Suchergebnisse

The investigation of the Iberian megalithic phenomenon has only recently begun to benefit from the expansion of the technical and scientific potential of modern archaeology. There are still very few Iberian megaliths for which high resolution scientific research has been carried out, providing detailed data on their design, uses and biographies. This paper presents the results of the multi-disciplinary study of the Palacio III tholos, part of a larger megalithic complex located in Almadén de la Plata (Seville). This study is based on a wide-spectrum methodology that integrates geoarchaeology, techno-morphological and functional analysis of portable material culture and graphic analysis, all combined within a meticulously contextual perspective. The results provide a wealth of data on how, through a series of carefully constructed cultural choices, this monument represents a true place of encounter between the locally available geological resources and other resources that were only accessible through contact with neighbouring communities. Whether in its raw state, finely carved in the form of engraved and painted sculptures or transformed into artefacts of high technical and personal value, the materiality of the stone in the Palacio III tholos acquires multiple cultural dimensions that only a modern scientific approach is able to reconstruct. ; Solo recientemente la investigación del fenómeno megalítico ibérico ha comenzado a beneficiarse de la ampliación del potencial técnico y científico de la arqueología moderna. Todavía son muy pocos los megalitos ibéricos para los que se han realizado investigaciones científicas de alta resolución, capaces de aportar datos detallados sobre su diseño, usos y biografías. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados del estudio del tholos del complejo megalítico de Palacio III (Almadén de la Plata, Sevilla), abordado mediante una metodología multidisciplinar que integra la geoarqueología, el estudio tecnomorfológico y funcional de la cultura material portable y el análisis gráfico, dentro de una meticulosa valoración contextual. Los resultados aportan datos muy novedosos respecto a cómo, a través de una serie de elecciones culturales cuidadosamente construidas, este monumento representa un verdadero lugar de encuentro entre los recursos geológicos localmente disponibles y los recursos accesibles mediante contacto con otras comunidades. Bien en su forma bruta, bien labrada en forma de esculturas grabadas y pintadas o transformada en artefactos de alto valor técnico y personal, la materialidad de la piedra adquiere en Palacio III múltiples dimensiones culturales que solo a través de la moderna investigación científica es posible reconstruir. ; This study has been funded by the project of "Nature, Society and Monumentality: High Resolution Archaeological Investigations on the Megalithic Landscape of Antequera" (HAR2013-45149-P) (2014-2017), sponsored within the National R&D Plan of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spanish Government).

A newly discovered prehistoric stela from Cañaveral de León (Huelva, Spain) is studied through a combination of scientific methods, including thin section petrography and lithological contextualisation, various state-of-the-art digital imaging techniques for the analysis of the engraved motifs (3D modelling and Reflectance Transformation Imaging), and detection of pigments on its surface (Principal Components Analysis, HSI-contrast stretch, ferric pigments index and algebraic operations between bands), as well as archaeological surveys aimed at establishing the landscape context the stela was part of. The results reveal this stela is analogous to a larger series of late prehistoric sculptures portraying personages with 'headdresses', largely concentrated in the Iberian south-west and often connected to Bronze Age settlements and burial sites. In addition, the Cañaveral de León stela is closely associated to an old pathway that has had a historical prominence in terms of long-distance mobility, connecting various regions of western Spain in a South-North direction. ; We also wish to acknowledge the professional support of the CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform Open Heritage: Research and Society (PTI-PAIS). This project was partly funded by the Andalusian Regional Government annual research grant to the Research Group ATLAS (HUM-694), of the University of Sevilla.