Prehistoria y Arqueología

RESUMEN En este trabajo se dan a conocer los sistemas poliorcéticos de los principales oppida ibéricos y poblados fortifi cados de la zona central de la Bastetania ibérica, centrándonos en los yacimien-tos de Basti, Canto Tortoso, Cerro del Castillo, Cerro de la Cruz, El Cardal, Cerro del Almendro y Las Angosturas de Gor. Se analizarán los sistemas constructivos de los elementos defensivos y su disposición sobre el terreno en cada uno de los casos. ABSTRACT In this paper we will present the defensive structures of the main iberic oppida and fortifi ed settlements in the central región of Bastetania, focusing on Basti, Canto Tortoso, Cerro del Casti-llo, Cerro de la Cruz, El Cardal, Cerro del Almendro and Las Angosturas de Gor sites. We will study the construction system of the defensive elements and its physical location in each case.

Resumen: Se estudia un conjunto de brazaletes de piedra, acabados y en proceso de elaboración, de
la Cueva-Sima de La Serreta, así como los útiles y técnicas empleados en el proceso de manufactura. La
metodología de trabajo se ha basado en el estudio tecnológico, traceológico y tipológico de los restos de
elaboración y los productos manufacturados. El análisis de este registro material ha permitido extraer conclusiones
sobre el uso de la cueva y su ocupación. La extracción de roca de la pared de la cavidad afectó a
una de las pinturas rupestres, lo que nos ha permitido determinar que la cronología de las pinturas puede
ser anterior o sincrónica a la artesanía de los brazaletes. De igual forma, la identificación de las técnicas
que componen la cadena operativa de elaboración de los brazaletes de piedra ha permitido reconocer procedimientos
propios y particulares de este taller que lo diferencian del resto de los estudiados. La situación
geográfica del taller de La Serreta viene a remarcar las relaciones culturales entre poblaciones neolíticas del
Sur y el Levante de Iberia.

Entre enero y febrero de 2014 se llevaron a cabo labores de vigilancia arqueológica en el cerro de Marimacho motivadas por la construcción de un acerado a lo largo del segmento de la carretera Antequera-Archidona N-354 que bordea por el sur el Conjunto Arqueológico de los Dólmenes de Antequera. Durante esta intervención, que arroja nueva luz sobre la naturaleza de un sitio estrechamente asociado a los megalitos antequeranos, se identificaron dos estructuras prehistóricas excavadas en el sustrato geológico. Una de ellas se constata como la primera evidencia de la existencia de un foso en este yacimiento arqueológico.

Between January and February 2014, a rescue archaeological study was carried out at Marimacho, a hill located just in front of Menga and Viera, that is part of the Dolmens of Antequera Archeological Site. This excavation was triggered by the enlargement of the hard shoulder of the road that runs along the archaeological site, and led to the discovery of two negative features, a ditch and pit. This excavation throws new light into the nature of the site, that is associated to the great Antequeran dolmens, both spatially and chronologically, as a ditch feature is found at Marimacho for the first time.

The stone bracelets are one of the most outstanding elements of personal ornaments of the ancient Neolithic in Western Mediterranean and the South of the Iberian Peninsula (5500-4800 cal. BCE). These bracelets are considered an element of cultural identity and a chronological marker of the first Neolithic societies in these areas. The study of the production processes of this ornament has brought a new approach to social relations of the early Neolithic groups of this area. The existence of specialized workshops and the circulation of these objects show the shift towards more complex social organizations. The aim of this paper is to present knapping methods and techniques carried out in the Neolithic bracelets quarry of the Cortijo Cevico. This quarry has recently been discovered and excavated, and it is the first site of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula. It is a rocky outcrop in the geological formation of Trías de Antequera, formed by dolomitic marbles. On this site we carried out the extraction works, as well as the first transformation of the knapping performs that were going to be processed as bracelets. In addition, we have applied for the first time in this paper the methodology consists on using diacritical schemes in the knapping waste of the bracelets. This methodology, along with experimentation and technical stigmas, has allowed the recognition of the techniques and methods applied to knapping dolomitic marbles and these are presented for the first time in this paper.

Se presenta un nuevo hallazgo de arte rupestre esquemático situado en un pequeño abrigo rocoso en la cabecera del río Genil. Estas representaciones rupestres suponen un importante aporte al conocimiento del fenómeno esquemático y su desarrollo en el entorno de la Depresión de Granada. En este artículo se realiza una descripción del hallazgo,-características geográficas y geomorfológicas del abrigo donde se sitúan-, así como de los motivos que aparecen representados, las técni-cas pictóricas (estilo y tipología). La trascendencia del descubrimiento radica en su ubicación, muy cerca del espacio natural protegido de Sierra Nevada, y en ser las primeras pinturas de arte rupestre del sureste peninsular en que se ha documentado una preparación previa del panel donde se realizaron, mediante la aplicación de una capa de ocre más diluida.

A new finding of schematic rock art located in a small rock shelter at the headwaters of the Genil River is presented. These cave paintings represent an important contribution to the knowledge of the schematic phenomenon and its development in the surroundings of the Vega of Granada. This article provides a description of the finding, the eographical and geomorphological features of the shelter where they are located, as well as the characteristics, the painting techniques, style and typology of the motives. The significance of this shelter lays on its localization in a steep and narrow valley, close to the protected National Park of Sierra Nevada. In addition, these cave paintings are the first ones to have been discovered in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula where a previous preparation of the panel by applying a layer of highly diluted ochre has been documented.

The emergence of farming societies in the Mediterranean area (IX-VI millennium BC) coincides with an increase in the presence of ornamental objects in the archaeological record. The cultural complexity of personal ornaments also increased in terms of quantity, technology, raw materials, and aesthetics during the Early Neolithic. Stone bracelets are one of the most important cultural elements associated with the first Neolithic societies in much of the Mediterranean. The technological complexity of bracelet production highlights the beginnings of craft specialization, and the social organisation that underlies it. Their abundance, manufacturing complexity, and raw materials have become a reference point for studying the socioeconomic relationships of the first farming societies. This paper presents an overview of stone bracelets in the Neolithic societies in the Mediterranean. We will compare similarities and differences of stone bracelets in different geographical areas across the region including Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Using all the information available about these ornaments – chronology, typology, raw materials and manufacturing processes, use-wear, repair and alteration practices; we will shed light on a complex archaeological trans-cultural manifestation related to the spreading of the Neolithic lifestyle across the European continent.

"Greenstones were a pervasive presence in the material culture of Iberian Late Prehistory. Mostly in the form of perforated beads or pendants, stones such as variscite and, to a lesser degree chlorite, talc, sericite, steatite, muscovite or fluorite were a common occurrence in burial contexts, particularly in the 4th and 3rd millennia cal BC. Other green stones, such as jadeite or serpentine, were used to manufacture other artefacts, especially polished axes, but they occur much more rarely. Most rare of all, however, is the green prase quartz monocrystal studied in this contribution. This exceptional item was found as part of a hoard (including also silver rings, Baltic amber beads, carnelian and rock crystal) dating to the Early Iron Age (c. 850–600 cal BC) that was located below one of the fallen uprights of a much older megalithic monument at the Palacio III megalithic complex. We analyze this item from the point of view of its mineralogy and chemical composition (through XRD and SEM), comparing it to a set of samples from a nearby location where unpublished outcrops of this mineral have been identified by us, as well as its use-wear. As a result, this remarkable object can be understood to have been produced locally, and have been used as a personal amulet or charm over a long period of time, in line with the extended biography of the megalithic complex where it was discovered."

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 (< 10%) complete. The absence of intact quernstones is particularly striking. The results indicate a ritualization of deposition at Valencina, and throw new light on the interpretation of this complex site. Furthermore, they emphasize the central role that grinding technology should play in future discussion of European prehistoric mega-sites.