Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T02:59:26.630Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Agricultural production and social change in the Bronze Age of southeast Spain: the Gatas Project

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

P. V. Castro
Affiliation:
Departamento Antropología Social i Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain MontgatBarrakis.es
R. W. Chapman
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 2AH, England. [email protected]
S. Gili
Affiliation:
Departamento Antropología Social i Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain MontgatBarrakis.es
V. Lull
Affiliation:
Departamento Antropología Social i Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain MontgatBarrakis.es
R. Micó
Affiliation:
Departamento Antropología Social i Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain MontgatBarrakis.es
C. Rihuete
Affiliation:
Departamento Antropología Social i Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain MontgatBarrakis.es
R. Risch
Affiliation:
Departamento Antropología Social i Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain MontgatBarrakis.es
M. E. Sanahuja
Affiliation:
Departamento Antropología Social i Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain MontgatBarrakis.es

Abstract

This paper presents new data on agricultural production, the palaeoenvironment and social change during the Bronze Age of southeast Spain. The authors argue against the inference of irrigation as the basis for agriculture and relate the emergence of cereal monoculture to the extraction of surplus and the exploitation of human labour.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Araus, J.L., Buxo, R. Febrero, A. Camalich, M.D. Martin, D. Molina, F. Rodriguez-Ariza, M.O. & Voltas, J.. 1997a. Identification of ancient irrigation practices based on the carbon isotope discrimination of plant seeds: a case study from the Southeast Iberian Peninsula, Journal of Archaeological Science 24: 72940.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Araus, J.L., Febrero, A. Buxo, R. Camalich, M.D. Martin, D. Molina, F. Rodriguez-Ariza, M.O. & Romagosa, I.. 1997b. Changes in carbon isotope discrimination in cereal grains from different regions of the western Mediterranean Basin during the past seven millennia. Palaeoenvironmental evidence of a differential change in aridity, Global Change Biology 3: 10718.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buikstra, J.E., Castro, P.V. Chapman, R.W. Gonzalez Marcen, P. Hoshower, L. M. Lull, V. Picazo, M. Risch, R. & Sanahuja, M.E.. 1995. Approaches to class inequalities in the later prehistory of south-east Iberia: the Gatas project, in Lillios, K. (ed.), The origins of complex societies in late prehistoric Iberia: 15386. Ann Arbor (MI): International Monographs in Prehistory.Google Scholar
Capel, J.J. & Pascual, A.. 1984. Notas geológicas y biogeográficas sobre el complejo kárstico en yesos del Rio de Aguas (Sureste de Espãna), Boletin del Instituto de Estudios Almerienses 4: 936.Google Scholar
Capel, J., Reyes, E. Delgardo, A. Nunez, R. & Molina, F.. 1998. Palaeoclimatic identification based on an isotope study of travertine from the Copper Age site at Los Millares, south-eastern Spain, Archaeometry 40: 17785.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carrilero, M. & Suarez, A.. 198990. Ciavieja (El Ejido, Almeria): resultados obtenidos en las campañas de 1985 y 1986. El poblado de la Edad del Cobre, Cuadernos de Prehistoria de la Universidad de Granada 1415: 10936.Google Scholar
Castro, P.V., Chapman, R.W. Gonzalez Marcen, P. Lull, V. Picazo, M. Risch, R. & Sanahuja, M.E. 1991. Informe preliminar de la tercera campana de excavaciones en el yacimiento de Gatas (Turre, Almeria). Septiembre 1989, Anuario Arqueológico de Andalucia 1989: 21926.Google Scholar
Castro, P.V., Chapman, R.W. Gonzalez Marcen, P. Lull, V. Picazo, M. Risch, R. & Sanahuja, M.E. 1993. 4a campana de excavaciones en el yacimiento de Gatas (Turre, Almeria). Septiembre 1991, Anuario Arqueologico de Andalucia 1991; 1723.Google Scholar
Castro, P. V., Chapmañ, R.W., Gili, S. Lull, V. Mico, R. Rihuete, C. Risch, R. & Sanahuja, M.E. (ed.). 1998. Aguas Project. Palaeoclimatic reconstruction and the dynamics of human settlement and land use in the area of the middle Aguas (Almeria), in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula. Luxembourg: European Commission.Google Scholar
Castro, P. V., Chapmañ, R.W., Gili, S. Lull, V. Mico, R. Rihuete, C. Risch, R. & Sanahuja, M.E. (ed.). In pressa. Proyecto Gatas 2. La Dinamica Arqueoecologica de la Ocupacion Prehistorica. Seville: Junta de Andalucia.Google Scholar
Castro, P. V., Chapmañ, R.W., Gili, S. Lull, V. Mico, R. Rihuete, C. Risch, R. & Sanahuja, M.E. (ed.). In pressb. 5a campana de excavaciones en el yacimiento de Gatas (Turre, Almeria) 1995, Anuario Arqueologico de Andalucia.Google Scholar
Castro, P. V., Chapmañ, R.W., Gili, S. Lull, V. Mico, R. Rihuete, C. Risch, R. & Sanahuja, M.E. (ed.). In press c. Archaeology and desertification in the Vera basin (Almeria, southeast Spain), European Journal of Archaeology.Google Scholar
Castro, P.V., Lull, V. & Mico, R.. 1996. Cronología de la Prehistoria Reciente de la Peninsula Iberica y Baleares (c. 2800–900 cal ANE). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. International series S652.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, R.W. 1978. The evidence for prehistoric water control in south-east Spain, Journal of Arid Environments 1: 26174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, R.W. 1990. Emerging complexity. The later prehistory of southeast Spain, Iberia and the west Mediterranean. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, R.W., Lull, V. Picazo, M. & Sanahuja, M.E.. 1987. Proyecto Gatas: Sociedad y economia en la sudeste de Espana c. 2500–900 cal ANE. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. International series S348.Google Scholar
Fornes, J. 1983. Cultivo de habas y guisantes. Barcelona: Sintes. Biblioteca Agricola.Google Scholar
Gamble, C. 1982. Leadership and ‘surplus’ production, in Renfrew, C. & Shennan, S. (ed.), Ranking, resource and exchange : 100105. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Garcia Romero, A. 1941. Agricultura y ganadería e industrias agricolas. Barcelona: Ramon Sopena.Google Scholar
Gilman, A. 1976. Bronze Age dynamics in southeast Spain, Dialectical Anthropology 1: 30719.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilman, A. 1981. The development of social stratification in Bronze Age Europe, Current Anthropology 22: 123.Google Scholar
Gilman, A. & Thornes, J.B.. 1985. Land-use and prehistory in south-east Spain. London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Halstead, P. 1981. Counting sheep in Neolithic and Bronze Age Greece, in Hodder, I. Isaac, G. & Hammond, N. (ed.), Pattern of the past: studies in honour of David Clarke : 30739. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Halstead, P. & Jones, G.. 1989. Agrarian ecology in the Greek islands: time stress, scale and risk, Journal of Hellenic Studies 109: 4155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, G. 1988. Holozanstratigraphie an der Andalusischen Mittelmeerkiiste. Bremen: Berichte aus dem Fachbereich Geowissenschaften der Universitat Bremen 2.Google Scholar
Hopf, M. 1991. Kulturpflanzenreste aus der Sammlung Siret in Briissel, in Schubart, H. & Ulreich, H., Die Funde der Siidostspanischen Bronzezeit aus der Sammlung Siret. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern. Madrider Beitrage 17.Google Scholar
Kleinpenning, J.M.G. 1967. Cuevas de Almanzora. Problemas agrarias actuales de un municipio de S.E. español, Estudios Geogrdficos 108: 379402.Google Scholar
Langer, R.H.M. & Hill, G.D.. 1987. Plantas de interés agricola. Barcelona: Acribia S.A. Google Scholar
Lull, V. 1980. La cultura de El Argar: ecologia, asentamientos, economia y sociedad. Ph.D thesis. University of Barcelona.Google Scholar
Lull, V. 1983. La ‘cultura’ de El Argar. Un modelo para el estudio de las formaciones economico-sociales prehistóricos. Madrid: Akal.Google Scholar
Lull, V. & Estevez, J. 1986. Propuesta metodologica para el estudio de las necrópolis argáricas, in Homenaje a Luis Siret 1934–1984 : 44152. Seville: Junta de Andalucia.Google Scholar
Lull, V. & Risch, R.. 1995. El estado argárico, Verdolay 7: 97109.Google Scholar
Martin, J.H. & Leonard, W.H.. 1976. Principles of field crop production. 3rd edition. London: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Martin Galindo, J.L. 1975. Paisajes agrarios moriscos en Almeria, Estudios Geogrdficos 36: 67396.Google Scholar
Mathers, C. 1984a. Beyond the grave: the context and wider implications of mortuary practices in south-east Spain, in T.Blagg, F.C. Jones, R.F.J. & Keay, S.J. (ed.), Papers in Iberian archaeology. 1346. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. International series S193.Google Scholar
Mathers, C. 1984b. ‘Linear Regression’, inflation and prestige competition: second millennium transformations in southeast Spain, in Waldren, W. H. Chapman, R. Lewthwaite, J. & Kennard, R.C. (ed.), The Deya Conference of Prehistory : 116796. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. International series S229.Google Scholar
Ramos, A. 1981. Interpretaciones secuenciales y culturales de la Edad del Cobre en la zona meridional de la peninsula ibérica. La alternativa de materialismo cultural, Cuadernos de Prehistoria de la Universidad de Granada 6: 24256.Google Scholar
Risch, R. 1995. Recursos naturales y sistemas de produccion en el Sudeste de la Peninsula Iberica entre 3000 y 1000 ANE. Unpublished Ph.D thesis, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.Google Scholar
Risch, R. 1998. Análisis paleoeconómico y medios de producción líticos: el caso de Fuente Alamo, in Delibes de Castro, G. (ed.), Minerales y metales en la prehistoria reciente. Algunos testimonios de su explotación y laboreo en la peninsula iberica: 10554. Valladolid: Universidad de Valladolid. Studia Archaeológica 88.Google Scholar
Risch, R. & Ruiz, M.. 1994. Distribución y control territorial en el Sudeste de la Peninsula Iberica durante el tercer y segundo milenio a.n.e., Verdolay 6: 7787.Google Scholar
Rivera, D. & Obon, C.. Unpublished. Estudio paleobotdnico del yacimiento de Almizaraque (Herrerias).Google Scholar
Rodriguez Ariza, M.O. & Vernet, J.-L.. 1991. Premiers résultats paléoécologiques de l’établissement chalcolithique de Los Millares (Santa Fé de Mondujar, Almería, Espagne) d’aprés l’analyse anthracologique de l’établissement, in Waldren, W. Ensenyat, J.A. & Kennard, R.C. (ed.), II Deya Conference of Prehistory. 116. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. International series 573.Google Scholar
Ruiz, M., Risch, R. Gonzalez Marcen, P. Castro, P.V. Lull, V. & Chapman, R.W. 1992. Environmental exploitation and social structure in prehistoric southeast Spain, Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 5: 338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schule, W. 1967. Feldbewasserung in Alt-Europa, Madrider Mitteilungen 8: 7999.Google Scholar
Siret, H. & Siret, L. 1887. Les Premiers Ages du Métal dans le sud-est de l’Espagne. Anvers.Google Scholar
Stika, H.P. 1988. Botanische untersuchungen in der bronzezeitlichen Hohensiedlung Fuente Alamo, Madrider Mitteilungen 29: 2176.Google Scholar
Terral, J.-F. 1996. Wild and cultivated olive [Olea europaea L.): a new approach to an old problem using inorganic analyses of modern wood and archaeological charcoal, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 91: 38397.Google Scholar
White, K.D. 1970. Roman farming. London: Thames & Hudson.Google Scholar