Carlos Velasco Felipe | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (original) (raw)
Books by Carlos Velasco Felipe
(ESP) La cerámica de la sociedad de El Argar (c. 2200-1550 cal ANE) constituye uno de los conjunt... more (ESP) La cerámica de la sociedad de El Argar (c. 2200-1550 cal ANE) constituye uno de los conjuntos de evidencias arqueológicas con un mayor potencial heurístico para avanzar en el conocimiento del Bronce Antiguo en el sureste de la península ibérica. Desde las excavaciones pioneras de los hermanos Siret a finales del siglo XIX hasta los hallazgos en el marco de proyectos sistemáticos recientes, pasando por la síntesis de Lull (1983), el "corpus" de cerámica argárica ha sido fundamental de cara a la elaboración de la cronología de esta sociedad, pero también para proponer hipótesis sobre su organización económica, política e ideológica. Aun así, la mayor parte de los estudios se han centrado en el papel de dicha cerámica como fósil-director, abordando, básicamente, sus dimensiones morfométricas y estilísticas, y prestando menos atención a su papel como herramienta para conocer la realidad social que las generó. Sin embargo, en los últimos años se intenta avanzar en esas otras dimensiones hasta el momento poco exploradas de la alfarería, como el análisis de residuos orgánicos y de la composición de la pasta cerámica desde la petrografía. La presente tesis busca avanzar tanto en el campo funcional como en el de la hipotética existencia de una producción especializada, a partir de la base empírica excepcional que ofrecen los yacimientos de La Bastida y Tira del Lienzo (Totana, Murcia). Tratar de inferir la capacidad y formas de obtención y gestión del excedente de producción en cada sociedad concreta clasista y momento histórico se constituye en una vía de análisis poco explorada hasta el momento en los estudios arqueológicos. Por ello, este trabajo pretende dar un paso adelante en este sentido. Buscamos, por una parte, incrementar el conocimiento de la cerámica argárica, en su dimensión arteuso (Lull 1988) y, por otra, como producto y como medio de producción, a partir del análisis de sus atributos métricos (dimensiones, capacidad) y, puntualmente, de sus huellas de uso. Se trata de averiguar, por un lado, el grado de normalización/estandarización de los propios recipientes cerámicos y, por otro, si una parte de dichos recipientes intervino en un sistema de almacenamiento y distribución vinculado con el control de recursos alimentarios básicos (cereales). (ENG) Argaric pottery (c. 2200-1550 cal ANE) has an excellent heuristic potential to advance in the Ancient Bronze Age society's knowledge in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. From the pioneering Siret brothers' excavations to the findings in the framework of recent systematic projects, passing through the synthesis of Lull, the "corpus" of Argaric ceramics has become not only fundamental in the elaboration of the chronology of this society, but also to propose hypotheses about its economic, political and ideological organization. Even so, most of the studies undertaken have focused on the role of pottery as a fossil-director, basically addressing their morphometric and stylistic dimensions, and paying less attention to their role as a tool to know the social reality that generated them. However, recently, research is trying to advance in those other neglected dimensions. For instance, its functional dimension has been approached through different techniques, such as the analysis of biomarkers and the composition of pottery paste from petrography. And precisely, the purpose of this thesis is to advance both, in the functional field, as well as in the hypothetical existence of specialized or institutionalized production using the outstanding empirical database offered by the pottery assemblages from the archaeological sites of La Bastida and Tira del Lienzo (Totana, Murcia). Trying to infer the capacity and ways of obtaining and managing the production surplus in each specific society class and historical moment, constitutes an analytical path that has barely been explored in archaeological studies. Therefore, this work aims to take a step forward in this regard seeking, on the one hand, to increase the knowledge of the intellectual dimension of Argaric ceramics, as arteuses. And on the other hand, to deepen its functional dimension, based on the analysis of its volumetric capacities and/or traces of use, as artifacts. The objective is to determine if, based on a regulation/standardization of specific ceramic containers, those people could have implemented an equitable redistribution system, to achieve absolute control of the grain surplus.
This guide aims to show you the most interesting aspects of the research carried out since 2013 o... more This guide aims to show you the most interesting aspects of the research carried out since 2013 on the archaeological site of La Almoloya (Pliego, Murcia). After several campaigns of excavation, restoration and consolidation, both sites are now accessible to the general public. At the same time, the research in the laboratories continues on the huge number of finds, so it is not surprising that some of the ideas expressed here may be modified in the future. This research is carried out under the umbrella of the “Bastida Project”, which is also dedicated to the excavation, study and professional and public dissemination of our knowledge of two other important archaeological sites of the Argaric Bronze Age: La Bastida and Tira del Lienzo (Totana).
Enlace para consultar esta guía arqueológica: https://issuu.com/integral.es/docs/la\_almoloya
by Vesna Vuckovic, Vojislav Filipovic, Roberto Risch, Jovan D . Mitrović, Vojislav Djordjević, Vajk Szeverényi, Carlos Velasco Felipe, Katarina Dmitrovic, Marija Ljustina, Carla Garrido García, Eva Celdrán Beltrán, János Dani, Gucsi László, Viktória Kiss, Petar Milojević, aleksandar bulatovic, Gabriella Kulcsar, María Inés F Fregeiro Morador, and D. Gómez-gras
Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project, 2021
Introduction The proceedings before us, comprised of seven papers, are inspired by the subjec... more Introduction
The proceedings before us, comprised of seven papers, are inspired by the subject of the almost completed CRAFTER programme Creative Europe project. The full title of the project is Crafting Europe in the Bronze Age and Today, and in brief, the idea was to draw inspiration from Europe’s Bronze Age pottery to help revive modern-day artisanship. The project targets the appreciation of Europe's cultural heritage as a shared resource and the reinforcement of a sense of belonging to a common European space. In particular, it hopes to make cultural heritage a source of inspiration for contemporary creation and innovation and strengthen the interaction between this sector and other cultural and creative sectors. The main framework of the project was the idea that four potters from Spain, Germany, Hungary, and Serbia will draw on their skills to (re)create ceramic vessels representative of some of the most outstanding Bronze Age cultures of Europe: El Argar (southeast Spain), Únětice (Central Europe), Füzesabony (eastern Hungary) and Vatin (Serbia).
The papers published within these proceedings are not strictly related to the project itself, but the problems of Bronze Age pottery in Europe in general. The problems discussed in the presented papers and the inspirations are drawn from the CRAFTER project. The original idea was to delve into the content of the pottery and define its composition and quality. These are, in fact, the elements responsible for the final appearance of the ceramic vessel and its function. Considering that out of four editors, two have presented papers within the proceedings, I have been honoured to write this short introduction on their significance and essence. The thread that connects all of the papers, although their concepts do not seem similar at the first glance, since some of the papers are dwelling on interdisciplinarity while others deal with certain chronological and cultural-historical problems, is that the primary analytical material in all of the papers is Bronze Age pottery, from beyond the Pyrenees, across Central Europe, to the Balkans, which is not unexpected considering that a Serbian institution was credited for publishing. The positive aspect is that the pottery is Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project discussed in a manner uncommon for archaeology, while on the other hand pottery studies have been more and more neglected in the past few decades, as such subjects are considered as passé in archaeology. The ever-rising number of specializations and specialists have pushed the pottery and potters into an undeserved corner, even though without such a set of analytic work the past can not be completely and adequately perceived.
The pottery is “slow-moving”. It changes, circulates, and exchanges at a slow pace and it enables the perception of the beginning, development, decadence, and the end of a certain society. The pottery has regional character and reflects the primary contacts, the esthetics of a community, and the inspiration of the artist. Certainly, this implies to prehistoric pottery and communities which do not function within centralized social systems, such as the Bronze Age beyond Mediterranean Europe, which is indeed in the focus of these proceedings. With the appearance of the potter’s wheel, the production and distribution of pottery merge with industry and economy, and at that moment a puzzle of a small man from the past loses a piece. A piece without which we are unable to perceive small communities through such an important, fruitful, and data-rich object such as pottery and which we often tend to neglect as a discipline. In order to identify the contacts, exchange, and trade or reconstruct the communication routes in past, we often reach to the so-called luxurious artifacts: metals, amber, glass, and artisan objects… Likewise, pottery could narrate a story of one meal, one house, one potter, one village, or one community in the past, which is, like it or not, a fact that will make the interdisciplinary and diverse analyses of prehistoric pottery one of the primary archaeological methods.
Vojislav Filipović
Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade
Integral. Sociedad para el Desarrollo Rural. ISBN: 978-84-608-4013-8, 2015
Book Chapters (Iberian Prehistory) by Carlos Velasco Felipe
Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project, 2021
In the Argaric society, developed during the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200–1550 BC) in the south-east... more In the Argaric society, developed during the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200–1550 BC) in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, a ruling class emerged, which controlled the land and the basic means of production. In view of the available evidence concerning the centralisation of cereal surplus as well as other products in certain settlements and buildings, we hypothesize that a group of high-ly standardized ceramic repertoire of classical El Argar (c.1900–1550 cal BC), distributed in 8 basic shapes, was produced by specialised potters and fulf lled specific functions in the storage, distribution and transformation of subsistence goods. In this research we have studied an import-ant assemblage of vessels from the El Argar coastal areas of Murcia and Almería (Spain) focusing on its production and use, through petrographic, organic residues, volumetric capacity, and usewear analyses. This interdisciplinary analytical approach to pottery is surprisingly rare in pottery studies but seems crucial in order to better understand the social, political and economic dimension of the El Argar pottery.
La mayor parte de los materiales procedentes de las excavaciones realizadas en La Bastida (Totana... more La mayor parte de los materiales procedentes de las excavaciones realizadas en La Bastida (Totana, Murcia) desde las intervenciones de Julio Martínez Santa-Olalla en 1944, se encuentra depositada en el Museo Arqueológico de Murcia (en adelante MAM). Gran parte de estos objetos pasaron antes por diferentes instituciones hasta que, de manera gradual, recalaron en este museo.
Papers Achaeological Methods by Carlos Velasco Felipe
Journal of Archaeological Science : Reports , 2019
Estimating the capacity of ceramic vessels or containers made of other materials (metal, stone, g... more Estimating the capacity of ceramic vessels or containers made of other materials (metal, stone, glass, etc.) is of great utility for archaeology. In particular, it can improve our understanding of production, distribution and consumption in prehistoric societies, and, as a result, of their economic organisation. There are three methods to calculate the capacity of vessels: (1) direct measurements; (2) dividing manually the profile drawings of vessels into geometric figures whose volumes are calculated separately by means of mathematical formulae; and (3) computer-assisted calculations based on three-dimensional geometrical models of vessels. The aim of this paper is to assess the degree of accuracy and precision of measurements and the efficiency of the task measured by the time of execution of these methods. A test sample of 40 fully preserved pottery vessels of different periods and fabrics has been considered. Our results suggest that three-dimensional models generated from vector illustrations with AutoCAD® software offer the best solution to estimate the capacity of large samples of archaeological vessels.
Papers Iberian Prehistory by Carlos Velasco Felipe
Dinastías. Los primeros reinos de la Europa prehistórica, 2024
Science Advances , 2021
The emerging Bronze Age (BA) of southeastern Iberia saw marked social changes. Late Copper Age (C... more 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.
Antiquity, Apr 2021
The recent discovery of an exceptionally rich grave at La Almoloya in south-eastern Spain illumin... more The recent discovery of an exceptionally rich grave at La Almoloya in south-eastern Spain illuminates the political context of Early Bronze Age El Argar society. The quantity, variety and opulence of the grave goods emphasise the technological, economic and social dimensions of this unique culture. The assemblage includes politically and ideologically emblematic objects, among which a silver diadem stands out. Of equally exceptional character is the building under which the grave was found—possibly one of the first Bronze Age palaces identified in Western Europe. The architecture and artefacts from La Almoloya provide new insight into emblematic individuals and the exercise of power in societies of marked economic asymmetry.
The “Bastida Project” has been led by an interdisciplinary team of the Universitat Autònoma de Ba... more The “Bastida Project” has been led by an interdisciplinary team of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona since 2008. La Bastida, the archaeological site after which it is named, has a long research history that has made it one of the benchmarks for knowledge on Europe’s Bronze Age. The excavations carried out at various sectors of the site, as well as the specialized investigations of the last ten years have enabled the identification of three major occupation phases. The results confirm the importance of the settlement in its historical context.
THE BULLS OF EL ARGAR. Clay figurines from the Bronze Age. MARQ., 2018
Entre la materialidad vinculada con la sociedad de El Argar escasean las representaciones natural... more Entre la materialidad vinculada con la sociedad de El Argar escasean las representaciones naturalistas, entre las que se incluyen las figurillas zoomorfas de terracota. No sorprende, por lo tanto, que entre los pocos yacimientos que han proporcionado elementos de este tipo figure La Bastida (Totana, Murcia), uno de los asentamientos de mayor relieve para el conocimiento de la Edad del Bronce argárica.
Como bien es sabido, las intervenciones arqueológicas en el cerro de La Bastida tienen una dilatada trayectoria, que remonta a 1869 (Lull et al., 2015). Sin embargo, todos los objetos tratados en este trabajo proceden de las excavaciones realizadas en el marco del “Proyecto Bastida”, desarrollado en el yacimiento por un equipo de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona desde 2008. Estas intervenciones recientes han incidido sobre todo en los sectores de piedemonte y del barranco, en la ladera oriental del cerro, y, en menor medida, en la cima y en la ladera media. Los cuatro ejemplares de figurillas zoomorfas de arcilla cocida halladas en nuestras excavaciones proceden del área de piedemonte. Aquí, los primeros trabajos de 2009 incidieron sobre la Zona 0, delimitada en la parte donde se habían desarrollado la mayoría de las excavaciones anteriores a las del Proyecto Bastida, y la llamada Zona 1, ubicada al noreste de la anterior. Los hallazgos, que se detallan a continuación, se circunscribieron a la segunda y tercera terrazas de piedemonte y, como veremos, abarcan un amplio espectro cronológico en la ocupación de La Bastida.
El legado de Mula en la historia, 2016
La Almoloya es uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos más importantes de la sociedad de “El Argar”,... more La Almoloya es uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos más importantes de la sociedad de “El Argar”, que habitó el sureste de la península Ibérica a inicios de
la Edad del Bronce (entre 2200 y 1550 antes de nuestra era). Desde los trabajos pioneros de los hermanos Siret (1890), la arqueología argárica ocupa un lugar protagonista en el estudio de las primeras sociedades clasistas en Europa occidental.
En pocas regiones se tiene la oportunidad de investigar un abundante y variado registro arqueológico en el que destacan asentamientos permanentes y densamente poblados, formados por sólidos recintos en piedra de carácter doméstico o colectivo;
extensas necrópolis de tumbas individuales y dobles excavadas en el subsuelo de las áreas habitadas, y un amplísimo elenco de artefactos metálicos, líticos, cerámicos y óseos, buena parte de los cuales responden a productos estandarizados a cargo de especialistas. El análisis de estas evidencias configura una sociedad marcada por antagonismos económicos y políticos, en la que los poderosos ejercían la violencia para mantener sus privilegios y para fijar las fronteras de un territorio que, en su época de apogeo, se extendía por casi 35.000 km2.
Algunos de los principales y más antiguos asentamientos argáricos se encuentran en las llanuras litorales y prelitorales de Almería y Murcia (El Argar, Fuente Álamo, Gatas, El Oficio, Zapata, Lorca, La Bastida, Monteagudo). Por esta razón, una de las investigaciones actuales más interesantes se centra en averiguar las rutas, los ritmos y las razones de la expansión hacia el interior peninsular, que en poco más de dos siglos se tradujo en la presencia argárica en la Vega de Granada, el Alto Guadalquivir y las estribaciones septentrionales de sierra Morena. La posibilidad de responder a estos interrogantes fue uno de los motivos que impulsaron las excavaciones recientes en La Almoloya, aunque, como veremos, los primeros resultados están favoreciendo el conocimiento general de las comunidades argáricas. Sin temor a equivocarnos, la relevancia del asentamiento llegó a trascender los ámbitos local y comarcal, convirtiéndose en un auténtico centro de gobierno regional.
Este trabajo presenta toda la información disponible sobre el yacimiento arqueológico de la Almol... more Este trabajo presenta toda la información disponible sobre el yacimiento arqueológico de la Almoloya antes del inicio del programa de investigación que emprendió nuestro equipo el año 2013.
Origenes y Raices nº8. , 2014
(ESP) La cerámica de la sociedad de El Argar (c. 2200-1550 cal ANE) constituye uno de los conjunt... more (ESP) La cerámica de la sociedad de El Argar (c. 2200-1550 cal ANE) constituye uno de los conjuntos de evidencias arqueológicas con un mayor potencial heurístico para avanzar en el conocimiento del Bronce Antiguo en el sureste de la península ibérica. Desde las excavaciones pioneras de los hermanos Siret a finales del siglo XIX hasta los hallazgos en el marco de proyectos sistemáticos recientes, pasando por la síntesis de Lull (1983), el "corpus" de cerámica argárica ha sido fundamental de cara a la elaboración de la cronología de esta sociedad, pero también para proponer hipótesis sobre su organización económica, política e ideológica. Aun así, la mayor parte de los estudios se han centrado en el papel de dicha cerámica como fósil-director, abordando, básicamente, sus dimensiones morfométricas y estilísticas, y prestando menos atención a su papel como herramienta para conocer la realidad social que las generó. Sin embargo, en los últimos años se intenta avanzar en esas otras dimensiones hasta el momento poco exploradas de la alfarería, como el análisis de residuos orgánicos y de la composición de la pasta cerámica desde la petrografía. La presente tesis busca avanzar tanto en el campo funcional como en el de la hipotética existencia de una producción especializada, a partir de la base empírica excepcional que ofrecen los yacimientos de La Bastida y Tira del Lienzo (Totana, Murcia). Tratar de inferir la capacidad y formas de obtención y gestión del excedente de producción en cada sociedad concreta clasista y momento histórico se constituye en una vía de análisis poco explorada hasta el momento en los estudios arqueológicos. Por ello, este trabajo pretende dar un paso adelante en este sentido. Buscamos, por una parte, incrementar el conocimiento de la cerámica argárica, en su dimensión arteuso (Lull 1988) y, por otra, como producto y como medio de producción, a partir del análisis de sus atributos métricos (dimensiones, capacidad) y, puntualmente, de sus huellas de uso. Se trata de averiguar, por un lado, el grado de normalización/estandarización de los propios recipientes cerámicos y, por otro, si una parte de dichos recipientes intervino en un sistema de almacenamiento y distribución vinculado con el control de recursos alimentarios básicos (cereales). (ENG) Argaric pottery (c. 2200-1550 cal ANE) has an excellent heuristic potential to advance in the Ancient Bronze Age society's knowledge in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. From the pioneering Siret brothers' excavations to the findings in the framework of recent systematic projects, passing through the synthesis of Lull, the "corpus" of Argaric ceramics has become not only fundamental in the elaboration of the chronology of this society, but also to propose hypotheses about its economic, political and ideological organization. Even so, most of the studies undertaken have focused on the role of pottery as a fossil-director, basically addressing their morphometric and stylistic dimensions, and paying less attention to their role as a tool to know the social reality that generated them. However, recently, research is trying to advance in those other neglected dimensions. For instance, its functional dimension has been approached through different techniques, such as the analysis of biomarkers and the composition of pottery paste from petrography. And precisely, the purpose of this thesis is to advance both, in the functional field, as well as in the hypothetical existence of specialized or institutionalized production using the outstanding empirical database offered by the pottery assemblages from the archaeological sites of La Bastida and Tira del Lienzo (Totana, Murcia). Trying to infer the capacity and ways of obtaining and managing the production surplus in each specific society class and historical moment, constitutes an analytical path that has barely been explored in archaeological studies. Therefore, this work aims to take a step forward in this regard seeking, on the one hand, to increase the knowledge of the intellectual dimension of Argaric ceramics, as arteuses. And on the other hand, to deepen its functional dimension, based on the analysis of its volumetric capacities and/or traces of use, as artifacts. The objective is to determine if, based on a regulation/standardization of specific ceramic containers, those people could have implemented an equitable redistribution system, to achieve absolute control of the grain surplus.
This guide aims to show you the most interesting aspects of the research carried out since 2013 o... more This guide aims to show you the most interesting aspects of the research carried out since 2013 on the archaeological site of La Almoloya (Pliego, Murcia). After several campaigns of excavation, restoration and consolidation, both sites are now accessible to the general public. At the same time, the research in the laboratories continues on the huge number of finds, so it is not surprising that some of the ideas expressed here may be modified in the future. This research is carried out under the umbrella of the “Bastida Project”, which is also dedicated to the excavation, study and professional and public dissemination of our knowledge of two other important archaeological sites of the Argaric Bronze Age: La Bastida and Tira del Lienzo (Totana).
Enlace para consultar esta guía arqueológica: https://issuu.com/integral.es/docs/la\_almoloya
by Vesna Vuckovic, Vojislav Filipovic, Roberto Risch, Jovan D . Mitrović, Vojislav Djordjević, Vajk Szeverényi, Carlos Velasco Felipe, Katarina Dmitrovic, Marija Ljustina, Carla Garrido García, Eva Celdrán Beltrán, János Dani, Gucsi László, Viktória Kiss, Petar Milojević, aleksandar bulatovic, Gabriella Kulcsar, María Inés F Fregeiro Morador, and D. Gómez-gras
Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project, 2021
Introduction The proceedings before us, comprised of seven papers, are inspired by the subjec... more Introduction
The proceedings before us, comprised of seven papers, are inspired by the subject of the almost completed CRAFTER programme Creative Europe project. The full title of the project is Crafting Europe in the Bronze Age and Today, and in brief, the idea was to draw inspiration from Europe’s Bronze Age pottery to help revive modern-day artisanship. The project targets the appreciation of Europe's cultural heritage as a shared resource and the reinforcement of a sense of belonging to a common European space. In particular, it hopes to make cultural heritage a source of inspiration for contemporary creation and innovation and strengthen the interaction between this sector and other cultural and creative sectors. The main framework of the project was the idea that four potters from Spain, Germany, Hungary, and Serbia will draw on their skills to (re)create ceramic vessels representative of some of the most outstanding Bronze Age cultures of Europe: El Argar (southeast Spain), Únětice (Central Europe), Füzesabony (eastern Hungary) and Vatin (Serbia).
The papers published within these proceedings are not strictly related to the project itself, but the problems of Bronze Age pottery in Europe in general. The problems discussed in the presented papers and the inspirations are drawn from the CRAFTER project. The original idea was to delve into the content of the pottery and define its composition and quality. These are, in fact, the elements responsible for the final appearance of the ceramic vessel and its function. Considering that out of four editors, two have presented papers within the proceedings, I have been honoured to write this short introduction on their significance and essence. The thread that connects all of the papers, although their concepts do not seem similar at the first glance, since some of the papers are dwelling on interdisciplinarity while others deal with certain chronological and cultural-historical problems, is that the primary analytical material in all of the papers is Bronze Age pottery, from beyond the Pyrenees, across Central Europe, to the Balkans, which is not unexpected considering that a Serbian institution was credited for publishing. The positive aspect is that the pottery is Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project discussed in a manner uncommon for archaeology, while on the other hand pottery studies have been more and more neglected in the past few decades, as such subjects are considered as passé in archaeology. The ever-rising number of specializations and specialists have pushed the pottery and potters into an undeserved corner, even though without such a set of analytic work the past can not be completely and adequately perceived.
The pottery is “slow-moving”. It changes, circulates, and exchanges at a slow pace and it enables the perception of the beginning, development, decadence, and the end of a certain society. The pottery has regional character and reflects the primary contacts, the esthetics of a community, and the inspiration of the artist. Certainly, this implies to prehistoric pottery and communities which do not function within centralized social systems, such as the Bronze Age beyond Mediterranean Europe, which is indeed in the focus of these proceedings. With the appearance of the potter’s wheel, the production and distribution of pottery merge with industry and economy, and at that moment a puzzle of a small man from the past loses a piece. A piece without which we are unable to perceive small communities through such an important, fruitful, and data-rich object such as pottery and which we often tend to neglect as a discipline. In order to identify the contacts, exchange, and trade or reconstruct the communication routes in past, we often reach to the so-called luxurious artifacts: metals, amber, glass, and artisan objects… Likewise, pottery could narrate a story of one meal, one house, one potter, one village, or one community in the past, which is, like it or not, a fact that will make the interdisciplinary and diverse analyses of prehistoric pottery one of the primary archaeological methods.
Vojislav Filipović
Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade
Integral. Sociedad para el Desarrollo Rural. ISBN: 978-84-608-4013-8, 2015
Crafting pottery in Bronze Age Europe: the archaeological background of the CRAFTER project, 2021
In the Argaric society, developed during the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200–1550 BC) in the south-east... more In the Argaric society, developed during the Early Bronze Age (c. 2200–1550 BC) in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, a ruling class emerged, which controlled the land and the basic means of production. In view of the available evidence concerning the centralisation of cereal surplus as well as other products in certain settlements and buildings, we hypothesize that a group of high-ly standardized ceramic repertoire of classical El Argar (c.1900–1550 cal BC), distributed in 8 basic shapes, was produced by specialised potters and fulf lled specific functions in the storage, distribution and transformation of subsistence goods. In this research we have studied an import-ant assemblage of vessels from the El Argar coastal areas of Murcia and Almería (Spain) focusing on its production and use, through petrographic, organic residues, volumetric capacity, and usewear analyses. This interdisciplinary analytical approach to pottery is surprisingly rare in pottery studies but seems crucial in order to better understand the social, political and economic dimension of the El Argar pottery.
La mayor parte de los materiales procedentes de las excavaciones realizadas en La Bastida (Totana... more La mayor parte de los materiales procedentes de las excavaciones realizadas en La Bastida (Totana, Murcia) desde las intervenciones de Julio Martínez Santa-Olalla en 1944, se encuentra depositada en el Museo Arqueológico de Murcia (en adelante MAM). Gran parte de estos objetos pasaron antes por diferentes instituciones hasta que, de manera gradual, recalaron en este museo.
Journal of Archaeological Science : Reports , 2019
Estimating the capacity of ceramic vessels or containers made of other materials (metal, stone, g... more Estimating the capacity of ceramic vessels or containers made of other materials (metal, stone, glass, etc.) is of great utility for archaeology. In particular, it can improve our understanding of production, distribution and consumption in prehistoric societies, and, as a result, of their economic organisation. There are three methods to calculate the capacity of vessels: (1) direct measurements; (2) dividing manually the profile drawings of vessels into geometric figures whose volumes are calculated separately by means of mathematical formulae; and (3) computer-assisted calculations based on three-dimensional geometrical models of vessels. The aim of this paper is to assess the degree of accuracy and precision of measurements and the efficiency of the task measured by the time of execution of these methods. A test sample of 40 fully preserved pottery vessels of different periods and fabrics has been considered. Our results suggest that three-dimensional models generated from vector illustrations with AutoCAD® software offer the best solution to estimate the capacity of large samples of archaeological vessels.
Dinastías. Los primeros reinos de la Europa prehistórica, 2024
Science Advances , 2021
The emerging Bronze Age (BA) of southeastern Iberia saw marked social changes. Late Copper Age (C... more 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.
Antiquity, Apr 2021
The recent discovery of an exceptionally rich grave at La Almoloya in south-eastern Spain illumin... more The recent discovery of an exceptionally rich grave at La Almoloya in south-eastern Spain illuminates the political context of Early Bronze Age El Argar society. The quantity, variety and opulence of the grave goods emphasise the technological, economic and social dimensions of this unique culture. The assemblage includes politically and ideologically emblematic objects, among which a silver diadem stands out. Of equally exceptional character is the building under which the grave was found—possibly one of the first Bronze Age palaces identified in Western Europe. The architecture and artefacts from La Almoloya provide new insight into emblematic individuals and the exercise of power in societies of marked economic asymmetry.
The “Bastida Project” has been led by an interdisciplinary team of the Universitat Autònoma de Ba... more The “Bastida Project” has been led by an interdisciplinary team of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona since 2008. La Bastida, the archaeological site after which it is named, has a long research history that has made it one of the benchmarks for knowledge on Europe’s Bronze Age. The excavations carried out at various sectors of the site, as well as the specialized investigations of the last ten years have enabled the identification of three major occupation phases. The results confirm the importance of the settlement in its historical context.
THE BULLS OF EL ARGAR. Clay figurines from the Bronze Age. MARQ., 2018
Entre la materialidad vinculada con la sociedad de El Argar escasean las representaciones natural... more Entre la materialidad vinculada con la sociedad de El Argar escasean las representaciones naturalistas, entre las que se incluyen las figurillas zoomorfas de terracota. No sorprende, por lo tanto, que entre los pocos yacimientos que han proporcionado elementos de este tipo figure La Bastida (Totana, Murcia), uno de los asentamientos de mayor relieve para el conocimiento de la Edad del Bronce argárica.
Como bien es sabido, las intervenciones arqueológicas en el cerro de La Bastida tienen una dilatada trayectoria, que remonta a 1869 (Lull et al., 2015). Sin embargo, todos los objetos tratados en este trabajo proceden de las excavaciones realizadas en el marco del “Proyecto Bastida”, desarrollado en el yacimiento por un equipo de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona desde 2008. Estas intervenciones recientes han incidido sobre todo en los sectores de piedemonte y del barranco, en la ladera oriental del cerro, y, en menor medida, en la cima y en la ladera media. Los cuatro ejemplares de figurillas zoomorfas de arcilla cocida halladas en nuestras excavaciones proceden del área de piedemonte. Aquí, los primeros trabajos de 2009 incidieron sobre la Zona 0, delimitada en la parte donde se habían desarrollado la mayoría de las excavaciones anteriores a las del Proyecto Bastida, y la llamada Zona 1, ubicada al noreste de la anterior. Los hallazgos, que se detallan a continuación, se circunscribieron a la segunda y tercera terrazas de piedemonte y, como veremos, abarcan un amplio espectro cronológico en la ocupación de La Bastida.
El legado de Mula en la historia, 2016
La Almoloya es uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos más importantes de la sociedad de “El Argar”,... more La Almoloya es uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos más importantes de la sociedad de “El Argar”, que habitó el sureste de la península Ibérica a inicios de
la Edad del Bronce (entre 2200 y 1550 antes de nuestra era). Desde los trabajos pioneros de los hermanos Siret (1890), la arqueología argárica ocupa un lugar protagonista en el estudio de las primeras sociedades clasistas en Europa occidental.
En pocas regiones se tiene la oportunidad de investigar un abundante y variado registro arqueológico en el que destacan asentamientos permanentes y densamente poblados, formados por sólidos recintos en piedra de carácter doméstico o colectivo;
extensas necrópolis de tumbas individuales y dobles excavadas en el subsuelo de las áreas habitadas, y un amplísimo elenco de artefactos metálicos, líticos, cerámicos y óseos, buena parte de los cuales responden a productos estandarizados a cargo de especialistas. El análisis de estas evidencias configura una sociedad marcada por antagonismos económicos y políticos, en la que los poderosos ejercían la violencia para mantener sus privilegios y para fijar las fronteras de un territorio que, en su época de apogeo, se extendía por casi 35.000 km2.
Algunos de los principales y más antiguos asentamientos argáricos se encuentran en las llanuras litorales y prelitorales de Almería y Murcia (El Argar, Fuente Álamo, Gatas, El Oficio, Zapata, Lorca, La Bastida, Monteagudo). Por esta razón, una de las investigaciones actuales más interesantes se centra en averiguar las rutas, los ritmos y las razones de la expansión hacia el interior peninsular, que en poco más de dos siglos se tradujo en la presencia argárica en la Vega de Granada, el Alto Guadalquivir y las estribaciones septentrionales de sierra Morena. La posibilidad de responder a estos interrogantes fue uno de los motivos que impulsaron las excavaciones recientes en La Almoloya, aunque, como veremos, los primeros resultados están favoreciendo el conocimiento general de las comunidades argáricas. Sin temor a equivocarnos, la relevancia del asentamiento llegó a trascender los ámbitos local y comarcal, convirtiéndose en un auténtico centro de gobierno regional.
Este trabajo presenta toda la información disponible sobre el yacimiento arqueológico de la Almol... more Este trabajo presenta toda la información disponible sobre el yacimiento arqueológico de la Almoloya antes del inicio del programa de investigación que emprendió nuestro equipo el año 2013.
Origenes y Raices nº8. , 2014
Monte Catano nº9., 2007
"En el presente artículo mostramos los resultados obtenidos a raiz de una intervención arqueológi... more "En el presente artículo mostramos los resultados obtenidos a raiz de una intervención arqueológica de urgencia en el área rural de Gallecs. Centrándonos en los restos cronológicamente atribuibles a la edad del bronze vermemos, en primer lugar, un sepulcro de fosa que denota una continuidad ritual que se remonta al neolítico medio y, seguidamente, conoceremos un núcleo de habitat al aire libre dedicado principalmente al cultivo, cosecha y procesamiento de los cereales.
This article shows the results obtained because of the execution of an archeological excavation in Gallecs’ rural area. Paying atention on the remains chronologically belonging to Bronze Age we will see, on the first hand, a grave which denotes a ritual continuity that comes from middle neolithic age and, afterwards, we will talk about an open-air cabin’s village dedicated mainly to the crop, harvest and processing of cereals."
The Argaric Society was developed during the Early Bronze Age (c.2200-1550 BC) in the south east ... more The Argaric Society was developed during the Early Bronze Age (c.2200-1550 BC) in the south east of the Iberian Peninsula, becoming one of the first States societies in continental Europe . They had such a characteristic pottery repertory, with hightly standardized types distributed in 8 elemental forms .
Nevertheless, the ceramic vessels have been always studied from a morphometric point of view, not from its functional dimension.
In this context, we carried out an interdisciplinar study focused on the use of argaric vessels based on organic residues analysis, determination of lipid component by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and chromatography coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS) , and mesurements of its volumetric capacities .
The combination of data generated from these studies let us confirm that there's a relation between volumetric capacities and content.
In this sense, for example, there are many 300 ml standardized bowls which have been analyzed, normally resulting not in animal but vegetal content. It could be interpreted as ration units related with a controlled distribution of cereals or its derivatives between the population.
Papers de Vi, 2024
In vino veritas. En el vi hi ha la veritat. Amb aquesta frase, Plini el Vell suggeria que una per... more In vino veritas. En el vi hi ha la veritat. Amb aquesta frase, Plini el Vell suggeria que una persona sota la influència de l’alcohol és probable que expressi els seus pensaments i desitjos ocults. I parlant de coses ocultes, resulta que a l’avinguda Gaietana, 13-17, d’Alella, les excavacions arqueològiques dutes a terme per l’empresa In Situ SCP, sota la direcció de l’arqueòleg Carlos Velasco Felipe, han revelat una història fascinant d’ocupació humana durant les èpoques romana i tardoantiga amb tres fases distintes d’ús.
Sylloge Epigraphica Barcinonensis, 2013
The preventive archaeological diggings carried out in Barcelona St. (Cabrera de Mar, El Maresme),... more The preventive archaeological diggings carried out in Barcelona St. (Cabrera de Mar, El Maresme), uncovered a local-common, coarse-tempered oxidant pottery typologically identified as an operculum, dated to the second quarter of the first century B.C. This item had an ante cocturam engraved inscription: a tria nomina A.VAL.A, most probably the name of a roman citizen who lived in the industrial area of what used to be the late republican city of Ilturo.
Actes del Simposi: Les vil·les romanes a la Tarraconense. Implantació, evolució i transformació. Estat actual de la investigació del món rural en època romana. Celebrat a Lleida del 28 al 30 de novembre de 2007 / Monografies del Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Barcelona, 11, 2009
Sylloge Epigraphica Barcinonensis 12 (2014), pp. 97-104.
Quarhis (Quaderns d'Arqueologia i Història de la Ciutat de Barcelona). Época 2. Nº1., 2005
El objetivo es dar a conocer el yacimiento vitivinícola de Veral de Vallmora (Teià - El Maresme),... more El objetivo es dar a conocer el yacimiento vitivinícola de Veral de Vallmora (Teià - El Maresme), su importancia para la producción y el comercio del vino layetano y tarraconense, y la noticia del hallazgo de un sello de plomo -un "signaculum"-, con inscripción, descubierto durante las intervenciones arqueológicas preventivas de los años 2003-2004 con motivo de la ejecución del proyecto CELLA VINARIA, impulsado desde el Ayuntamiento de Teià. Se han excavado una serie de estructuras que documentan la elaboración del vino desde el siglo I hasta el IV d. C. La inscripción del sello indica que pertenecía a Epicteto, esclavo de Lucio Pedanio Clemente. La familia de los Pedanii es bien conocida en "Barcino", de donde el mismo Epicteto, ya liberto,fue séviro augustal en época de Trajano.
Alberca nº9. Revista del Museo Arqueológico de Lorca (Murcia)., 2011
Tras el hallazgo, estudio y publicación en el pasado número de la revista Alberca de un conjunto ... more Tras el hallazgo, estudio y publicación en el pasado número de la revista Alberca de un conjunto de grafitos históricos datables entre los siglos XVIII y XIX en un cortijo situado a las afueras de la ciudad de Lorca; y dado el interés histórico y etnográfico que suscitó especialmente el de tipo antropomorfo, el Museo Arqueológico Municipal transmitió su interés en la recuperación y salvaguarda de dicha representación de arte espontáneo. Esta noticia es una síntesis de los trabajos efectuados.
Alberca nº9. Revista del Museo Arqueológico de Lorca (Murcia). , 2010
"En el presente artículo damos a conocer el hallazgo de una serie de graffiti históricos cronológ... more "En el presente artículo damos a conocer el hallazgo de una serie de graffiti históricos cronológicamente atribuibles, en su mayoría, al siglo XVIII, localizados en la estancia principal de una casa-cortijo a las afueras del término municipal de Lorca.
In this article we report the discovery of a series of historical graffiti, located in the main room of a farm situated in the outskirts of the city of Lorca, most of which dated to the 18th century."
Alberca nº9. Revista del Museo Arqueológico de Lorca (Murcia)., 2011
"En el siguiente estudio presentamos los resultados de la investigación sobre la Cortijada y la E... more "En el siguiente estudio presentamos los resultados de la investigación sobre la Cortijada y la Ermita del Pozuelo, pertenecientes al municipio de Lorca. El trabajo se basa en el estudio y análisis de los archivos locales que nos ha permitido documentar la construcción de la ermita e identificar a los moradores del cortijo. También se incluye un análisis gráfico de los graffiti localizados in situ sobre las paredes de la cortijada.
En dos de las siete viviendas que componen el conjunto residencial se han podido documentar numerosos graffiti de los primeros años de ocupación, en la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII: nombres, motivos antropomorfos, simbólicos, líneas de cuenta, embarcaciones, etc.
En el presente artículo ofrecemos una descripción pormenorizada de los primeros años de vida de este pequeño asentamiento rural del campo lorquino."
Alberca nº11. Revista del Museo Arqueológico de Lorca (Murcia). , 2013
En los restos abandonados y medio derruidos de una casa-cueva de la pedanía de Los Curas (Lorca, ... more En los restos abandonados y medio derruidos de una casa-cueva de la pedanía de Los Curas (Lorca, Murcia) se encuentran diseminadas por diversas de sus paredes representaciones navales de diversas tipologías. Todas ellas son embarcaciones de vela que responden a los tipos que habitualmente navegaban por el Mediterráneo ya en el siglo XVIII y, también, en el XIX. Todos estos grafitos constituyen, una vez más, la muestra clara de la fascinación que despertaban dichas embarcaciones y de la reincidencia y voluntad, por parte de tantas manos anónimas a lo largo de la historia, de plasmar sobre los muros de las viviendas sus formas buscando, a menudo, el más mínimo detalle en su representación.
Cuadernos "La Santa", 2019
Crafting Europe in the Bronze Age and Today (CRAFTER) (Fig.1) es un proyecto financiado por el pr... more Crafting Europe in the Bronze Age and Today (CRAFTER) (Fig.1) es un proyecto financiado por el programa Europa Creativa, de la Agencia Ejecutiva en el ámbito Educativo, Audiovisual y Cultural (EACEA) destinado a proyectos relacionados con el Año Europeo del Patrimonio Cultural 2018 . La Asociación de Amigos del Yacimiento Arqueológico de La Bastida (ASBA), con sede en Totana (España), lidera esta iniciativa en cooperación con otras siete organizaciones de cinco países europeos: Museo Regional de Paraćin (Serbia), Academia Húngara de Ciencias y el Museo Déri (Hungría), la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona y el Museo Ciudad de Mula ‒Ayuntamiento de Mula (España), el Museo Estatal de Prehistoria de Halle (Alemania) y la asociación EXARC (Países Bajos).
This work expounds the experiences of a close collaboration between the team of the “Bastida Proj... more This work expounds the experiences of a close collaboration between the team of the “Bastida Project” (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), initiated in 2009, and the Friends Association of the Archaeological Site of La Bastida (ASBA), founded in 2013. Both initiatives center their activity on the sites of La Bastida, La Tira del Lienzo (Totana) and La Almoloya (Pliego), which belong to the El Argar culture (ca. 2200-1550 BCE). heir members have undertaken actions that combine archaeological research and cultural dissemination. hese have included guided tours to the aforementioned sites, which have been carried out by the archaeologists themselves, and the project Sierra Espuña Argaric Route. hrough the cooperation between public entities and associations, and between archaeologists and other cultural heritage professionals, the goal is to generate scientiic knowledge and share it with society. Here we present an overview of our experiences at the site of La Bastida as a representative example, as well as an assessment of results and prospects for future projects.
I Jornadas de Arqueoturismo y Ecoturismo. Tierra de Íberos.
Cuadernos de la Santa nº14., 2012
ACHE, M.; ANDÚGAIt, L.; CELDItÁN, E.; CELMA, M.; COX, D.; DELGADO, S.; ESCALAS, MaM.; ESCANILLA, ... more ACHE, M.; ANDÚGAIt, L.; CELDItÁN, E.; CELMA, M.; COX, D.; DELGADO, S.; ESCALAS, MaM.; ESCANILLA, N.; FItEGEIR.o, Mal.; MOLEItO, C ; MOLlNA, E.; OLlAItT, C ; VELASCO, C
EXARC JOURNAL Digest / © EXARC, 2018. Issue 2; ISSN: 2212-523X Size: A4, Aug 15, 2018
Common to several societies of Bronze Age Europe was the manufacture of burnished drinking vessel... more Common to several societies of Bronze Age Europe was the manufacture of burnished drinking vessels and other high-quality tableware (e.g. Dietler 1996: 106), which became central to new ways of commensality.
La Fundació Privada Taller de Músics va adquirir la planta baixa d'un edifici ubicat al carrer Re... more La Fundació Privada Taller de Músics va adquirir la planta baixa d'un edifici ubicat al carrer Requesens número 3 de Barcelona i es va plantejar un projecte de rehabilitació de cara a l'ampliació de les seves dependències que havia de suposar un rebaix màxim del nivell del sòl d'1 metre afectant sediments antròpics. Aquest fet va motivar la necessitat d'un seguiment arqueològic. Aquest però, va tenir resultats negatius, doncs no es varen trobar restes anteriors al segle XIX i, per tant, anteriors a l'edificació intervinguda.
Debido a la realización de una serie de catas y pozos de cimentación en el solar de 91,32 m2 de l... more Debido a la realización de una serie de catas y pozos de cimentación en el solar de 91,32 m2 de la calle Xercavins nº8 de Rubí de cara a la construcción de un nuevo bloque de pisos, y a tenor de los antecedentes histórico-arqueológicos de la zona, se efectuó un seguimiento arqueológico de la obra a fin de poder documentar el potencial arqueológico del lugar. Como resultado pudieron documentarse estructuras de época moderna (s. XVI), así como diversos niveles y estructuras correspondientes a los siglos II - I aC., destacándose algunos silos amortizados con materiales principalmente cerámicos y, sobretodo, un pavimento empedrado.
The time around 2200 BCE was marked in the western Mediterraean by profound social, political and... more The time around 2200 BCE was marked in the western Mediterraean by profound social, political and ideological changes. A substan-tial number of 14C dates conḀrms that most, if not all of the Chalcolithic fortiḀed settlements as well as the Late Neolithic–Chal-colithic monumental ditched enclosures, dominating the landscape during most of the 3rd millennium BCE, had been abandoned by that time. Precisely at that moment the Ḁrst urban centre of the western Mediterranean was founded in the highly protected loca-tion on the hill of La Bastida (Murcia, SE Iberia). This early El Argar centre was carefully planed and defended by a fortiḀcation system, which deploys new notions of poliorcetics and reminds the defensive architecture of the eastern Mediterranean. The position of La Bastida in a mountainous landscape with little agricultural potential and at a certain distance from the main communication routes, suggests a markedly political motivation behind its foundation, which needs to be understood in the context of the formation of the Ḁrst state or state-like organisation in western Europe. New investigations and excavations are revealing further aspects of this monumental architecture and its relevance to the political structures emerging during the Ḁrst centuries of El Argar, when different forms of violence seems to have been critical.
El Argar society developed during the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2200-1550 BC) in southeast Iberia, be... more El Argar society developed during the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2200-1550 BC) in southeast Iberia, becoming one of the Ḁrst state-level societies in continental Europe. As part of its strategy to take control over the means of production, specialized craftsmen gener-ated such a characteristic, sophisticated and highly standardized pottery repertory, comprising mainly eight basic vessel types. Researches on pottery have mainly focused on morphometric traits often overlooking its functional, economic or ritual dimensions. In the context of the “Bastida Project”, we have carried out interdisciplinar studies focused on production, use and circulation of Argaric vessels. This research is based on organic residues analysis, determination of lipid component by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), chromatography coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS), petrographic analyses and, Ḁnal-ly, the mesurement of volumetric capacities. The combination of data drawn from those analysis enables us to suggest several working hypothesis. First, there was a correlation between manufacturing techniques, capacity and material content. Second, many standardized bowls with a capacity of 300 ml can be interpreted as ration or measurement units. In this sense, we suggest that these units were tied to a controlled distribution of foodstuffs by the Argaric elites. Third, some functional differences between vessels found in funerary and domestic contexts may be suggested.
La conferencia ” Los grafitos históricos. El registro olvidado”, impartida por los arqueólogos D... more La conferencia ” Los grafitos históricos. El registro olvidado”, impartida por los arqueólogos D. Carlos Velasco Felipe y D.ª Eva Celdrán Beltrán, y por la conservadora-restauradora D.ª Magdalena Escalas Vallespir, se celebró el viernes, 9 de noviembre de 2012, a las 20:00 horas, en el Aula de Cultura de Cajamurcia en Lorca (C/. Pío XII, 27), con motivo del XX Aniversario del Museo Arqueológico de Lorca.
Science Advances, 2021
The emerging Bronze Age (BA) of southeastern Iberia saw marked social changes. Late Copper Age (C... more 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.
… i Història de la Ciutat de …, Jan 1, 2005
Dins de les famílies de Barcino, una de les més nombroses, extenses i significatives fou, sens du... more Dins de les famílies de Barcino, una de les més nombroses, extenses i significatives fou, sens dubte, la gens Pedania, que dugué un nomen ben poc freqüent a la resta de l'Imperi romà (Rodà, 1975: 223-226). Fins al punt, que el mateix R. Syme, en el seu Tacitus (Syme, 1967) i també d'altres autors després d'ell (Rodà, 1975: 235-236; IRC IV, 103 n. 107-108), consideren de Barcino Pedanius Secundus i els Pedanii Fusci Salinatores, influent família senatorial del final del segle I dC i mitjan segle II dC. Però a Barcino, el primer Pedanius que tenim testimoniat és un enigmàtic Lucius Pedanius Secundus Iulius Persicus, del qual sabem tan sols el nom, i que ens apareix homenatjat en un estret pedestal de calcària de Santa Tecla, datable de l'època flàvia (IRC IV, 37). Sembla que es podria tractar d'un membre vinculat a l'ordo senatorial, descendent de, o tal vegada adoptat per, Lucius Pedanius Secundus, consul suffectus de l'any 43 dC, procònsul d'Àsia entre el 50 i el 54 i mort el 61 dC. A partir d'aquest personatge s'originaria la nissaga dels Pedanii a Barcino, la major part dels quals foren lliberts o bé ciutadans inscrits en la tribu Palatina, la qual cosa ens indicaria un assoliment recent de l'estatus d'homes lliures dins d'aquesta família. Hem de pensar que un cinc per cent de les inscripcions de Barcino corresponen a membres de la gens Pedania, una dada que per si mateixa fa palesa la seva notòria presència a la colònia, en contrast amb la poca incidència a la resta d'Hispania (IRC IV, 405). En el mateix moment en què trobem a Barcino Lucius Pedanius Secundus Iulius Persicus, hem de situar el sevir augustal anomenat Lucius Pedanius Euphron (IRC IV, 107-108), que hem documentat com el primer d'una llarga llista de lliberts, puix que el seu cognomen fou posteriorment llatinitzat en la forma de Clemens, molt freqüent en aquesta família, branca a la qual farem referència a propòsit del signaculum localitzat al jaciment de Veral de Vallmora de Teià. Durant la primera meitat del segle II dC podem situar una nova generació de Pedanii, quatre dels quals ostentaren càrrecs dins del govern municipal. Un pedestal de llarg text (IRC IV, 69) esmenta el magistrat barceloní i duovir quinquennal de Tarraco, L. Pedanius Clemens Senior, pertanyent a la tribu Palatina, fet que sembla assenyalar-lo com a fill d'un llibert i ell mateix pare de Pedania Clementiane i, en bona lògica, d'un L. Pedanius Clemens Iunior.
The preventive archaeological diggings carried out in Barcelona St. (Cabrera de Mar, El Maresme),... more The preventive archaeological diggings carried out in Barcelona St. (Cabrera de Mar, El Maresme), uncovered a local-common, coarse-tempered oxidant pottery typologically identified as an operculum, dated to the second quarter of the first century B.C. This item had an ante cocturam engraved inscription: a tria nomina A.VAL.A, most probably the name of a roman citizen who lived in the industrial area of what used to be the late republican city of Ilturo.