Sexta campaña de excavaciones sistemáticas en Gatas: la meseta superior del Cerro de los Castillones, Almería

Abstract

This report presents the main results of the sixth season of excavations carried out at the prehistoric and andalusian settlement of Gatas (Turre, Almería). While previous excavations have focused mainly on the middle slopes of the hill site, the aim of this season was to investigate large parts of the top, where Louis Siret and Pedro Flores had already worked in 1886. Many of the architectural structures published by Siret could be identified and their plans completed. However nearly all of them date to the 10th-11th century AD and have nothing to do with the Bronze Age settlement. It was also possible to locate several of the Argaric tombs excavated by Flores (tomb nos. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 and probably 10), and to investigate an intact burial (tomb no. 44). It contained the remains of a 40-60 year old woman who had been buried with a carinated bowl, a small copper knife and a copper pin, i.e. a typical female association of the El Argar period. Moreover, intact occupation levels could be identified, most of which correspond to the transition between the Copper Age and El Argar. So far this period, characterised by the presence of different Beaker and other types of decorated pottery, has hardly been documented at Gatas, or at other sites in southeast Spain. It is expected that the study of these settlement phases will be of great importance for our understanding of the transition between the societies of Los Millares and El Argar.