Mining activities in the eastern Sierra Morena (Jaén, Iberian Peninsula) during recent Prehistory

A technological and functional view from a macrolithic assemblage

Bibliographic Data

ID19488587
AuthorsSelina Delgado-Raack (0000-0003-0792-9309, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, corresponding author), Luis Arboledas-Martínez (Universidad de Granada), Nicolau Escanilla-Artigas (Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio), Francisco Contreras-Cortés (Universidad de Granada)
Year2026
Volume72
Pages105726
Publication date2026-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Archaeological Science Reports (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2352-409X • E-ISSN: 2352-4103
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105726
OpenAlexW7155222362
LanguageEN
References cited15

During the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, complex socio-political changes took place within the communities inhabiting the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. In these dynamic processes, metallurgy constituted one of the most critical economic aspects in the emergence of institutional power and the development of ruling classes. The metallic sources of different kinds existing in the region of study, the eastern part of Sierra Morena (comprising the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park nowadays), played a major role in the supply of ore at local and supra-local levels. How the landscape and communities were organised to carry out the initial productive phases of the metallurgical chaîne opératoire is one of the aims of this paper. It is also addressed to understand social organisation around the ore procurement through the study of stone tools used for this purpose, including lithological, technological, and functional analysis of a macrolithic assemblage recovered during survey campaigns along the rivers Jándula and Yeguas and the excavation of the José Martín Palacios mine in the Rumblar valley (Baños de la Encina, Jaén). The characterization of different tool types has enabled the localisation of several prehistoric mining contexts, the determination of the specific tasks performed by them (extractive tasks and/or initial ore cleaning), and the proposal of a chronological context for these activities based on their technological features. Finally, we consider the implications of these results and the impact that this mining region had during Recent Prehistory in a broader geographical frame

Assemblage (archaeology) · Faunal assemblage · Sequence (biology) · Single specimen · Archaeological and Geological Studies · Geological and Geophysical Studies Worldwide · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

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