The origin and development of the Early Bronze Age in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The scope of this thesis is to examine the origin and development of the bronze age cultures in the Iberian Peninsula, from the beginning of Los Nillares until into the Argaric bronze age. It was intended to include the whole Peninsula, excluding the Balearic Islands, but, for various reasons, including the lack of material, the main emphasis is on the southern part. The reason for choosing this particular period was the fact that the area had never been intensively studied as a whole in this connection, though there are many studies on different aspects of it - for example, on the megalithic graves, or on the Argar culture. It was felt that a new survey of the area, from the time of Los j'iillares until the development of El Argar, would throw new light on the origins of the different cultures, their relationships to one another, and their development pattern.Before commencing a study of the bronze age cultures, it was necessary to know what had happened during the neolithic in the Peninsula and the thesis, therefore, commences with a brief discussion of the neolithic cultures.As the thesis concerned the bronze age cultures, especial attention was paid to the bronze implements of the period, the majority of which are unpublished stray finds, and distribution maps were made of these in order to bring out main centres of metal working in the different prehistoric periods.