Prime time. The temporality of burial practices at the Valencina Copper Age mega-site (c. 2900-2650 BC)

The quality of the radiometric data available for the study of the megalithic phenomenon in Iberia has improved mark-edly over the last fifteen years.As a result, relevant details are beginning to emerge in terms of the sequence, temporality and evo-lution of certain monument types, specific constru...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: García Sanjuán, Leonardo, Sánchez Díaz, Francisco, Oms Arias, F. Xavier, Alcaina-Mateos, Jonàs, Cintas Peña, Marta
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/170644
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/170644
https://doi.org/10.3989/tp.2024.995
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:radiocarbon
Bayesian modelling
spatial modelling
Copper Age
Archaeological zone Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán
radiocarbono
modelado bayesiano
modelado espacial
Edad del Cobre
Zona Arqueológica Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán
Descripción
Sumario:The quality of the radiometric data available for the study of the megalithic phenomenon in Iberia has improved mark-edly over the last fifteen years.As a result, relevant details are beginning to emerge in terms of the sequence, temporality and evo-lution of certain monument types, specific construction and clusters of them. In this paper we extend this line of research to the Valencina Copper Age mega-site, located in south-western Iberia. We present 46 fresh radiocarbon dates on human bone for the burial area located on the south-eastern quadrant of this site, which includes La Huera artificial cave, the PP4-Montelirio sector and the great Montelirio tholos. Through Bayesian and spatial modelling, these new dates are combined with eight already-pub-lished ones to provide a high-resolution image of the temporality of the complex sequence of burial and formal deposition that took place there during the ‘peak’ period of the site, between c. 2900 and 2650 BC. We examine the start date, sequence, spatial arrangement, duration and end date of 21 newly-dated burials and discuss the implications of the results in terms of the social practices that led to the formation of such a large site.