Books by David Garcia i Rubert
Los pobles dels rius és un llibre que busca transportar el lector, a través de les imatges, fins ... more Los pobles dels rius és un llibre que busca transportar el lector, a través de les imatges, fins a un passat tan desconegut com enigmàtic i encisador: l’època en què a les terres dels rius Ebre, Sénia, Matarranya, Algars, Guadalop i Bergantes, és a dir, en el punt de la confluència entre les actuals Catalunya, País Valencià i Aragó, hi van viure els Pobles dels Rius.
Els Pobles dels Rius van ocupar aquests territoris just abans del període ibèric, aproximadament durant els segles VIII i VI aC, fa més de 2.500 anys. I malgrat l’antiguitat, van ser uns pobles que ens han llegat un patrimoni i unes històries espectaculars. Són els primers, per exemple, que van fer servir els objectes de ferro. També els primers que a casa nostra van tastar per primera vegada el vi, o l’oli d’oliva. També van construir grans residències, potents fortificacions, grans poblats. I també foren els primers que van establir contactes internacionals de manera estable, concretament amb els fenicis. Van ser uns pobles tan importants per a la nostra història com desconeguts per al gran públic. És el moment que tothom els conegui.
El llibre té una voluntat divulgativa, i és per això que hem apostat per donar la major part del protagonisme a les imatges: al llarg de 95 pàgines hi trobareu un total de 200 imatges, entre fotografies, plantes d’assentaments i dibuixos. Entre aquests darrers cal destacar molt especialment les magnífiques il·lustracions realitzades per Lluís Chavarria Martí per a mostrar diversos aspectes de la vida d’aquella gent, i que inclouen innombrables detalls amb els quals perdre’s. Els textos, breus i redactats per David Garcia i Rubert, volen ser un acompanyament a les imatges i fugen del llenguatge científic per a poder permetre al lector fruir millor de tot plegat.
Es tracta d’una obra feta amb un format al qual no estem gaire avesats al nostre país, però que en països punters en l’àmbit de la divulgació del patrimoni com ara Anglaterra o Escòcia és molt habitual. Estem del tot convençuts que us enamorarà.
Col·leció: "Estudis del GRAP, 1"
El jaciment de Sant Jaume d’Alcanar, interpretat com una gran residència fortificada, representa ... more El jaciment de Sant Jaume d’Alcanar, interpretat com una gran residència fortificada, representa una referència inexcusable en el marc dels estudis sobre la primera edat del ferro (650-550 ane, aprox.) a la península Ibèrica. El seu excel·lent grau de conservació, amb murs de pedra de dos metres d’alçària i una seqüència estratigràfica intacta, ha permès obtenir informacions amb un nivell de precisió gens habitual. D’altra banda, el conjunt de vasos ceràmics que ha proporcionat conforma indubtablement la millor col·lecció del període a l’àrea de l’actual Catalunya, tant pel que fa a la quantitat com al grau d’integritat i a la diversitat tipològica i de produccions. Si més no dues fites avalen la importància del jaciment des del punt de vista històric: el paper clau que Sant Jaume va tenir en les intenses relacions mantingudes amb els comerciants fenicis i la funció que desenvolupà com a centre d’un dels primers territoris polítics polinuclears documentats al nord-est peninsular. / The settlement of St. Jaume (Alcanar, Catalonia), interpreted as a fortified residence, it represents an essential reference in the context of studies on the early Iron Age (650-550 BC approx.) in the Iberian Peninsula. Its excellent state of conservation, with stone walls two meters high and an intact stratigraphic sequence, has allowed to obtain information with an unusual level of precision. Moreover, the whole ceramic vessels it has provided conforms undoubtedly the best collection of this period in the area of the current Catalonia, in terms of both the quantity and the degree of integrity and diversity of types and productions. At least two facts support the importance of the site from the historical point of view: the key role that St. Jaume played in the intense relationship established with the Phoenician traders and the role as a center of one of the first political territories (chiefdom) documented in north-east of the Iberian Peninsula.
Opúsculo Arqueológico 9,2015,Terol.Versió actualitzada de l’article: Rafel, N., Garcia i Rubert, D. i Jornet i Niella, R (2013-14): “Nuevos datos sobre la evolución del poblamiento en la Cataluña meridional entre el siglo VII ane y época romana: el Coll del Moro de Gandesa”, Kalathos 26-27: 113-171, 2015
We present the results of the excavation inside the main tower at coll del Moro, as well as the r... more We present the results of the excavation inside the main tower at coll del Moro, as well as the re examination of a stratigraphic section made outside the tower in the 1980s, and the report on another exterior section from the 1990s that has remained unpublished until now. All this provides a sequence starting in the 6th century bcE, when the towercistern architectural programme was built, and ending in the Roman period, thus allowing the evolution of the settlement to be seen. Special emphasis is placed on the early horizon presented by a record revealing finds from the south of the Iberian Peninsula with Phoenician and Iberian features, which precede the first wheel made Iberian ware. All this, and the presence of a sculpture datable to the 6th century bcE, make a significant contribution to our knowledge of the historical horizon known as houses-tower.
Papers by David Garcia i Rubert
Applied Sciences, 2023
One of the most important reception sites for Phoenician pottery imports in the NE Iberian
Penins... more One of the most important reception sites for Phoenician pottery imports in the NE Iberian
Peninsula is the Early Iron Age (800–550 BC) settlement of Sant Jaume. This site is exceptional in
terms of preservation and the large number of complete vessels recovered. Moreover, the ceramic
assemblage comprises one of the best collections of the earliest wheel-thrown pottery that is considered
evidence of trade from the western Phoenician colonies and their specific interest in exploiting
metallurgical resources. In this research, a sample of 58 individuals of wheel-thrown pottery has been
analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), petrography (PE), and scanning electron
microscopy attached with an energy dispersive X-ray unit (SEM-EDX). It was possible to identify
29 ceramic groups, some of which correspond to known Phoenician workshops of southern Andalusia
and Ibiza, though the origin of most groups remains to be determined. The wide variety of sources
identified illuminates the patterns of trade and exchange that the Phoenicians developed during the
Early Iron Age and the export of their manufactured products. This information is fundamental to
our understanding of the economic system developed by the Western Mediterranean Phoenician
colonies that affected and transformed indigenous communities in the Mediterranean region.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Revista d'Arqueologia de Ponent 29, 2019
Musealizando la protohistoria peninsular. Estudis del GRAP 2, 2019
Since 1985, the archaeological interventions developed by the GRAP of the University of Barcelona... more Since 1985, the archaeological interventions developed by the GRAP of the University of Barcelona in the archaeological sites of La Moleta del Remei and Sant Jaume (Alcanar, Montsià, Tarragona) have had a triple objective: study, conservation and cultural diffusion of the protohistoric historical-archaeological heritage in the region of Sénia river Lands. For more than three decades, musealization projects have been structured, cultural initiatives have been organized, and didactic publications developed to facilitate the transfer of the results of research projects to citizens with the clear objective of returning to the social structure the necessary elements to facilitate the understanding of the cultural development of the territory. The making of cultural policies requires a global vision of the objectives and the involvement of public administrations.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Sep 2018
In this work, we present 16 directional and 27 intensity high-quality values from Iberia. Moreove... more In this work, we present 16 directional and 27 intensity high-quality values from Iberia. Moreover, we have updated the Iberian archeomagnetic catalogue published more than 10 years ago with a considerable increase in the database. This has led to a notable improvement of both temporal and spatial data distribution. A full vector paleosecular variation curve from 1000 BC to 1900 AD has been developed using high-quality data within a radius of 900 km from Madrid. A hierarchical bootstrap method has been followed for the computation of the curves. The most remarkable feature of the new curves is a notable intensity maximum of about 80 μT around 600 BC, which has not been previously reported for the Iberian Peninsula. We have also analyzed the evolution of the paleofield in Europe for the last three thousand years and conclude that the high maximum intensity values observed around 600 BC in the Iberian Peninsula could respond to the same feature as the Levantine Iron Age Anomaly, after travelling westward through Europe.
Archaeological and Anthropological Science, Mar 2019
The chronology of the Late Bronze Age and the earliest stages of the Iron Age in the Mediterranea... more The chronology of the Late Bronze Age and the earliest stages of the Iron Age in the Mediterranean is an important topic of debate since the study of both local social dynamics and trade and colonial activity around the Mediterranean requires obviously well-established chronological frameworks. However, the exact chronology of the Early Iron Age in the Mediterranean region is still a problematic issue today since different, and in some cases unbalanced, sources of information (historical texts, material culture sequences, and radiocarbon dating results) are used. The NE Iberian Peninsula is not an exception and different time periods are proposed in the literature for the Early Iron Age. Here, and in order to provide a new and an independent input to feed this debate, we apply the archeomagnetic dating method to four archeological hearths from the Sant Jaume Complex, a set of several Early Iron Age archeological sites located in the north-eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The archeomagnetic dating results suggest that the abandonment of the studied structures (that can be linked to the abandonment of the archeological sites) most probably occurred before 650 BC, and therefore invalidate the age commonly ascribed to the Early Iron Age sites in this area. Our study provides, hence, new evidences that the traditional view of human settlement development in the NE Iberian Peninsula should be revisited.
Study of a culinary oven from the Early Iron Age settlement of St. Jaume (Alcanar, Montsià, Catal... more Study of a culinary oven from the Early Iron Age settlement of St. Jaume (Alcanar, Montsià, Catalonia) through the use of FTIR spectroscopy, micromorphology and typological analysis
In this paper we study an oven located in the settlement of the early Iron Age (mid seventh-early sixth ANE) of Sant
Jaume (Alcanar, Montsià, Catalonia) from various perspectives. The study includes experimental (using micromorphology
and FTIR spectroscopy) and typological approaches (typological classification and comparison with other similar structures)
The archaeological study of feasting practices has proved to be one of the most fruitful lines of... more The archaeological study of feasting practices has proved to be one of the most fruitful lines of research in the social interpretation of the Mediterranean protohistoric record. The focus has been particularly effective for assessing the development of socio-political complexity and the evolution of socialization strategies that characterize many small-scale societies. In seeking to provide a similar assessment, this study analyses a set of ceramic tableware recovered from the early Iron Age site (seventh to sixth centuries BC) of Sant Jaume (Alcanar, Catalonia) and its associated domestic spaces and architectonic structures. Drawing on the postulates of commensality studies, we examine the functional and symbolic characteristics of these artefacts and the social practices linked to them.
Actes de les I Jornades d'Arqueologia de les Terres de l'Ebre, Tortosa: 256-273, 2016
La necròpolis d’Esquarterades va ser descoberta de manera fortuïta el 2013. Després d’un primer s... more La necròpolis d’Esquarterades va ser descoberta de manera fortuïta el 2013. Després d’un primer sondeig de verificació realitzat el mateix any per l’empresa Àtics, un equip d’investigadors de la Universitat de Barcelona, l’Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica i el Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya han desenvolupat un projecte de recerca arqueològica, amb dues campanyes d’excavació en els anys 2014 i 2015. Els treballs d’excavació han documentat les restes d’una necròpolis ibèrica del segle V o inicis del IV A.C., amb una vintena de sepultures formades per urnes de ceràmica a torn o a mà, cobertes amb tapadora de ceràmica i dipositades en fosses segellades amb una llosa de pedra. Algunes d’aquestes urnes estaven molt malmeses, mentre que d’altres es conserven pràcticament intactes. Els aixovars funeraris estan formats per elements de bronze dipositats dins les urnes, fonamentalment d’ornamentació personal, mentre a l’exterior apareixen objectes de ferro, sobretot peces d’armament. Actualment s’està realitzant els treballs de laboratori (micro-excavació de les urnes, consolidació i estudi dels materials arqueològics) i properament es realitzarà l’estudi antropològic de les restes òssies. / The necropolis of Esquarterades was discovered by chance in 2013. After an initial verification survey conducted the same year by the archaeology company Àtics, a team of researchers from the University of Barcelona, the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology and the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia have developed a research project with two archaeological excavation campaigns in the years 2014 and 2015. The digs have uncovered the remains of an Iberian necropolis of the 5th century – beginnings of the 4th century B.C., with twenty graves consisting of wheeled or hand-made ceramic urns covered with ceramic lids, and placed in pits sealed by stone slabs. Some of these urns are severely damaged, whilst others are preserved virtually intact. The grave goods consist of bronze artefacts deposited inside the urns, mostly personal ornaments, as well as iron objects, mainly pieces of armament, deposited outside the urns. We are currently carrying out the laboratory studies (micro-excavation of the urns, consolidation and study of archaeological materials) and the anthropological study of the skeletal remains will soon be started.
Actes de les I Jornades d'Arqueologia de les Terres de l'Ebre, Tortosa: 166-187, 2016
Sant Jaume és un assentament de la primera edat del ferro (650-575 ane) ubicat als darrers estrep... more Sant Jaume és un assentament de la primera edat del ferro (650-575 ane) ubicat als darrers estreps meridionals de la serra de Montsià, a la comarca catalana del mateix nom. Ha estat objecte de treballs d’excavació per part del Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica (GRAP) de la Universitat de Barcelona des de l’any 1997 fins a l’actualitat. És interpretat com una residència fortificada aïllada, centre d’un cabdillatge denominat Complex Sant Jaume que inclouria també els nuclis de la Moleta del Remei (Alcanar), Ferradura (Ulldecona), Castell (Ulldecona) i Cogula (Ulldecona). En aquest article presentem una síntesi dels principals resultats assolits fins ara. /
Sant Jaume is a settlement dated to the early Iron Age (650-575 BC) located in the southern foothills of the Montsià mountains, in the Catalan region of the same name. It has been under excavation by the Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica (GRAP) of the University of Barcelona from 1997 to the present. It is interpreted as a fortified, isolated residence, center of a chiefdom called Sant Jaume Complex, which also includes Moleta del Remei (Alcanar), Ferradura (Ulldecona), Castell (Ulldecona) and Cogula (Ulldecona). This article presents a summary of the main results achieved so far.
Actes de les I Jornades d'Arqueologia de les Terres de l'Ebre, Tortosa: 201-217., 2016
La Ferradura és un assentament de la primera edat del ferro (650-575 ane) ubicat als darrers estr... more La Ferradura és un assentament de la primera edat del ferro (650-575 ane) ubicat als darrers estreps meridionals de la serra de Montsià, a la comarca catalana del mateix nom. Fou objecte d’importants treballs d’excavació l’any 1972, de la mà de J. Maluquer de Motes. Des de l’any 2009 el Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica (GRAP) de la Universitat de Barcelona ha reprès els treballs. En aquest article presentem una síntesi dels principals resultats assolits fins ara. / La Ferradura is a settlement dated to the early Iron Age (650-575 BC) located in the southern foothills of the Montsià mountains, in the Catalan region of the same name. It was the subject of major excavations in 1972, by J. Maluquer de Motes. Since 2009 the Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica (GRAP) of the University of Barcelona has resumed work. This article presents a summary of the main results achieved so far.
Tribuna d'Arqueologia 2012-2013, 2014
Synthesis of the main results obtained during the excavations in the isolated fortified residence... more Synthesis of the main results obtained during the excavations in the isolated fortified residence of the early Iron Age of St. Jaume (Alcanar, Montsià, Catalonia) between 1997 and 2013
A discussion is being developed in recent years about the political system of the communities tha... more A discussion is being developed in recent years about the political system of the communities that inhabited the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula during the Protohistory. In this paper, we propose that the first protohistoric complex societies arise in this area before the Iberian Culture. In order to contrast it, we present a case study dated in the Early Iron Age (VII-VI century BC) formed by a set of five sites located closed to each other, that we have named, as a whole, as Sant Jaume Complex. That Complex was formed by the settlements of Sant Jaume -a big and fortified house-, la Moleta del Remei -a village-, la Ferradura, el Castell -two points strategically located for the control of local communication paths- and la Cogula -perhaps a watchtower-. We follow a contextual approach, following the perspective proposed by R. D. Drennan and C. E. Peterson for the analysis and definition of the early complex societies. From this perspective, we attempt a reconstruction of Complex Sant Jaume socio-political organization from the specific study of a number of lines of evidence, which are interpreted in combination. The elements explored are Local Community Structure, Supra-local Community Scale, Supra-local Community Centralization, Demographic Density, Public Works Investment, Tax Rate, Conflict, Wealth and Prestige Differentiation, as well as other points as long distance Exchange or Storability of staple foods, among others. We also explore which were the sources of power that allowed the elites to control the system establishing, first, the dependency relationships and secondly, stabilizing the system. We conclude that it is possible to consider that the Sant Jaume Complex was a simple chiefdom, with a low level of development.
Actes del XV Col•loqui Internacional d’Arqueologia de Puigcerdà “La transició Bronze Final-1a edat del Ferro en els Pirineus i territoris veïns”, Institut d’Estudis Ceretans: 275-282. , 2014
L’any 1972 J. Maluquer de Motes dirigí l’excavació de l’assentament del primer ferro de la
Ferra... more L’any 1972 J. Maluquer de Motes dirigí l’excavació de l’assentament del primer ferro de la
Ferradura (Ulldecona, Montsià). Immediatament, aquells treballs prengueren una notable importància. Els resultats publicats en el seu moment representen encara avui dia una referència ineludible de qualsevol estudi relacionat amb la protohistòria antiga de les Terres de l’Ebre i les del Sénia. Quaranta anys després d’aquella única actuació, però, resulta evident la necessitat de revisar aquells treballs i contrastar-los amb les noves dades obtingudes a les excavacions d’assentaments coetanis propers com Sant Jaume, la Moleta del Remei, la Cogula, el Puig de la Misericòrdia, el Puig de la Nau o el Castell d’Ulldecona. Amb aquest objectiu, el GRAP (Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica) de la Universitat de Barcelona va reprendre l’any 2009 els treballs d’excavació d’aquest nucli. En aquest article presentem un resum dels primers resultats derivats d’aquesta tasca incipient.
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Books by David Garcia i Rubert
Els Pobles dels Rius van ocupar aquests territoris just abans del període ibèric, aproximadament durant els segles VIII i VI aC, fa més de 2.500 anys. I malgrat l’antiguitat, van ser uns pobles que ens han llegat un patrimoni i unes històries espectaculars. Són els primers, per exemple, que van fer servir els objectes de ferro. També els primers que a casa nostra van tastar per primera vegada el vi, o l’oli d’oliva. També van construir grans residències, potents fortificacions, grans poblats. I també foren els primers que van establir contactes internacionals de manera estable, concretament amb els fenicis. Van ser uns pobles tan importants per a la nostra història com desconeguts per al gran públic. És el moment que tothom els conegui.
El llibre té una voluntat divulgativa, i és per això que hem apostat per donar la major part del protagonisme a les imatges: al llarg de 95 pàgines hi trobareu un total de 200 imatges, entre fotografies, plantes d’assentaments i dibuixos. Entre aquests darrers cal destacar molt especialment les magnífiques il·lustracions realitzades per Lluís Chavarria Martí per a mostrar diversos aspectes de la vida d’aquella gent, i que inclouen innombrables detalls amb els quals perdre’s. Els textos, breus i redactats per David Garcia i Rubert, volen ser un acompanyament a les imatges i fugen del llenguatge científic per a poder permetre al lector fruir millor de tot plegat.
Es tracta d’una obra feta amb un format al qual no estem gaire avesats al nostre país, però que en països punters en l’àmbit de la divulgació del patrimoni com ara Anglaterra o Escòcia és molt habitual. Estem del tot convençuts que us enamorarà.
Papers by David Garcia i Rubert
Peninsula is the Early Iron Age (800–550 BC) settlement of Sant Jaume. This site is exceptional in
terms of preservation and the large number of complete vessels recovered. Moreover, the ceramic
assemblage comprises one of the best collections of the earliest wheel-thrown pottery that is considered
evidence of trade from the western Phoenician colonies and their specific interest in exploiting
metallurgical resources. In this research, a sample of 58 individuals of wheel-thrown pottery has been
analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), petrography (PE), and scanning electron
microscopy attached with an energy dispersive X-ray unit (SEM-EDX). It was possible to identify
29 ceramic groups, some of which correspond to known Phoenician workshops of southern Andalusia
and Ibiza, though the origin of most groups remains to be determined. The wide variety of sources
identified illuminates the patterns of trade and exchange that the Phoenicians developed during the
Early Iron Age and the export of their manufactured products. This information is fundamental to
our understanding of the economic system developed by the Western Mediterranean Phoenician
colonies that affected and transformed indigenous communities in the Mediterranean region.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
In this paper we study an oven located in the settlement of the early Iron Age (mid seventh-early sixth ANE) of Sant
Jaume (Alcanar, Montsià, Catalonia) from various perspectives. The study includes experimental (using micromorphology
and FTIR spectroscopy) and typological approaches (typological classification and comparison with other similar structures)
Sant Jaume is a settlement dated to the early Iron Age (650-575 BC) located in the southern foothills of the Montsià mountains, in the Catalan region of the same name. It has been under excavation by the Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica (GRAP) of the University of Barcelona from 1997 to the present. It is interpreted as a fortified, isolated residence, center of a chiefdom called Sant Jaume Complex, which also includes Moleta del Remei (Alcanar), Ferradura (Ulldecona), Castell (Ulldecona) and Cogula (Ulldecona). This article presents a summary of the main results achieved so far.
Ferradura (Ulldecona, Montsià). Immediatament, aquells treballs prengueren una notable importància. Els resultats publicats en el seu moment representen encara avui dia una referència ineludible de qualsevol estudi relacionat amb la protohistòria antiga de les Terres de l’Ebre i les del Sénia. Quaranta anys després d’aquella única actuació, però, resulta evident la necessitat de revisar aquells treballs i contrastar-los amb les noves dades obtingudes a les excavacions d’assentaments coetanis propers com Sant Jaume, la Moleta del Remei, la Cogula, el Puig de la Misericòrdia, el Puig de la Nau o el Castell d’Ulldecona. Amb aquest objectiu, el GRAP (Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica) de la Universitat de Barcelona va reprendre l’any 2009 els treballs d’excavació d’aquest nucli. En aquest article presentem un resum dels primers resultats derivats d’aquesta tasca incipient.
Els Pobles dels Rius van ocupar aquests territoris just abans del període ibèric, aproximadament durant els segles VIII i VI aC, fa més de 2.500 anys. I malgrat l’antiguitat, van ser uns pobles que ens han llegat un patrimoni i unes històries espectaculars. Són els primers, per exemple, que van fer servir els objectes de ferro. També els primers que a casa nostra van tastar per primera vegada el vi, o l’oli d’oliva. També van construir grans residències, potents fortificacions, grans poblats. I també foren els primers que van establir contactes internacionals de manera estable, concretament amb els fenicis. Van ser uns pobles tan importants per a la nostra història com desconeguts per al gran públic. És el moment que tothom els conegui.
El llibre té una voluntat divulgativa, i és per això que hem apostat per donar la major part del protagonisme a les imatges: al llarg de 95 pàgines hi trobareu un total de 200 imatges, entre fotografies, plantes d’assentaments i dibuixos. Entre aquests darrers cal destacar molt especialment les magnífiques il·lustracions realitzades per Lluís Chavarria Martí per a mostrar diversos aspectes de la vida d’aquella gent, i que inclouen innombrables detalls amb els quals perdre’s. Els textos, breus i redactats per David Garcia i Rubert, volen ser un acompanyament a les imatges i fugen del llenguatge científic per a poder permetre al lector fruir millor de tot plegat.
Es tracta d’una obra feta amb un format al qual no estem gaire avesats al nostre país, però que en països punters en l’àmbit de la divulgació del patrimoni com ara Anglaterra o Escòcia és molt habitual. Estem del tot convençuts que us enamorarà.
Peninsula is the Early Iron Age (800–550 BC) settlement of Sant Jaume. This site is exceptional in
terms of preservation and the large number of complete vessels recovered. Moreover, the ceramic
assemblage comprises one of the best collections of the earliest wheel-thrown pottery that is considered
evidence of trade from the western Phoenician colonies and their specific interest in exploiting
metallurgical resources. In this research, a sample of 58 individuals of wheel-thrown pottery has been
analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), petrography (PE), and scanning electron
microscopy attached with an energy dispersive X-ray unit (SEM-EDX). It was possible to identify
29 ceramic groups, some of which correspond to known Phoenician workshops of southern Andalusia
and Ibiza, though the origin of most groups remains to be determined. The wide variety of sources
identified illuminates the patterns of trade and exchange that the Phoenicians developed during the
Early Iron Age and the export of their manufactured products. This information is fundamental to
our understanding of the economic system developed by the Western Mediterranean Phoenician
colonies that affected and transformed indigenous communities in the Mediterranean region.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
In this paper we study an oven located in the settlement of the early Iron Age (mid seventh-early sixth ANE) of Sant
Jaume (Alcanar, Montsià, Catalonia) from various perspectives. The study includes experimental (using micromorphology
and FTIR spectroscopy) and typological approaches (typological classification and comparison with other similar structures)
Sant Jaume is a settlement dated to the early Iron Age (650-575 BC) located in the southern foothills of the Montsià mountains, in the Catalan region of the same name. It has been under excavation by the Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica (GRAP) of the University of Barcelona from 1997 to the present. It is interpreted as a fortified, isolated residence, center of a chiefdom called Sant Jaume Complex, which also includes Moleta del Remei (Alcanar), Ferradura (Ulldecona), Castell (Ulldecona) and Cogula (Ulldecona). This article presents a summary of the main results achieved so far.
Ferradura (Ulldecona, Montsià). Immediatament, aquells treballs prengueren una notable importància. Els resultats publicats en el seu moment representen encara avui dia una referència ineludible de qualsevol estudi relacionat amb la protohistòria antiga de les Terres de l’Ebre i les del Sénia. Quaranta anys després d’aquella única actuació, però, resulta evident la necessitat de revisar aquells treballs i contrastar-los amb les noves dades obtingudes a les excavacions d’assentaments coetanis propers com Sant Jaume, la Moleta del Remei, la Cogula, el Puig de la Misericòrdia, el Puig de la Nau o el Castell d’Ulldecona. Amb aquest objectiu, el GRAP (Grup de Recerca en Arqueologia Protohistòrica) de la Universitat de Barcelona va reprendre l’any 2009 els treballs d’excavació d’aquest nucli. En aquest article presentem un resum dels primers resultats derivats d’aquesta tasca incipient.
We exemplify our proposal with a case study, the Sant Jaume Complex. This is a group of five settlements located on hills, close to each other on the southern coast of Catalonia, some 20 km. south of the mouth of the river Ebro. Their characteristics suggest that these settlements were inhabited by a single community, and that each one had different, complementary functions. This community established intense, lasting trade relations with the Phoenician seafarers. According to our working hypothesis, the socio-political system of organization of this settlement unit corresponds to what social anthropology terms a “chiefdom”, albeit an incipient one.
combining different analytical techniques (XRF, XRD, SEM). The results show that all ceramics were
produced by using the same technical tradition: a clay paste enriched with crushed calcite as temper,
fired at low firing temperatures. This tradition was used in all different ceramic types regardless of
their function. Moreover, several provenances have also been identified. Therefore, we propose the
existence of local and regional networks for handmade pottery production and distribution, something
that changes the nowadays assumption of local production.
of the counties of the lower reaches of the River Ebro, the lands of the River Sénia and the
regions of Terra Alta, Lower Aragon and Matarraña, with particular reference to the examples
of prestige architecture datable to between the Early Iron Age and the beginning of the Iberianisation
processes. It is hypothesised that these differentiated architectural structures may be
indications of an attempt to consolidate political models linked to the affirmation of elites. An
examination is made of the functional question of these architecturally differentiated buildings,
as well as the question of the chronologies, both relative and absolute, in which to place this
phenomenon. Based on the analysis of the prestige architecture, an attempt is made to present a
sequencing of the different formal types, as well as to determine possible phases in the social and
political process they were part of."
of the Iberian mint of śikaŕa. We complete the work by analyzing
the iconography, the inscriptions, and the historical evolution of
the name which will name the current Catalan region of Segarra.""