The unsuspected circles. On the late recognition of southern Iberian Neolithic and Chalcolithic ditched enclosures

Neolithic ditched enclosures appear to be widely distributed across Central and Western Europe, and from the Mediterranean area to Scandinavia. They have been known in areas of Europe for a long time, but particularly in the last 25 years studies on British, French, Central European, and Scandinavian ditched enclosures have flourished. In line with this, a number of international meetings occurred in the last three decades. In southern Iberia, by contrast, ditched enclosures only began to be known in the 1970s, and even then methodological deficiencies and lack of funding hampered their characterisation. As a consequence of this, Iberian Neolithic and Copper Age ditched enclosures were largely unknown outside Portugal and Spain. They were not represented in any of the international meetings above, nor included in any of the syntheses made about the topic. Not only that, for decades, Spanish and Portuguese archaeologists were not aware of the potential analogies themselves, and the research that was being carried out elsewhere in Europe had almost no influence on the way ditched enclosures were surveyed, excavated, and interpreted in the peninsula. The main objective of this article is to advance the recognition of the southern Iberian evidence by other European researchers and the integration of the Iberian conversation into the general discussion. The focus will be on how these sites have been studied by several generations of Iberian archaeologists, in an attempt to explain why it has taken Portuguese and Spanish archaeologists so long to realise that Iberian enclosures should not be understood in isolation

The unsuspected circles. On the late recognition of southern Iberian Neolithic and Chalcolithic ditched enclosures

Neolithic ditched enclosures appear to be widely distributed across Central and Western Europe, and from the Mediterranean area to Scandinavia. They have been known in areas of Europe for a long time, but particularly in the last 25 years studies on British, French, Central European, and Scandinavian ditched enclosures have flourished. In line with this, a number of international meetings occurred in the last three decades. In southern Iberia, by contrast, ditched enclosures only began to be known in the 1970s, and even then methodological deficiencies and lack of funding hampered their characterisation. As a consequence of this, Iberian Neolithic and Copper Age ditched enclosures were largely unknown outside Portugal and Spain. They were not represented in any of the international meetings above, nor included in any of the syntheses made about the topic. Not only that, for decades, Spanish and Portuguese archaeologists were not aware of the potential analogies themselves, and the research that was being carried out elsewhere in Europe had almost no influence on the way ditched enclosures were surveyed, excavated, and interpreted in the peninsula. The main objective of this article is to advance the recognition of the southern Iberian evidence by other European researchers and the integration of the Iberian conversation into the general discussion. The focus will be on how these sites have been studied by several generations of Iberian archaeologists, in an attempt to explain why it has taken Portuguese and Spanish archaeologists so long to realise that Iberian enclosures should not be understood in isolation.This research has been funded by the European Commission through the Marie Curie Actions of the 7th Framework Programme (Intra-European Fellowship), as part of the IBERENCLOGIS project (PIEFGA-2012-326129)

El ciclo formativo del registro arqueológico. Una alternativa a la dicotomía deposicional/posdeposicional

El interés de los investigadores peninsulares sobre la formación del registro arqueológico decreció considerablemente una vez que, en los años ochenta del pasado siglo, la influencia de la obra de L. Binford fue remitiendo y la Nueva Arqueología entró en decadencia. No obstante, la reflexión sobre los procesos de formación del registro arqueológico ha continuado hasta la actualidad, y de hecho ha ido progresivamente cobrando mayor importancia. Las últimas tendencias en este campo han insistido en la aplicación de lo que llamaremos el ciclo formativo del registro arqueológico, un esquema conceptual que viene siendo profusamente empleado en muchos estudios sobre formación del registro arqueológico, especialmente entre los seguidores de la Arqueología Conductual de M. Schiffer. En efecto, sus últimas propuestas no usan las nociones de deposicional y posdeposicional, sino que asumen, con ligeras variaciones de unos autores a otros, un esquema biográfico que sitúa los procesos de formación del registro en una de estas tres fases: 1) ocupación/uso; 2) abandono; 3) posabandono. Dentro de este esquema, la denuncia a lo que se denomina Premisa Pompeya es una clave esencial. Desgraciadamente, y pese a su utilidad, este marco conceptual sigue siendo ignorado por los arqueólogos de la Península Ibérica. En el presente artículo definiremos el concepto, expondremos algunas de sus implicaciones, señalaremos el escaso eco que ha tenido en el ámbito académico peninsular y, finalmente, indicaremos las críticas que ha recibido desde las Arqueologías Posprocesuales. Como conclusión, afirmaremos su utilidad en la práctica arqueológica, aunque convenientemente matizada por los apuntes realizados por autores como Hodder o Moore

Space and time in the architecture of Prehistoric enclosures. The Iberian Peninsula as a case study.

Política de acceso abierto tomada de: https://www.routledge.com/our-products/open-access-books/publishing-oa-books/chapters#Space and Time in Mediterranean Prehistory addresses these two concepts as interrelated, rather than as separate categories, and as a means for understanding past social relations at different scales. The need for this volume was realised through four main observations: the ever growing interest in space and spatiality across the social sciences; the comparative theoretical and methodological neglect of time and temporality; the lack in the existing literature of an explicit and balanced focus on both space and time; and the large amount of new information coming from prehistoric Mediterranean. It focuses on the active and interactive role of space and time in the production of any social environment, drawing equally on contemporary theory and on case-studies from Mediterranean prehistory. Space and Time in Mediterranean Prehistory seeks to break down the space-time continuum, often assumed rather than inferred, into space-time units and to uncover the varying and variable interrelations of space and time in prehistoric societies across the Mediterranean. The volume is a response to the dissatisfaction with traditional views of space and time in prehistory and revisits these concepts to develop a timely integrative conceptual and analytical framework for the study of space and time in archaeology

Ditch 1 from Perdigões within the traditions of Late Prehistoric monumental architecture in the middle Guadiana basin (4th-3rd millennia cal BC)

Traditional approaches to the Late Prehistory in the middle Guadiana basin (south-western Iberia), have subsumed a variety of site types under a unifying category labelled ‘settlement site’. That included ‘walled enclosures’, ‘ditched enclosures’ and ‘pit sites’. However, they are very different in their form and features, the formation of archaeological deposits and their chronology. This suggests that more fine-tuned analyses, in which the emergence and evolution of every type of site is studied on its own, could be fruitful. In the present paper, ditch 1 from Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal) will be put in the wider context of the process of monumentalisation of the middle Guadiana landscapes in the 4th and 3rd millennia cal bc. From the perspective outlined above, we shall make a first attempt to set forth the genealogy of walled enclosures, pit sites and ditched enclosures in the region.Las lecturas históricas tradicionales sobre la Prehistoria Reciente realizadas en la cuenca media del Guadiana (so de Iberia) han unificado bajo un mismo concepto de ‘poblado’ o ‘asentamiento’ yacimientos muy distintos en su morfología, en la formación del registro arqueológico o en su cronología. Bajo ese etiquetado se han incluido tanto los yacimientos de hoyos como los recintos de fosos y/o los recintos murados/ fortificados. Sin embargo, todos ellos son muy diferentes en su forma y características, la formación de depósitos arqueológicos y su cronología. Esto sugiere que un análisis más preciso, en el que la aparición y la evolución de cada tipo de sitio se estudie por sí solo, podría ser fructífero. En el presente artículo se sitúa el Foso 1 de Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal) en el contexto más amplio del proceso de monumentalización de los paisajes del Medio Guadiana durante el iv y el iii milenio cal ac. Desde la perspectiva anteriormente descrita, haremos un primer intento de exponer la genealogía de los recintos amurallados, los sitios de fosos y los recintos abandonados en esta región

Massive prehistoric pit sites in southern iberia:challenges, opportunities and lessons learned

Archaeological sites characterized by significant concentrations of pits (‘pit sites’) were widespread in prehistoric Europe. In southern Iberia, many pit sites date back to the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods (fourth-third millennia BCE), and often display massive numbers of pits. Deciphering the social, economic, and symbolic significance of such sites, composed of hundreds or even thousands of pits, holds deep historical implications. What do these pits mean, and how were they used? If they functioned as grain storage pits, as many believe, did they represent a substantial economic surplus? Unfortunately, many of these sites have been inadequately published and remain poorly known north of the Pyrenees. This paper aims to contribute to the broader understanding of prehistoric pit sites in Europe by providing an overview of southern Iberian pit sites, and of the debates that have developed around their interpretation.Funding for open Access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Absolute dates from ditch 1 at Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal). Some thoughts about its chronology and temporality

En el presente artículo se da a conocer una serie de fechas radiocarbónicas correspondientes, todas ellas, al relleno del foso 1 del yacimiento portugués de perdigóes. La ocasión se aprovecha además para discutir sobre la cronología y la temporalidad de eThis article aims to report the results of a radiocarbon dating programme executed using samples from the filling of ditch 1 at the portuguese site of perdigões. We also discuss the temporality and chronology of the site, where, in collaboration with oth

Cinco años de investigaciones en El Charcón (Alozaina, Málaga): (1999-2004)

In this article we present a revision of the archaeological research and works carried out at the open-air neolithic site called El Charcón at Cerro Ardite (Alozaina, Málaga), from 1999, when the site was discovered, to 2004, when a survey of the Neolithic pottery present at the site was finished. This article stresses the importance of an intensive and systematic prospection executed in 2001, which provided us a lot of data about prehistoric material culture at the site; because of the current state of the research, we will focus particularly in studying shards with decoration. Moreover, the prospection allowed us to make a proposal regarding the chronology of the site, consisting of two phases: Early-Medium Neolithic and Late Neolithic-Early Copper Age. Finally, we will present our medium-term objectives for the future of the site, taking into account its estimated archaeological potential.En este artículo realizamos una revisión de los trabajos e investigaciones arqueológicas llevadas a cabo en el yacimiento neolítico al aire libre de El Charcón de Cerro Ardite (Alozaina, Málaga), desde que en 1999 se diese a conocer dicho yacimiento hasta el estudio del material cerámico, finalizado en 2004. Estos últimos trabajos son fruto de una prospección intensiva y sistemática a la cual dedicaremos la mayor parte de nuestro estudio y gracias a la cual hemos podido documentar una gran diversidad de materiales arqueológicos; dado el estado actual de la investigación del yacimiento, nos centraremos en el estudio de la cerámica decorada. Del mismo modo, dicha prospección nos ha facilitado proponer un encuadre crono-cultural del yacimiento constituido por dos fases: Neolítico Antiguo-Medio y Neolítico Final-Cobre Antiguo. Para finalizar, expondremos los trabajos que a medio plazo se pretenden llevar a cabo en este yacimiento teniendo en cuenta el potencial arqueológico estimado para el mismo

El Complexo Arqueológico dos Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal). Prospecciones Geofísicas - Campañas 2008-09

In 1997, under the coordination of Era-Arqueología, aerial photographs, surface prospections and archaeological excavations were carried out at the Neolithic-Calcolithic site at Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal). As a result, a quite accurate idea of the general layout of the site was achieved, allowing archaeologists to continue working there for more than ten years. In 2006, a new collaboration project was started to boost research at Perdigões, with the participation of several international public and private institutions, amongst which is the University of Málaga. The earliest contribution of the Spanish-Portuguese cooperation is the geophysical prospections performed in 2008 and 2009, which show Perdigões as a juxtaposition of several subcircular ditched enclosures, articulated with a funerary area and a cromlec

La Cronología de la Necrópolis de Alcaide.

El capítulo 4 presenta, en primer lugar, un repaso de las distintas propuestas que se han realizado a lo largo de los años para adscribir cronológicamente la construcción y uso de la necrópolis. En segundo lugar, y tras incorporar algunas fechas inéditas, se actualiza y analiza la serie de dataciones radiométricas de las que contamos a día de hoy. Todo lo cual permite plantear varios modelos que, si bien viene a confirmar muchas de las propuestas previas, ahora se realiza un acercamiento temporal más preciso para conocer períodos concretos de inicio, abandono, reutilización y fin de la actividad funeraria de la necrópoli