Books by Francisco Martínez-Sevilla
Péndulo. Papeles de Bastitania, 2023
Resumen El arte esquemático en la península ibérica es un estilo singular y característico que se... more Resumen El arte esquemático en la península ibérica es un estilo singular y característico que se data de manera general en la Prehistoria Reciente. Este trabajo presenta las últimas investigaciones realizadas en el abrigo de Los Machos, que lo han convertido en el único panel de pintura esquemática del mundo en el que se ha podido identificar el sexo biológico y edad de las personas que realizaron las pinturas. El análisis de las huellas dactilares identificadas en el panel permitió definir dos autores: un hombre adulto y un joven o una mujer adulta. Además, se realiza una contextualización cronológica del panel pintado, en base a las dataciones absolutas actuales de otros sitios.
The stone bracelets are one of the most outstanding elements of personal ornaments of the ancient... more The stone bracelets are one of the most outstanding elements of personal ornaments of the ancient Neolithic in Western Mediterranean and the South of the Iberian Peninsula (5500-4800 cal. BCE). These bracelets are considered an element of cultural identity and a chronological marker of the first Neolithic societies in these areas. The study of the production processes of this ornament has brought a new approach to social relations of the early Neolithic groups of this area. The existence of specialized workshops and the circulation of these objects show the shift towards more complex social organizations. The aim of this paper is to present knapping methods and techniques carried out in the Neolithic bracelets quarry of the Cortijo Cevico. This quarry has recently been discovered and excavated, and it is the first site of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula. It is a rocky outcrop in the geological formation of Trías de Antequera, formed by dolomitic marbles. On this site we carried out the extraction works, as well as the first transformation of the knapping performs that were going to be processed as bracelets. In addition, we have applied for the first time in this paper the methodology consists on using diacritical schemes in the knapping waste of the bracelets. This methodology, along with experimentation and technical stigmas, has allowed the recognition of the techniques and methods applied to knapping dolomitic marbles and these are presented for the first time in this paper.
Papers by Francisco Martínez-Sevilla
Scientific Reports, Nov 30, 2023
The technical and intellectual capabilities of past societies are reflected in the monuments they... more The technical and intellectual capabilities of past societies are reflected in the monuments they were able to build. Tracking the provenance of the stones utilised to build prehistoric megalithic monuments, through geological studies, is of utmost interest for interpreting ancient architectures as well as to contribute to their protection. According to the scarce information available, most stones used in European prehistoric megaliths originate from locations near the construction sites, which would have made transport easier. The Menga dolmen (Antequera, Malaga, Spain), listed in UNESCO World Heritage since July 2016, was designed and built with stones weighting up to nearly 150 tons, thus becoming the most colossal stone monument built in its time in Europe (c. 3800-3600 BC). Our study (based on high-resolution geological mapping as well as petrographic and stratigraphic analyses) reveals key geological and archaeological evidence to establish the precise provenance of the massive stones used in the construction of this monument. These stones are mostly calcarenites, a poorly cemented detrital sedimentary rock comparable to those known as 'soft stones' in modern civil engineering. They were quarried from a rocky outcrop located at a distance of approximately 1 km. In this study, it can be inferred the use of soft stone in Menga reveals the human application of new wood and stone technologies enabling the construction of a monument of unprecedented magnitude and complexity. The geological characterisation and provenance of stones used for the construction of megaliths is of great value to understand the cultural and technical ability of prehistoric societies. These studies provide a great deal of technical information concerning the stone used in the architecture, as well as the techniques applied to quarry and transport them. Recent studies carried out at major world megalithic sites such as Stonehenge in Great Britain (e.g., 1,2), Valencina, in Spain (e.g., 3-5) or Easter Island (e.g., 6,7), show how geoarchaeological approaches based on petrology and geotechnics provide crucial data to understand the role of stone materials in producing monumental landscapes, involving aspects such as place-making, place-keeping and identity-building. Although thousands of megaliths have been found in Iberia, geoarchaeological approaches have only been applied to a few of them. Apart from Valencina, mentioned above, such studies are available for Chabola de la Hechicera and other dolmens in Northern Iberia (e.g., 8-10); Vale Rodrigo and Anta da Lajinha, in the west 11-13 ; Freixo-Redondo in the southwest 14 ; Puigseslloses, in the northeast 15 ; El Portillo in inner Iberia 16 as well as Alberite 17 , Palacio III 18 , El Pozuelo 19 , and Panoría 20 in the south. Albeit short, this list of studies reflects a growing interest in the subject and its potential for innovation in the analysis of late prehistoric monumentality.
Science Advances
Plant material culture can offer unique insights into the ways of life of prehistoric societies; ... more Plant material culture can offer unique insights into the ways of life of prehistoric societies; however, its perishable nature has prevented a thorough understanding of its diverse and complex uses. Sites with exceptional preservation of organic materials provide a unique opportunity for further research. The burial site of Cueva de los Murciélagos in southern Iberia, uncovered during 19th-century mining activities, contained the best-preserved hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe, together with other unique organic artifacts associated with the first farming communities, such as sandals and a wooden hammer. We present 14 14 C dates for the perishable artifacts ( N = 76), situating the assemblage between the Early and Middle Holocene (c. 7500 to 4200 cal BCE). Our integrated analysis includes raw material determination and technological and chrono-cultural contextualization of this unique and important set of materials.
Cambridge Archaeological Journal
Macrolithic tools are linked to daily activities and, fundamentally, to settlements, hence their ... more Macrolithic tools are linked to daily activities and, fundamentally, to settlements, hence their importance for the study of Late Prehistoric societies. However, these objects are also associated with funerary contexts, but have not often been analysed holistically. This paper studies an assemblage of macrolithic elements from three collective tombs from the third millennium cal. bc at the site of La Orden-Seminario (Huelva, Spain), from a theoretical and methodological perspective based on the biography of the object. Our analysis focuses on typology, raw materials, technology, function and burial context. The results show that the tools can be linked to domestic activities such as the grinding of cereals and the processing of plant materials, as well as for the production and maintenance of the elements used in these activities. The analysed objects display long biographies of use and, in some cases, we have documented intentional breakage for their deposition in the tombs. The pa...
European Journal of Archaeology 26 (2), 2023
Perforated stone plaques, known as bracers, are found across late prehistoric Europe and many of ... more Perforated stone plaques, known as bracers, are found across late prehistoric Europe and many of them
have been recovered in Bell Beaker funerary contexts, usually associated with adult individuals.
Experimental, technological, and use-wear studies have determined that the bracers were both utilitarian
and symbolic objects. Very few are found in children’s graves, but examples are known in the
Iberian Peninsula, two of which are presented here. The analyses conducted on the two bracers, including
archaeological contextualization, raw material identification, and technological and use-wear
studies, allow the authors to reconstruct their respective biographies. Although these pieces were associated
with young children, they had long lives before their final deposition in the graves. Use-wear marks on
one of the bracers suggest that it was used in archery, despite its small size.
We study a set of stone bracelets, finished and in process, from the Cueva-Sima de La Serreta, as... more We study a set of stone bracelets, finished and in process, from the Cueva-Sima de La Serreta, as well as the tools and techniques used in the manufacturing process. The working methodology is based on technological, use-wear and typological analysis of manufacture residues and finished product. The study of this material record has allowed conclusions about the use of the cave and occupation. The rock extraction of the cavity wall affected a rock paintings. It has allowed us to determine the chronology of the paintings may be earlier or synchronous to the crafts of the of the bracelets. Likewise, identifying techniques that make up the operational chain of processing stone bracelets, has led a recognition own features of this workshop that differ from the rest of workshops studied. The geographical location of La Serreta workshop is to highlight cultural relations between Neolithic populations of the South and the East of Iberia.Se estudia un conjunto de brazaletes de piedra, acaba...
[EN] A stone hammer found in June 2014 within the infill of Menga’s mound, behind upright R12 (th... more [EN] A stone hammer found in June 2014 within the infill of Menga’s mound, behind upright R12 (the second on the right as one enters the megalith), is described and studied. This artefact is firstly characterised from a geo-lithological viewpoint, which reveals it is a meta-arenite from the Campo de Gibraltar geological formation. Secondly, a use-wear analysis is carried out, showing that this object presents percussion marks on both its ends. Finally, this item is assessed from a contextual point of view and compared to other percussion tools found at the atrium and in the water well of Menga. As a conclusion, we discuss the possibility that this object was a tool used by a person working in the construction of this great megalith.[ES] Se describe y estudia una herramienta de percusión de piedra encontrada en junio de 2014 en el relleno del túmulo del dolmen de Menga, detrás del ortostato R12 (el segundo del lado derecho según se entra). Este artefacto es primero caracterizado desde un punto de vista geo-litológico, estableciéndose que es una meta-arenita a procedente de la formación geológica del Campo de Gibraltar. En segundo lugar se realiza un estudio traceológico que revela que la pieza presenta marcas de uso como herramienta de percusión en ambos extremos. Finalmente se valora este percutor desde un punto de vista contextual, comparándola con otras herramientas de percusión encontradas en el atrio y el pozo del dolmen de Menga. Como conclusión de valora la posibilidad de que esta pieza fuese una herramienta utilizada por alguna de las personas que participaron en los trabajos de cantería relacionados con la construcción de este gran megalito.Este trabajo ha sido realizado dentro de los proyectos Naturaleza, Sociedad y Monumentalidad: Investigaciones Arqueológicas de Alta Resolución del Paisaje Megalítico de Antequera (HAR2013-45149-P) (2014-2017) y Sociedades, Territorios y Paisajes en la Prehistoria de las Tierras de Antequera (Málaga) (Proyecto General de Investigación de la Secretaría de Cultura de la Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes de la Junta de Andalucía para el periodo 2013-2018).Peer reviewe
Villavieja is a Prehistoric walled enclosure located on a high plateau which overlooks the river ... more Villavieja is a Prehistoric walled enclosure located on a high plateau which overlooks the river Genil. The settlement is dated in the III millennium B.C. Villavieja has an incredible wall which is even visible today and it closes three hectares of the settlement. Furthermore, the wall was built with large stone blocks that enables an exceptional state of preservation. Recently, archaeological excavations have revealed that the wall used to be over three meters high. To conclude, Villavieja is a fascinating archaeological site which you will be amazed.
Estrat Critic Revista D Arqueologia, 2011
RESUMEN En torno a la Depresión de Granada se articulan un importante número de yacimientos neolí... more RESUMEN En torno a la Depresión de Granada se articulan un importante número de yacimientos neolíticos. La mayoría se sitúan en los rebordes montañosos, por un lado cuevas que han venido relacionándose con contextos de habitación, y por otra parte, yacimientos al aire libre establecidos en las tierras fértiles de las zonas llanas o cercanas a cursos continuos de agua. En el presente trabajo se analizan la viabilidad de habitación de los yacimientos en cueva, y además se plantea cual debió ser su función y el patrón de asentamiento para estas primeras comunidades productoras.
A set of stone bracelets from Cueva de los Mármoles have been analyced. A significant number of t... more A set of stone bracelets from Cueva de los Mármoles have been analyced. A significant number of them were under development, allowing us to reconstruct the operational chain of manufacture of this type of ornament, so typical of early neolithic societies of the South of the Iberian Peninsula.
Esta tesis doctoral analiza los brazaletes de piedra del Neolítico Antiguo en Iberia. El estudio ... more Esta tesis doctoral analiza los brazaletes de piedra del Neolítico Antiguo en Iberia. El estudio petrológico, tecnológico, tipológico y traceológico realizado de los brazaletes nos proporciona información sobre las comunidades del Neolítico inicial en las diferentes áreas geográficas de la península. Nuestro trabajo se ha establecido desde un enfoque holístico en lo referido a este objeto de adorno: las materias primas, la reconstrucción de las cadenas operativas de su elaboración y objetos acabados y abandonados después de su utilización. El estudio se han realizado sobre un total de 2549 objetos provenientes de 126 yacimientos, entre ellos: canteras, contextos de producción, asentamientos y lugares ritualizados. El uso de los brazaletes de piedra es uno de los fenómenos arqueológicos más destacado asociado a las primeras sociedades neolíticas en gran parte del Occidente Mediterráneo. Estos adornos se relacionan con el Neolítico Antiguo, caracterizado por el horizonte de las cerámi...
European Journal of Archaeology
Perforated stone plaques, known as bracers, are found across late prehistoric Europe and many of ... more Perforated stone plaques, known as bracers, are found across late prehistoric Europe and many of them have been recovered in Bell Beaker funerary contexts, usually associated with adult individuals. Experimental, technological, and use-wear studies have determined that the bracers were both utilitarian and symbolic objects. Very few are found in children's graves, but examples are known in the Iberian Peninsula, two of which are presented here. The analyses conducted on the two bracers, including archaeological contextualization, raw material identification, and technological and use-wear studies, allow the authors to reconstruct their respective biographies. Although these pieces were associated with young children, they had long lives before their final deposition in the graves. Use-wear marks on one of the bracers suggest that it was used in archery, despite its small size.
Journal of World Prehistory, 2020
Activity patterns at large prehistoric sites are often difficult to interpret, as they frequently... more Activity patterns at large prehistoric sites are often difficult to interpret, as they frequently combine productive, domestic and funerary components. Valencina, the largest of the Copper Age mega-sites in Iberia, has proved particularly challenging in this regard. Macrolithic tool assemblages have been generally neglected in these debates but can provide specific insight into the nature and patterning of activities. In this study, 185 grinding tools from seven separate excavations across this 450 ha mega-site were subjected to multiple lines of analysis including quantification, morphology, raw material, use-wear and depositional context. A surprising feature of this assemblage is the high degree of fragmentation, with more than half of the items representing less than 25% of the original artefact and only a small minority of them (< 10%) complete. The absence of intact quernstones is particularly striking. The results indicate a ritualization of deposition at Valencina, and throw new light on the interpretation of this complex site. Furthermore, they emphasize the central role that grinding technology should play in future discussion of European prehistoric mega-sites.
This paper presents the prehistoric ditched enclosure of Cerro de los Vientos located in Puente d... more This paper presents the prehistoric ditched enclosure of Cerro de los Vientos located in Puente del Obispo (Jaen, Spain). The study has made possible the characterization of the site, including its complete layout, main architectural features, two unpublished radiocarbon dates, and the pottery, lithic, and pollen analyses. The site consists of two concentric circular ditches and more than ninety pits built during the Copper Age. In addition, new structures, masonry constructions and the final infilling of the central ditch were carried out in the Bronze Age.
Open Archaeology, 2021
Ring-shaped objects, used mainly as bracelets, appear in the archaeological record associated wit... more Ring-shaped objects, used mainly as bracelets, appear in the archaeological record associated with the first farming societies around the Mediterranean area. These bracelets, among other personal ornaments, are related to the spread of the farming economy in the Mediterranean (10th–6th millennium BC). In particular, stone bracelets, given their intricate technology, are linked with the early stages of craft specialization and the beginnings of complex social organization. Likewise, their frequency in Early Neolithic assemblages and the lithologies in which they were made have become an important element in the study of the circulation networks of goods, as well as the symbolic behaviors and aesthetic preferences of the first farming groups. This research provides the first overview of the stone bracelets of Neolithic groups in the Mediterranean. We compare the similarities and differences among these ornaments in different geographical zones across the region including Turkey, Greec...
Geoarchaeology, 2017
This research provides the first evidence of prehistoric quarrying of eclogitic rocks on the Iber... more This research provides the first evidence of prehistoric quarrying of eclogitic rocks on the Iberian peninsula. Such metamorphosed basic igneous rocks are known to have been used in southern Spain and Portugal during late prehistory as a raw material for the making of polished lithic tools (axes, adzes, chisels, and hammers). These rocks were widely used primarily because of their tolerance to blow and friction due to their mineralogical and textural characteristics. We have identified two quarries within the Sierra de Baza Natural Park (Granada), in the Betic Cordillera of southern Spain: Rambla del Agua and Cerro de San Cristobal. The bedrock geology of these quarries forms part of the Mulhacen Complex Ophiolite Unit (Nevado-Filabride Domain), which discontinuously outcrops along a 250-km belt in southeastern Spain. Petrographic and geochemical analyses were conducted on raw materials from quarries in the Sierra de Baza and compared with archaeological materials from different sites in southern Iberia. These analyses allow us to specify the Nevado-Filabride-derived lithic source and define exchange networks. Archaeological sites around the studied quarries chronologically date their use between the early Neolithic and Bronze Age (∼5500–1500 B.C.).
Uploads
Books by Francisco Martínez-Sevilla
Papers by Francisco Martínez-Sevilla
have been recovered in Bell Beaker funerary contexts, usually associated with adult individuals.
Experimental, technological, and use-wear studies have determined that the bracers were both utilitarian
and symbolic objects. Very few are found in children’s graves, but examples are known in the
Iberian Peninsula, two of which are presented here. The analyses conducted on the two bracers, including
archaeological contextualization, raw material identification, and technological and use-wear
studies, allow the authors to reconstruct their respective biographies. Although these pieces were associated
with young children, they had long lives before their final deposition in the graves. Use-wear marks on
one of the bracers suggest that it was used in archery, despite its small size.
have been recovered in Bell Beaker funerary contexts, usually associated with adult individuals.
Experimental, technological, and use-wear studies have determined that the bracers were both utilitarian
and symbolic objects. Very few are found in children’s graves, but examples are known in the
Iberian Peninsula, two of which are presented here. The analyses conducted on the two bracers, including
archaeological contextualization, raw material identification, and technological and use-wear
studies, allow the authors to reconstruct their respective biographies. Although these pieces were associated
with young children, they had long lives before their final deposition in the graves. Use-wear marks on
one of the bracers suggest that it was used in archery, despite its small size.
Between January and February 2014, a rescue archaeological study was carried out at Marimacho, a hill located just in front of Menga and Viera, that is part of the Dolmens of Antequera Archeological Site. This excavation was triggered by the enlargement of the hard shoulder of the road that runs along the archaeological site, and led to the discovery of two negative features, a ditch and pit. This excavation throws new light into the nature of the site, that is associated to the great Antequeran dolmens, both spatially and chronologically, as a ditch feature is found at Marimacho for the first time.
Department of Archaeology, Durham University - 21st of June, 2018
more info: https://www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/conferences/current/buildingbridges/
example of creative genius and early science among Neolithic societies. It was designed as a completely original engineering project, for which we know of no precedents in Iberia.