Papers by Manuel Altamirano Garcia
Aniquilas, 2013
En el presente artículo se presenta el estudio tecnológico y funcional de un útil óseo muy singul... more En el presente artículo se presenta el estudio tecnológico y funcional de un útil óseo muy singular procedente del poblado Los Castillejos (Montefrío, Granada). Se trata de un elemento biselado realizado sobre asta de ciervo con una perforación para su enmangue, documentado en los niveles correspondientes a un Cobre Antiguo del poblado durante los años cuarenta del siglo pasado. Si bien este tipo de artefactos son relativamente frecuentes desde el Mesolítico en gran parte de Europa, su documentación en contextos prehistóricos peninsulares es realmente excepcional. El estudio traceológico ha revelado una gran cantidad de información acerca de cada una de las fases de manufactura del útil. Además, se ha podido constatar la verdadera funcionalidad que tuvo este artefacto en el pasado. Sin duda, constituye un ejemplo excepcional de este tipo de útiles óseos documentados en el sur de la Península Ibérica.
MENGA, 2023
The human and animal remains found at the megalithic necropolis of Panoría
(Darro, Granada) are d... more The human and animal remains found at the megalithic necropolis of Panoría
(Darro, Granada) are discussed in this paper. The results stress different conclusions related to
the funerary ritual and the features of the buried population. The anthropological characterization shows a population without biases of sex and
age, although with a clear under-representation of subadult individuals as result of probably taphonomic processes. The health conditions
are dominated by degenerative joint diseases, followed by infectious disease and trauma. The oral pathologies are consistent with a diet low in carbohydrates. Particularly noteworthy are the marks such as grooves and notches found in three teeth probably related to thread and cordages preparation. Marine shells, sometimes modified to be used as necklace beads, and animal phalanges also were found as grave goods.
Quaternary International, 2023
Animals have played a basic role within human groups since the origins of humankind, being used a... more Animals have played a basic role within human groups since the origins of humankind, being used as a source of
very different elements, such as meat, milk, wool or bone. The aim of this paper is to approach the importance of
animals as a source of hard raw material in human technology during the 2nd millennium BC. Our main goal is to
spotlight the careful selection of the bones to manufacture specific items, focusing on the ancient beliefs and
myths that human groups might have had towards some animal species and how they could have influenced that
choice. Thus, an assemblage of 830 items from four archaeological sites located in the southern half of the Iberian
Peninsula: Motilla del Azuer (Ciudad Real), Motilla de las Ca!nas (Ciudad Real), Pe!nalosa (Ja"en) and Cerro de la
Encina (Granada). The discussion involves aspects such as the use of especial raw materials, labor investment,
use-wear patterns, as well as curation and maintenance. Thus, it can be pointed out the presence of certain
manufacturing traditions for some type of objects whose morphology has remained almost unaltered since the
Chalcolithic.
REUTILIZACIÓN Y RECICLAJE Reflexiones desde la Arqueología, 2020
En la gran mayoría de los estudios sobre industria ósea, la pers- pectiva social ha permanecido... more En la gran mayoría de los estudios sobre industria ósea, la pers- pectiva social ha permanecido relegada a un segundo plano. Esto se ha debido principalmente a que en ocasiones no es fácil aproximarse a ella, tanto por el grado de conservación del material como por la calidad de la información que pueda obtenerse del registro arqueológico.
CUADERNOS DE PREHISTORIA Y ARQUEOLOGÍA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA 29, 2019
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 12TH WORKED BONE RESEARCH GROUP IN GRANADA (SPAIN)
ANTIQUITAS (33), 2021
En el presente trabajo se analiza un conjunto lítico tallado procedente de la recogida superficia... more En el presente trabajo se analiza un conjunto lítico tallado procedente de la recogida superficial en un nuevo yacimiento localizado en una terraza de la margen derecha del Guadalquivir, en el término municipal de Adamuz, una zona escasamente investigada hasta el momento en lo que respecta a cronologías del Paleolítico Antiguo (Inferior y Medio). Los materiales documentados, que incluyen más de 300 piezas (núcleos, lascas simples y útiles), están mayoritariamente manufacturados sobre cuarcita, materia prima dominante en el área. Con respecto a su adscripción cultural un elevado porcentaje puede ser relacionado con los tecnocomplejos de Paleolítico Medio, aunque se han observado algunos elementos con características propias del Achelense final y otros claramente atribuibles a momentos de la Prehistoria Reciente, en plena conexión con otros asentamientos del entorno inmediato.
Zooarchaeology 3. Proceedings of Zhengzhou 2016 International Meeting Commitee Meeting of ICAZ, 2019
The aim of this paper is to show some special objects from the past that were carefully manufactu... more The aim of this paper is to show some special objects from the past that were carefully manufactured, curated and passed down from hand to hand through generations. An assemblage of nine V-perforated buttons dating to the III millennium BC has been studied here from the perspective of their individual biographies. The selection of raw material from which these items were made from was extremely careful, the main source being elephant ivory, making them really valuable, prestigious and objects for representation. This research focuses on the traceological analysis of the objects’ surfaces using binocular and ESEM microscopy indicating that these artifacts have very smooth, worn surfaces. Moreover, these buttons were repaired (curated) repeatedly with the clear intention of keeping them in use over long periods of time. All this data, together with the information from the archaeological record and some ethnographical parallels, are indispensable for understanding and explaining how and why these objects were manufactured, used, curated and discarded in the past.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL , 2018
Around 3400 years ago, extraordinary funerary practices and rituals were practiced at Biniadris C... more Around 3400 years ago, extraordinary funerary practices and rituals were practiced at Biniadris Cave, located on the side of a cliff face on the island of Menorca (Spain). Both women and men of different ages were buried inside this natural cavern measuring approximately 10m2. Thanks to the preliminary fieldwork carried out during 2014, a wide range of personal objects comprising personal objects and clothing came to light in addition to the human bones. At present, among them, there is an assemblage of fourteen V-perforated buttons, at least eleven of which are made from bone and at least three from wild boar tusk. All these items display a great uniformity in their morphology in terms of what could be seen when they were worn. There is, however, no standardization regarding the width and placement of the perforations. Following microscopic analysis, it is clear that these were personal objects used over the long-term and placed with the dead as dress accessories during the funeral ritual itself. Furthermore, the use of ochre as an additional decorative element was observed, covering most of the surface of these buttons.
The manufacture of osseous artefacts played a major part within Iberian Chalcolithic societies, b... more The manufacture of osseous artefacts played a major part within Iberian Chalcolithic societies, both in daily life as well as in the symbolic sphere. In this paper we present the analysis of the worked bone assemblage found in the Montelirio tholos (Castilleja de Guzmán, Seville). Despite the small size of the sample, the traceological study of the surface of the artefacts reveals a great uniformity in the elaboration process. In general, there is a predominance of pointed objects with a long and thin shaft, mostly made from diafisis
of large-sized mammals, possibly deer. Once the preliminary forms were obtained, they were regularised through intense abrasion, which led to the production of carefully finished objects that were used as grave goods inside the tomb. The microscopic study of these items shows little or no use-wear before their final deposition, which, given the specific context of some of them, could suggest a functionality linked to some practice linked to the burial ritual.
La manufactura de artefactos óseos ocupó un lugar de importancia en el seno de las sociedades calcolíticas del sur de la Península Ibérica, tanto en la vida cotidiana como en la esfera simbólica. Presentamos el aná- lisis del conjunto de hueso trabajado documentado en el tholos de Montelirio (Castilleja de Guzmán, Sevilla). Pese a lo reducido de la muestra, el estudio traceológico de las superficies de los artefactos ha revelado una gran uniformidad en el proceso de elaboración. En general, predominan los elementos apuntados de fuste delgado y alargado, en su mayor parte realizados a partir de porciones diafisiarias de huesos largos de mamíferos de gran talla, posiblemente ciervo. Obtenidos los soportes, éstos fueron regularizados por abrasión intensa, resultando cuidados artefactos depositados como parte del ajuar funerario. El estudio microscópico de estos útiles ha mostrado su escaso o nulo uso antes de ser amortizados, lo que, junto con el contexto particular de algunos de ellos, podría indicar una posible funcionalidad ligada posiblemente a alguna actividad del ritual funerario.
De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos del estudio tecnológico de varios conjuntos de industria... more De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos del estudio tecnológico de varios conjuntos de industria ósea de la Edad del Bronce procedentes del área centro-meridional de la Península Ibérica, se desprende que el método de extracción de soportes para manufactura de artefactos adquirió cierta importancia para la elaboración de al menos un tipo muy concreto de artefacto: las puntas de proyectil.
En el presente artículo se analiza el proceso de manufactura de un grupo de puntas de proyectil realizadas en asta de ciervo cuya producción parece estar bastante normalizada. Para ello, se emplearon de forma sistemática porciones obtenidas por extracción de la percha A o B del asta, obteniéndose soportes regularizados de formas rectangulares a partir de los cuales manufacturar las puntas poniendo en práctica diversas técnicas.
Recent research focused on bone tools manufacture has been carried out for two worked osseous assemblages from BA Central Iberia. Based on these results, débitage par extraction may be considered to have been especially important to manufacture some types of artifacts during the II millennium BC.
In this paper we analyse the manufacturing process of a specific type of adquisition tool documented at several Bronze Age sites from the region of La Mancha, in central Spain. We have focused on an assemblage of red deer antler projectile points with a very normalized production, whose manufacture was intimately linked to the extraction of rectangular blanks from beam A or B that were subsequently worked using different techniques.
Proceedings of the 15th Symposium on Mediterrean Archaeology, held at the University of Catania 3–5 March 2011, 2015
Hard animal tissues have played a very important economical, social and cultural role within past... more Hard animal tissues have played a very important economical, social and cultural role within past societies. In this paper we aim to present both typological and technological analysis of the bone industry documented at the Bronze Age archaeological site of Motilla del Azuer, in Daimiel (Ciudad Real, Spain), where this kind of raw material was carefully selected. The traceologycal approach has shown that both debitage and manufacturing techniques were perfectly normalized to obtain each type of artefact. Two main debitage procedures have been documented for manufacturing points on long mammal bones: longitudinal cut (bi-partite) or fracturation. Either scraping or abrading were used to get the points.
Menga 05
The aim of this paper is to approach the importance of animals in human technology during the 3rd... more The aim of this paper is to approach the importance of animals in human technology during the 3rd mille- nium BC. How important were animals as a source of raw material? Was there a careful selection of their bones? Did ancient beliefs and myths about some species have any influence on that?In order answer these and others questions we have analysed an assemblage of 599 osseous objects from three south-eastern Iberian sites: Los Millares, El Malagón and Los Castillejos.The discussion includes aspects such as the use of especial raw materials, labor investment, use-wear patterns, as well as curation and maintenance.Some of the objects included in this assemblage may have been considered as really valuable and even prestigious personal belongings.
Saguntum 46, 2014
Hard animal materials had a very significant role in prehistoric societies. Used both for tool ma... more Hard animal materials had a very significant role in prehistoric societies. Used both for tool manufacture as well as for items linked to the social and symbolic sphere (idols, ornaments, etc.), the study of these elements is indispensable to know how people lived in the past and increase our knowledge about their culture, symbolic world and beliefs.
The current paper focuses on the study of the worked osseous assemblage documented at the III millenium BC layers from the Los Castillejos site, which remained unpublished till now. The typological study, the raw material analysis, as well as the microscopic analysis of the surface, have been undertaken in order to know how these objects were manufactured. Moreover, a wide amount of information related to social, economic and cultural aspects, has come to light.
Antiquitas 26, Nov 2014
Most of the all too uncommon studies of prehistoric bone industries appears as simple, formal des... more Most of the all too uncommon studies of prehistoric bone industries appears as simple, formal descriptions of materials, sometimes as catalogues, with little emphasis on technical, functional aspects and ultimately social.
The aim of this paper is to show the study of a selected bone, red deer antler and ivory assemblage featured by the presence of clear curation evidences on their extremely worn surfaces. Based on the microscopic analysis of their surfaces we have gone further than both technical and functional interpretations, focusing on the social and simbolic role these artifacts may have had in the past. All of them display clear evidences of curation, even more than once, to keep them ready-‐to-‐ use.
Actas del II Congreso de Prehistoria de Andalucía
Los estudios sobre industria ósea han experimentado un auge muy notable en las últimas dos década... more Los estudios sobre industria ósea han experimentado un auge muy notable en las últimas dos décadas, especialmente para materiales procedentes de contextos de la Prehistoria Reciente. Siguiendo esta tendencia, se presenta el estudio técnico de una serie de elementos dentados elaborados sobre materia ósea de origen animal documentados en el yacimiento de Los Castillejos, en las Peñas de los Gitanos (Montefrío, Granada).
Se trata de cinco peines, fechados en un Cobre Antiguo, tres de los cuales proceden de las excavaciones de Tarradell durante los años cuarenta en Cueva Alta. Los otros dos artefactos fueron documentados en las interven- ciones del departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada entre 1971 y 1974 en la zona del poblado.
manufactura, así como una cierta normalización formal de este tipo de artefactos dentados, siendo conscientes del reducido tamaño de la muestra. Asimismo, gracias al estudio traceológico, hemos encontrado diversas evidencias relacionadas directamente con una funcionalidad muy concreta.
Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada 22, 2012
Personal ornaments are a clear way to display different ideological and symbolic aspects to other... more Personal ornaments are a clear way to display different ideological and symbolic aspects to other people or others human groups. The osseous adornment assemblage from the ar- chaeological site of Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real, Spain), dating to Bronze Age, has been studied in this paper. There is a systematic selection of the raw material used to manufactured each type of ornament. Extraction and segmentation, as flaking methods, and several manufacturing and finishing techniques, such us scrapping or abrasion, have been identified trough the traceological analysis of the artifacts surface.
Moluscos y púrpura en contextos arqueológicos atlántico-‐ mediterráneos: nuevos datos y reflexiones en clave de proceso histórico (J.J. Cantillo, D. Bernal, J. Ramos, eds.), May 2014
MENGA, Journal of Andalusian Prehistory, Dec 1, 2013
In this paper I aim to present both a typological and technological analysis of the bone industry... more In this paper I aim to present both a typological and technological analysis of the bone industry documen- ted at the Bronze Age site of Motilla del Azuer, in Daimiel (Ciudad Real, Spain). The traceological study has shown that both flaking and shaping techniques were partially standardized for the production of each type of artefact. Two main flaking methods have been documented for points made from long mammal bones: bipartition and fracture. Either scraping or abrading could be used for shaping.
The Sound of Bones. Proceedings of the 8th Meeting of the ICAZ Worked Bone Research Group
In this paper I aim to present the projectile points assemblage made from animal hard osseous mat... more In this paper I aim to present the projectile points assemblage made from animal hard osseous material from the Bronze Age site of Motilla del Azuer in central Spain. These osseous artifacts display wide variety in their morphological features, and are mainly made from red deer antler. The technical approach reflects certain normalization in both flaking and manufacturing processes and techniques, all chosen carefully for each type of projectile point.
Both the spatial and contextual analysis have been also carried out here, in order to see the distribution of these artifacts on the site and whether there is or not changes in morphology and manufacturing techniques over space and time.
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Papers by Manuel Altamirano Garcia
(Darro, Granada) are discussed in this paper. The results stress different conclusions related to
the funerary ritual and the features of the buried population. The anthropological characterization shows a population without biases of sex and
age, although with a clear under-representation of subadult individuals as result of probably taphonomic processes. The health conditions
are dominated by degenerative joint diseases, followed by infectious disease and trauma. The oral pathologies are consistent with a diet low in carbohydrates. Particularly noteworthy are the marks such as grooves and notches found in three teeth probably related to thread and cordages preparation. Marine shells, sometimes modified to be used as necklace beads, and animal phalanges also were found as grave goods.
very different elements, such as meat, milk, wool or bone. The aim of this paper is to approach the importance of
animals as a source of hard raw material in human technology during the 2nd millennium BC. Our main goal is to
spotlight the careful selection of the bones to manufacture specific items, focusing on the ancient beliefs and
myths that human groups might have had towards some animal species and how they could have influenced that
choice. Thus, an assemblage of 830 items from four archaeological sites located in the southern half of the Iberian
Peninsula: Motilla del Azuer (Ciudad Real), Motilla de las Ca!nas (Ciudad Real), Pe!nalosa (Ja"en) and Cerro de la
Encina (Granada). The discussion involves aspects such as the use of especial raw materials, labor investment,
use-wear patterns, as well as curation and maintenance. Thus, it can be pointed out the presence of certain
manufacturing traditions for some type of objects whose morphology has remained almost unaltered since the
Chalcolithic.
of large-sized mammals, possibly deer. Once the preliminary forms were obtained, they were regularised through intense abrasion, which led to the production of carefully finished objects that were used as grave goods inside the tomb. The microscopic study of these items shows little or no use-wear before their final deposition, which, given the specific context of some of them, could suggest a functionality linked to some practice linked to the burial ritual.
La manufactura de artefactos óseos ocupó un lugar de importancia en el seno de las sociedades calcolíticas del sur de la Península Ibérica, tanto en la vida cotidiana como en la esfera simbólica. Presentamos el aná- lisis del conjunto de hueso trabajado documentado en el tholos de Montelirio (Castilleja de Guzmán, Sevilla). Pese a lo reducido de la muestra, el estudio traceológico de las superficies de los artefactos ha revelado una gran uniformidad en el proceso de elaboración. En general, predominan los elementos apuntados de fuste delgado y alargado, en su mayor parte realizados a partir de porciones diafisiarias de huesos largos de mamíferos de gran talla, posiblemente ciervo. Obtenidos los soportes, éstos fueron regularizados por abrasión intensa, resultando cuidados artefactos depositados como parte del ajuar funerario. El estudio microscópico de estos útiles ha mostrado su escaso o nulo uso antes de ser amortizados, lo que, junto con el contexto particular de algunos de ellos, podría indicar una posible funcionalidad ligada posiblemente a alguna actividad del ritual funerario.
En el presente artículo se analiza el proceso de manufactura de un grupo de puntas de proyectil realizadas en asta de ciervo cuya producción parece estar bastante normalizada. Para ello, se emplearon de forma sistemática porciones obtenidas por extracción de la percha A o B del asta, obteniéndose soportes regularizados de formas rectangulares a partir de los cuales manufacturar las puntas poniendo en práctica diversas técnicas.
Recent research focused on bone tools manufacture has been carried out for two worked osseous assemblages from BA Central Iberia. Based on these results, débitage par extraction may be considered to have been especially important to manufacture some types of artifacts during the II millennium BC.
In this paper we analyse the manufacturing process of a specific type of adquisition tool documented at several Bronze Age sites from the region of La Mancha, in central Spain. We have focused on an assemblage of red deer antler projectile points with a very normalized production, whose manufacture was intimately linked to the extraction of rectangular blanks from beam A or B that were subsequently worked using different techniques.
The current paper focuses on the study of the worked osseous assemblage documented at the III millenium BC layers from the Los Castillejos site, which remained unpublished till now. The typological study, the raw material analysis, as well as the microscopic analysis of the surface, have been undertaken in order to know how these objects were manufactured. Moreover, a wide amount of information related to social, economic and cultural aspects, has come to light.
The aim of this paper is to show the study of a selected bone, red deer antler and ivory assemblage featured by the presence of clear curation evidences on their extremely worn surfaces. Based on the microscopic analysis of their surfaces we have gone further than both technical and functional interpretations, focusing on the social and simbolic role these artifacts may have had in the past. All of them display clear evidences of curation, even more than once, to keep them ready-‐to-‐ use.
Se trata de cinco peines, fechados en un Cobre Antiguo, tres de los cuales proceden de las excavaciones de Tarradell durante los años cuarenta en Cueva Alta. Los otros dos artefactos fueron documentados en las interven- ciones del departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada entre 1971 y 1974 en la zona del poblado.
manufactura, así como una cierta normalización formal de este tipo de artefactos dentados, siendo conscientes del reducido tamaño de la muestra. Asimismo, gracias al estudio traceológico, hemos encontrado diversas evidencias relacionadas directamente con una funcionalidad muy concreta.
Both the spatial and contextual analysis have been also carried out here, in order to see the distribution of these artifacts on the site and whether there is or not changes in morphology and manufacturing techniques over space and time.
(Darro, Granada) are discussed in this paper. The results stress different conclusions related to
the funerary ritual and the features of the buried population. The anthropological characterization shows a population without biases of sex and
age, although with a clear under-representation of subadult individuals as result of probably taphonomic processes. The health conditions
are dominated by degenerative joint diseases, followed by infectious disease and trauma. The oral pathologies are consistent with a diet low in carbohydrates. Particularly noteworthy are the marks such as grooves and notches found in three teeth probably related to thread and cordages preparation. Marine shells, sometimes modified to be used as necklace beads, and animal phalanges also were found as grave goods.
very different elements, such as meat, milk, wool or bone. The aim of this paper is to approach the importance of
animals as a source of hard raw material in human technology during the 2nd millennium BC. Our main goal is to
spotlight the careful selection of the bones to manufacture specific items, focusing on the ancient beliefs and
myths that human groups might have had towards some animal species and how they could have influenced that
choice. Thus, an assemblage of 830 items from four archaeological sites located in the southern half of the Iberian
Peninsula: Motilla del Azuer (Ciudad Real), Motilla de las Ca!nas (Ciudad Real), Pe!nalosa (Ja"en) and Cerro de la
Encina (Granada). The discussion involves aspects such as the use of especial raw materials, labor investment,
use-wear patterns, as well as curation and maintenance. Thus, it can be pointed out the presence of certain
manufacturing traditions for some type of objects whose morphology has remained almost unaltered since the
Chalcolithic.
of large-sized mammals, possibly deer. Once the preliminary forms were obtained, they were regularised through intense abrasion, which led to the production of carefully finished objects that were used as grave goods inside the tomb. The microscopic study of these items shows little or no use-wear before their final deposition, which, given the specific context of some of them, could suggest a functionality linked to some practice linked to the burial ritual.
La manufactura de artefactos óseos ocupó un lugar de importancia en el seno de las sociedades calcolíticas del sur de la Península Ibérica, tanto en la vida cotidiana como en la esfera simbólica. Presentamos el aná- lisis del conjunto de hueso trabajado documentado en el tholos de Montelirio (Castilleja de Guzmán, Sevilla). Pese a lo reducido de la muestra, el estudio traceológico de las superficies de los artefactos ha revelado una gran uniformidad en el proceso de elaboración. En general, predominan los elementos apuntados de fuste delgado y alargado, en su mayor parte realizados a partir de porciones diafisiarias de huesos largos de mamíferos de gran talla, posiblemente ciervo. Obtenidos los soportes, éstos fueron regularizados por abrasión intensa, resultando cuidados artefactos depositados como parte del ajuar funerario. El estudio microscópico de estos útiles ha mostrado su escaso o nulo uso antes de ser amortizados, lo que, junto con el contexto particular de algunos de ellos, podría indicar una posible funcionalidad ligada posiblemente a alguna actividad del ritual funerario.
En el presente artículo se analiza el proceso de manufactura de un grupo de puntas de proyectil realizadas en asta de ciervo cuya producción parece estar bastante normalizada. Para ello, se emplearon de forma sistemática porciones obtenidas por extracción de la percha A o B del asta, obteniéndose soportes regularizados de formas rectangulares a partir de los cuales manufacturar las puntas poniendo en práctica diversas técnicas.
Recent research focused on bone tools manufacture has been carried out for two worked osseous assemblages from BA Central Iberia. Based on these results, débitage par extraction may be considered to have been especially important to manufacture some types of artifacts during the II millennium BC.
In this paper we analyse the manufacturing process of a specific type of adquisition tool documented at several Bronze Age sites from the region of La Mancha, in central Spain. We have focused on an assemblage of red deer antler projectile points with a very normalized production, whose manufacture was intimately linked to the extraction of rectangular blanks from beam A or B that were subsequently worked using different techniques.
The current paper focuses on the study of the worked osseous assemblage documented at the III millenium BC layers from the Los Castillejos site, which remained unpublished till now. The typological study, the raw material analysis, as well as the microscopic analysis of the surface, have been undertaken in order to know how these objects were manufactured. Moreover, a wide amount of information related to social, economic and cultural aspects, has come to light.
The aim of this paper is to show the study of a selected bone, red deer antler and ivory assemblage featured by the presence of clear curation evidences on their extremely worn surfaces. Based on the microscopic analysis of their surfaces we have gone further than both technical and functional interpretations, focusing on the social and simbolic role these artifacts may have had in the past. All of them display clear evidences of curation, even more than once, to keep them ready-‐to-‐ use.
Se trata de cinco peines, fechados en un Cobre Antiguo, tres de los cuales proceden de las excavaciones de Tarradell durante los años cuarenta en Cueva Alta. Los otros dos artefactos fueron documentados en las interven- ciones del departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad de Granada entre 1971 y 1974 en la zona del poblado.
manufactura, así como una cierta normalización formal de este tipo de artefactos dentados, siendo conscientes del reducido tamaño de la muestra. Asimismo, gracias al estudio traceológico, hemos encontrado diversas evidencias relacionadas directamente con una funcionalidad muy concreta.
Both the spatial and contextual analysis have been also carried out here, in order to see the distribution of these artifacts on the site and whether there is or not changes in morphology and manufacturing techniques over space and time.