https://hdl.handle.net/10481/14609 2026-04-18T06:09:33Z 2026-04-18T06:09:33Z Montes-Landa, Julia Montero-Ruiz, Ignacio Martinón-Torres, Marcos https://hdl.handle.net/10481/112829 2026-04-15T09:19:07Z

The Chalcolithic metallurgical tradition of Northeast Iberia and its later influence: New analyses and a synthesis Montes-Landa, Julia; Montero-Ruiz, Ignacio; Martinón-Torres, Marcos Our knowledge of Chalcolithic copper smelting practices across Iberia is extensive but lacks regional nuance. This prevents an assessment of regional trajectories that may depart from a general ‘Iberian technological tradition’, including their origins and diachronic evolution. This paper contributes to these questions by analysing 3rd millennium BC copper production residues from various sites in Northeast Iberia: Covas Cartanyà, del Buldó, Josefina d’Escornalbou, de l’Heura, and Balma del Duc. Using pXRF, OM, and SEM-EDS, we characterise the ores used and the metallurgical operations conducted (including smelting of copper carbonates, co-smelting of sulphidic and oxidic ores, and melting), and discuss them in relation to their contexts, contemporaneous materials and available lead isotopes data. We reveal Northeast Iberian metallurgy as a distinct and versatile tradition that selectively adopted elements from Southern Iberia and Southern France traditions, and trace the legacy of these idiosyncratic practices in copper and bronze making over two millennia.

Montes-Landa, Julia Moya, Andreu Alonso, Natàlia Martinón-Torres, Marcos https://hdl.handle.net/10481/112813 2026-04-14T10:47:56Z

An early lead-smelting tradition in Northeast Iberia: A short-lived innovation of the second millennium BC Montes-Landa, Julia; Moya, Andreu; Alonso, Natàlia; Martinón-Torres, Marcos The polymetallic origins and non-linear development of early metallurgy have only recently attracted attention. Within this framework, we present the earliest direct evidence of lead smelting in Iberia, dated to the first third of the 2nd millennium cal. BC at Minferri (Catalonia). More widely, we identify a lead-making tradition transmitted from Southern France that emerged alongside copper metallurgy in the late 3rd milennium BC. Abandoned after ca. 500 years, this constitutes a rare instance of early innovation failure. This research contributes to broader debates on divergent paths of socio-technological development and brings overdue attention to early lead-smelting practices.

Marciales Daza, Mauricio Timm, Monice Moreno Onorato, Auxilio Escudero Carrillo, Javier Ramis, Damià Ferrer, Antoni León, Maria José Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Marta https://hdl.handle.net/10481/112721 2026-04-09T11:00:35Z

Island subsistence during the Late Bronze and Iron Age in Menorca: insights from stable isotopes and Bayesian mixing models at the Biniadrís Cave (Spain) Marciales Daza, Mauricio; Timm, Monice; Moreno Onorato, Auxilio; Escudero Carrillo, Javier; Ramis, Damià; Ferrer, Antoni; León, Maria José; Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Marta The Biniadrís cave, a Late Bronze and Early Iron Age funerary site in Menorca, Spain, offers exceptional preservation for investigating dietary patterns in the Western Mediterranean. Stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in bone collagen have proven valuable for examining variability in animal protein intake. This study integrates previous results from human remains from the Biniadrís cave and, incorporates the analysis of faunal bone collagen using Bayesian modelling to reconstruct the paleodiet of this population during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. By integrating data from zooarchaeological assemblages across multiple archaeological contexts, both domestic and funerary, a comprehensive baseline is established to understand the protein consumption patterns of individuals in Menorca. The combination of stable isotope analysis and zooarchaeological data enables the interpretation of dietary habits and subsistence strategies employed by the Late Bronze and Iron Age populations. Furthermore, Bayesian mixing models were employed to quantify the proportional contribution of protein from different sources, providing an important understanding of dietary contributions from various animal species and revealing differences through time. The findings suggest increase in pig as a significant food source from the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age in Menorca, supplemented by cattle and goat, reflecting the importance of pig husbandry. This dietary pattern is consistent with dry-land farming, which constituted the predominant agricultural strategy during this period. The study highlights the broader implications of these dietary practices for understanding social and economic aspects of the Late Bronze Age/ Iron Age society in Menorca, including farming practices, animal husbandry, and resource management.

Canessa, Timothy De la Peña Alonso, Paloma https://hdl.handle.net/10481/112683 2026-04-08T10:00:07Z

Unpacking lithic assemblage variability in the Early Upper Palaeolithic: A multivariate approach to the structure of the Iberian Aurignacian Canessa, Timothy; De la Peña Alonso, Paloma The Aurignacian technocomplex of the Early Upper Palaeolithic remains a long-standing focal point for understanding the expansion of modern humans across Europe. Diagnostic assemblages occur across vast swathes of the continent, suggesting the existence of broadly connected groups and traditions around 43–32 ka cal BP. However, while its extensive distribution is often regarded as proxy evidence for the spread of modern human groups, artefact assemblages are known to be synchronically and diachronically variable in ways that reveal an inconsistent representation of diagnostic traits. In the Iberian Peninsula, this variability is exemplified by an idiosyncratic material record in which diverse Aurignacian assemblages occur alongside undiagnostic or ‘culturally indeterminate’ ones, leading many Aurignacian occupations to be disputed. In this paper, we assimilate this regional record through quantitative analyses of techno-typological attributes from all sufficiently published and chronologically relevant assemblages of the Early Upper Palaeolithic. Using two multivariate techniques, we first explore associations between assemblages and thereafter test whether inter-assemblage variability is related to spatial and temporal distances. Our results cast light on the spatial structure of variability by revealing that inter-assemblage differences increase with spatial distance but show no linear relationship to temporal distance. This spatial finding challenges the cross-regional applicability of the Aquitaine model of techno-typological change, whilst the absence of temporally structured variability suggests a heterogeneous representation of diagnostic traits across and within temporal classes of assemblages.

Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Marta Beck, Jess Bocherens, Hervé Díaz-del-Río, Pedro https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111772 2026-03-01T23:37:15Z

Isotopic evidence for mobility at largescale human aggregations in Copper Age Iberia: the mega-site of Marroquíes Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Marta; Beck, Jess; Bocherens, Hervé; Díaz-del-Río, Pedro Settlements incorporating large-scale human aggregations are a well-documented but poorly understood phenomenon across late prehistoric Europe. The authors’ research examines the origins and trajectory of such aggregations through isotope analysis of human skeletal remains from the mega-site of Marroquíes in Jaén, Spain. The results indicate that eight per cent of 115 sampled individuals are of non-local origin. These individuals received mortuary treatments indistinguishable from those of locals, suggesting their incorporation into pre-existing social networks in both life and death. This research contributes to our understanding of the extent and patterning of human mobility, which underlies the emergence of late prehistoric mega-sites in Europe. Research was made possible by the University of Michigan, Museum of Jaén, the Briggite-Schlieben-Lange programme, the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España (HAR2013-47776-R), the National Science Foundation (BCS-1440017), the SFB 1070 ‘Ressourcenkulturen’ at Tübingen University and Proyectos conjuntos CSIC—Fundación Presidente de Rusia para la Investigación Fundamental (2010RU0086) and a Marie Sklodowska-Curie European Fellowship (746216).; To view supplementary material for this article, please visit https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2018.33