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Archaeologists have uncovered six previously unknown Bronze Age mining sites in Extremadura in southwestern Spain. The discoveries were made during a February survey led by researchers from the Maritime Encounters program at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. These sites could help answer a long-standing question about where the metal used in Scandinavian Bronze Age artifacts originally came from.Fieldwork took place from February 9 to 16 in the region surrounding Cabeza del Buey in the province of Badajoz. The project was carried out in partnership with the Universidad de Sevilla and specialists from the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Badajoz.Researchers documented...

WASHINGTON (AP) — When archaeologists first discovered the 5,000-year-old ornate tomb in Spain, they assumed it was for a man. It held a rock crystal dagger, ivory tusks and other lavish items. But now they’ve determined the remains are those of a woman, and all it took was two teeth. The researchers used a new method of determining sex that analyzes tooth enamel. This technique, developed about five years ago, is more reliable than analyzing skeletal remains in poor condition, according to their study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports. Most details about the life of the “Ivory Lady,”...

Throughout history, archaeologists have uncovered countless tools from early civilizations. The majority are made of stone, but a group of Spanish experts discovered incredible rock crystal weaponry. One of the most spectacular crystal daggers, dating back to at least 3,000 BC, demonstrates the extraordinary ability of the sculptor.The incredible find occurred at the Montelirio tholos, a megalithic tomb in southern Spain. This gigantic site, which spans 50 meters, is made up of massive slate slabs. The place was excavated between 2007 and 2010. Scholars from the University of Granada, Seville, and the Spanish Higher Council for Scientific Research published a...

A team of archaeologists from the University of Cádiz (UCA) unearthed an extraordinary 5,000-year-old dolmen at the La Lentejuela necropolis near Teba, Málaga, according to a report by SUR in English. Measuring more than 40 feet long, the massive tomb is constructed of large upright stone blocks and is one of the most monumental and well-preserved megalithic funerary structures ever uncovered in Andalusia. Within the chamber's interior, archaeologists identified several ossuaries containing human remains and a rich assemblage of grave goods, which are providing new insight into the lives and funerary practices of the community that inhabited the region several...

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...

It's one of the most lavish burials of the European Bronze Age; and, although the woman was buried with a man, most of the expensive grave goods were hers, suggesting that she was of much higher social status.By comparing her grave to that of other El Argar women, researchers led by archaeologist Vicente Lull of the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain have concluded that women in this culture could have played a more important political role than we previously knew.The grave itself, a large ceramic jar named grave 38, was discovered in 2014, at the La Almoloya archaeological site...

Eco-ruin 'felled early society' The Argaric culture was an early urban society One of Western Europe's earliest known urban societies may have sown the seeds of its own downfall, a study suggests. Mystery surrounded the fall of the Bronze Age Argaric people in south-east Spain - Europe's driest area. Data suggests the early civilisation exhausted precious natural resources, helping bring about its own ruin. The study provides early evidence for cultural collapse caused - at least in part - by humans meddling with the environment, say researchers. It could also provide lessons for modern populations living in water-stressed regions. The...