Location of sites.Credit: M. Murillo-Barroso et al., Geoarchaeology (2025)
Posted on 01/23/2025 5:14:08 PM PST by SunkenCiv
A recent interdisciplinary study has revealed the copper mining practices of the Argaric societies during the Bronze Age (2200–1550 BCE), highlighting a decentralized and diversified network of resource exploitation.
Researchers from the University of Granada (UGR), in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and other institutions, analyzed archaeological samples from southern Spain's Betic Mountain Range, particularly the Guadix-Baza basin, to better understand the metallurgical landscape of the time...
Through lead-isotope and trace-element analyses, researchers identified inland mining regions, particularly the Betic Cordillera from Granada to Baza, as critical sources of copper, surpassing the importance of earlier coastal deposits in the Almería-Cartagena area...
The study shows the significant role of the Linares-La Carolina mining district, which was previously considered the primary source of copper during the Bronze Age. Data reveal that copper from this region accounted for between 17.2% and 24.1% of objects analyzed from the inland Argaric areas and around 20.4% from coastal sites. Notably, the Linares district also supplied metal to other parts of the Iberian Peninsula, such as Alicante and the central plateau, reflecting its broader trade connections...
approximately 17.2% of inland archaeological finds were traced to regions outside the Argar territory, including Los Pedroches and the Iberian Pyrite Belt.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeologymag.com ...
Location of sites.Credit: M. Murillo-Barroso et al., Geoarchaeology (2025)
Civilization is not guaranteed. It must have started up dozens of times only to collapse afterwards. This looks like another example of that.
Looks like some local ne’er do wells attacked the settlement and killed everyone. There’s an inscription indicating defiance, “you’ll never take my copper while I’m alive,” somethin’ like that.
Bump
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