arrived to Can Sadurní thanks to the exchange networks connected to the green stones (also called callaite). There was a population increase. Suddenly, around the change of millennium, the presence of the community in the cave stopped. From this moment onwards, the mining community of Can Tintorer, now in the Middle Neolithic II phase or Sepulcres de Fossa culture, appears and grows, which makes us think of a population migration from Can Sadurní Cave to Can TIntorer, which are ca. 8 km apart, within the same territory. This is one of the working hypotheses with which the CIPAG is working within the running research project (2014-2017) “Les comunitats prehistòriques del massís de Garraf nord. Orígens, genètica, patrons d’assentament, trets culturals, recursos i mobilitat durant la prehistòria recent” [The prehistoric communities of the Northern Garraf Massif. Origins, genetics, settlement patterns, cultural traits, resources and mobility during recent prehistory].

AMS radiocarbon and OSL dating, and profiling were used to directly delimit periods of variscite production at Pico Centeno Mine 2. These results were integrated with analysis of other well-dated periods of variscite production to establish an Iberian-wide chronological framework. Variscite production at Pico Centeno Mine 2 began at ~ 5200 BC, coincident with alpine jade production or Casa Montero Iberian flint production. Variscite was only used occasionally, together with other greenstones, during the 5th and 6th millennia BC. During the 4th millennium BC, variscite use began to increase to its apogee in the first half of 3rd millennium BC when it appeared in nearly every Iberian burial site. This increase in variscite production and use coincided with decline in the popularity of alpine jade. By the end of the 3rd millennium BC, new resources began to be valued such as Asian and African Ivory, Baltic and Sicilian amber, and copper-based metal products. The variscite cycle thus started with the decline of jade in the 5th–4th millennium BC, and ended with the appearance of copper, ivory and extra-peninsular amber by the end of the 3rd millennium BC.

Abstract: A polished 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 collection, is studied. Although the ex- act provenance of this object is unknown, there are reasons to think that it might have been found on some archaeolog- ical site of the Seville province. Through the application of two di erent analytical techniques (XRD, DCμRS), this axe is identi ed 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.

Resumen: 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 proce- der de algún yacimiento arqueológico de la provincia de Sevi- lla. Mediante la aplicación de dos técnicas analíticas diferen- tes (XRD, DCμRS), se identi ca la pieza como jade-jadeíta de una pureza superior al 95 ml%, lo que implica su proce- dencia de los Alpes. En las conclusiones se realiza una valo- ración de la signi cación de esta pieza en términos de contac- tos a larga distancia en la Prehistoria Reciente ibérica.

Green objects of personal adornment were quite common among Neolithic and Copper Age groups in Western Europe, and variscite was one of the minerals that was most often used for such a purpose. This article presents the results of a series of archaeological campaigns designed to study the mines of Aliste and the ornament production loci of Quiruelas de Vidriales (both in the province of Zamora, Spain). We discovered that initially, during the fourth millennium cal bc, variscite from Aliste was seldom used and the ornaments' production was dispersed, but that there was a significant shift during the third millennium cal bc: ornament production intensified and became concentrated in the production sites of Quiruelas. We relate this transformation to the socioeconomic processes that developed in the Iberian Peninsula and the growth of supra-regional socio-technical artefact exchange networks.

Beads and pendants from the Castillejo del Bonete (Terrinches, Ciudad Real) and Cerro Ortega (Villanueva de la Fuente, Ciudad Real) burials were analysed using XRD, micro-Raman and XRF in order to contribute to the current distribution map of green bead body ornament pieces on the Iberian Peninsula which, so far, remain undetailed for many regions. XRD, micro-Raman and XRF analyses showed that most of the beads from Castillejo del Bonete (Late 3rd millennium cal. BC) were made from variscite or green phyllosilicates, while Cerro Ortega's (Late 4th millennium cal. BC) beads were made out of fossil wood or Clinochlore. Significantly enough, while XRD pointed to variscite as the main crystallographic phase, the elemental composition did not match any elemental compositions of known and characterised sources, thus suggesting an unknown southeastern source or an extra-peninsular origin of these ornamental pieces.

This paper presents the results of compositional analysis (XRF) of 121 green ornaments recovered from the Copper Age site of Vila Nova de São Pedro, kept in the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo. Different minerals were used on its production such as muscovite, talc and variscite. Regarding variscite ornaments raw material, it was possible to ascribe its provenance to source areas in Zamora, Huelva and Barcelona. This was conducted by comparison with geological samples composition of those different areas

Castillejo del Bonete es un complejo tumular situado en el borde meridional de la Meseta Ibérica, ocupado en fechas calcolíticas y de la Edad del Bronce, vinculado a la Cultura de las Motillas. Materiales arqueológicos muy diversos han sido recuperados asociados a las arquitecturas del lugar (túmulos, corredores, potentes muros, etc.). Se presenta un avance de la investigación paleoecológica sobre las colecciones de carbón, polen y microvertebrados. Además se presentan cuentas de piedra y madera, colgantes de concha, material lítico, la colección cerámica, nuevas metalografías e industria metálica y botones de marfil. El conjunto de estas evi-dencias arqueológicas pone de manifiesto la celebración ritual de banquetes y ofrendas durante la Prehistoria Reciente en una cueva monumentalizada mediante túmulos en el interior de la Península Ibérica.

Beads and pendants from the Castillejo del Bonete (Terrinches, Ciudad Real) and Cerro Ortega (Villanueva de la Fuente, Ciudad Real) burials were analysed using XRD, micro-Raman and XRF in order to contribute to the current distribution map of green bead body ornament pieces on the Iberian Peninsula which, so far, remain undetailed for many regions. XRD, micro-Raman and XRF analyses showed that most of the beads from Castillejo del Bonete (Late 3rd millennium cal. BC) were made from variscite or green phyllosilicates, while Cerro Ortega's (Late 4th millennium cal. BC) beads were made out of fossil wood or Clinochlore. Significantly enough, while XRD pointed to variscite as the main crystallo-graphic phase, the elemental composition did not match any elemental compositions of known and characterised sources, thus suggesting an unknown south-eastern source or an extra-peninsular origin of these ornamental pieces.

Geoelectrical soil mapping using contact sensors with mobile arrays is a widespread method implemented within Precision
Agriculture practices since the 1990s, but only in recent times has it begun to be used extensively in the field of
archeology. Vehicle towed equipment for the automatic recording of apparent electrical resistivity (ERa) are highly
adaptable to land plot structure and are able to cover large areas quickly. In this article we will give an overview of
a specific experience of ERa mapping at two archaeological sites with the VERIS 3150 system. This is a contactsensor
that provides georeferenced measurements at two different depths (0–30/0–90 cm). The process of capture,
refinement and normalization of raw data is explained. The work also deals with interpolation procedures used for
the creation of continuous surfaces. Finally some examples are offered regarding the identification of buried archaeological
and geomorphological features. ERa maps are integrated in a geographical information system (GIS) environment,
in order to provide a more reliable basis for interpretation. The advantage of the VERIS 3150 sensor is stressed,
in terms of cost over traditional electrical resistivity/conductivity mapping techniques for the acquisition of high-quality
archaeological information.

This paper presents the results of compositional analysis (XRF) of 121 green ornaments recovered from the
Copper Age site of Vila Nova de São Pedro, kept in the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo. Different minerals
were used on its production such as muscovite, talc and variscite. Regarding variscite ornaments raw material,
it was possible to ascribe its provenance to source areas in Zamora, Huelva and Barcelona. This was conducted
by comparison with geological samples composition of those different areas.

RESUMEN: Castillejo del Bonete es un complejo tumular situado en el borde meridional de la Meseta Ibérica, ocupado en fechas calcolíticas y de la Edad del Bronce, vinculado a la Cultura de las Motillas. Materiales arqueológicos muy diversos han sido recuperados asociados a las arquitecturas del lugar (túmulos, corredores, potentes muros, etc.). Se presenta un avance de la investigación paleoecológica sobre las colecciones de carbón, polen y microvertebrados. Además se presentan cuentas de piedra y madera, colgantes de concha, material lítico, la colección cerámica, nuevas metalografías e industria metálica y botones de marfil. El conjunto de estas evidencias arqueológicas pone de manifiesto la celebración ritual de banquetes y ofrendas durante la Prehistoria Reciente en una cueva monumentalizada mediante túmulos en el interior de la Península Ibérica.

PALABRAS CLAVE: cerámica, piedra, metal, madera, marfil, malacofauna, microvertebrados, variscita, carbón, polen, cultura megalítica.

ABSTRACT: Castillejo del Bonete is a tumulus complex located on the southern edge of Iberian Plateau, occupied during Chalcolithic and Bronze Age periods, and linked to the Culture of the Motillas. Diverse archaeological objects have been recovered in association with the architectures of the site (barrows, corridors, big walls, etc.). A preview of paleoecological research on coal, pollen or microvertebrates studied are presented, wirh stone and wood accounts, shell pendants, lithic materials, pottery, new metallographies and metallic tools and ivory buttons. All these archaeological evidence may reflect the ritual celebration of feasts and offerings during Late Prehistory in a cave monumentalised in the interior of Iberian Peninsula.

Key words: Pottery, stone, metal, wood, ivory, malacofauna, microvertebrates, variscite, charcoal, pollen, Megalithic Culture.

El Rebollosillo is a small karstic cave located in the
center of Iberia used for the disposition of secondary
burials during the mid third millennium BC. We present
bioanthropological, isotopic (87Sr/86Sr, δ 13C y δ 18O)
analyses and 16 radiocarbon dates on human remains,
as well as mineralogical characterization of 6 beads (4 of
them variscite from Palazuelo de las Cuevas, Zamora), and
a quantitative analysis of 43 pottery fragments recovered
during the 1989 excavations. A minimum of 21 individu-als
have been identified, covering all age ranges and sex. Low
percentages of pathologies have been detected, mainly
dental calculus and caries, with specific cases of cribra
orbitalia, periostosis and arthritis. Only adults received
a clearly individualized treatment, suggestive of achieved
status. We interpret the evidence as a multi-staged mortuary
program, the last phase of which is documented at the site,
with previous stages perhaps carried out elsewhere, and
we evaluate these results in the context of the regional
funerary record.

Como disciplina académica, la Arqueología tiene una larga trayectoria que se remonta a finales del siglo XIX en las más importantes universidades europeas y estadounidenses. En España, la primera cátedra de Arqueología y Prehistoria (denominada entonces de ‘Historia Primitiva del Hombre’) se creó en 1922 en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, siendo ocupada por Hugo Obermaier. En Andalucía, la primera cátedra análoga, creada en 1927 en la Universidad de Sevilla bajo la denominación de “Prehistoria, Historia Antigua e Historia medieval” y con el profesor Juan de Mata Carriazo y Arroquia como titular, sería el germen del actual Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología de esta universidad. Desde 1965 se estableció en Granada la primera Cátedra de Prehistoria y Arqueología, ocupada inicialmente por el profesor Antonio Arribas Palau. En las restantes siete universidades andaluzas las áreas de conocimiento Prehistoria y Arqueología se crearían a lo largo de las décadas de 1980 y 1990, quedando reunidas en departamentos que agrupan normalmente profesorado de múltiples áreas de conocimiento de Historia, Geografía y Humanidades. La universidad Pablo de Olavide tiene área de Arqueología, pero no de Prehistoria, lo cual constituye una extraña anomalía en el panorama de las universidades españolas.