5,000-year-old tomb in Málaga reveals ancient trade networks

Photo
c edit:
U ive sity
of
Cádiz

A chaeologists
wo ki g
ea
Teba
i
Málaga,
southe
Spai ,
have
u cove ed
a
ema kably
well-p ese ved
megalithic
tomb
that
is
mo e
tha
5,000
yea s
old.
A ou ced
by
the
U ive sity
of
Cádiz,
the
st uctu e,
k ow
as
Dolme
I
of
the
La
Le tejuela
ec opolis
st etches
about
13
met es,
o
oughly
42
feet,
a d
co tai s
multiple
bu ial
compa tme ts,
huma
emai s
a d
a
imp essive
collectio
of
g ave
goods.The
discove y
offe s
mo e
tha
a
glimpse
i to
a cie t
bu ial
customs.
The
ivo y,
ambe ,
seashells
a d
ca efully
c afted
fli t
objects
fou d
i side
suggest
that
p ehisto ic
commu ities
i
southe
Ibe ia
we e
co ected
to
wide
etwo ks
of
excha ge.
These
objects
also
eveal
that
mate ials
ca yi g
symbolic
o
p estige
value
could
t avel
lo g
dista ces
ac oss
the
egio
du i g
the
thi d
mille ium
B.C.E.A
mo ume tal
tomb
i
exceptio al
co ditio The
dolme
was
excavated
du i g
fou
a chaeological
campaig s
led
by
Edua do
Vija de
a d
Se afí
Bece a
of
the
U ive sity
of
Cádiz’s
Thalassa
esea ch
g oup.
Resea che s
desc ibe
it
as
o e
of
the
most
mo ume tal
a d
complete
fu e a y
st uctu es
ide tified
i
A dalusia.The
tomb
was
built
usi g
la ge
up ight
sto e
slabs,
k ow
as
o thostats.
Some
of
these
sto es
sta d
mo e
tha
two
met es
high,
c eati g
a
substa tial
chambe
that
would
have
equi ed
co side able
pla i g,
labou
a d
coope atio
to
co st uct.
The
mo ume t
was
late
cove ed
with
la ge
ho izo tal
sto es
a d
sealed
be eath
a
mou d,
o
tumulus,
made
f om
sa d
a d
small
ocks.

That
laye ed
co st uctio
helped
p otect
the
i te io
fo
thousa ds
of
yea s.
Although
the
site
has
e du ed
imme se
cha ges
i
the
su ou di g
la dscape,
the
tomb’s
st uctu e
emai s
sufficie tly
i tact
fo
a chaeologists
to
study
its
layout
a d
co te ts
i
detail.Se afí
Bece a
said
the
site
could
be
ega ded
as
o e
of
the
most
mo ume tal
a d
best-p ese ved
dolme s
i
A dalusia.
P oject
co-di ecto
Edua do
Vija de
added
that
the
st uctu e’s
co ditio
could
allow
esea che s
to
lea
mo e
about
the
lifestyles,
ituals
a d
beliefs
of
the
commu ities
who
built
a d
used
it,
as
pe
epo ts.A
bu ial
place
used
by
ge e atio sI side
the
mo ume t,
a chaeologists
ide tified
seve al
i te al
compa tme ts
efe ed
to
as
ossua ies.
These
spaces
co tai ed
the
emai s
of
deceased
i dividuals,
i dicati g
that
Dolme
I
was
likely
a
collective
bu ial
site
athe
tha
a
tomb
built
fo
just
o e
pe so .The
a a geme t
suggests
that
the
mo ume t
may
have
bee
used
epeatedly
ove
time.
Bodies
o
bo es
could
have
bee
placed
i side
du i g
diffe e t
bu ial
ce emo ies,
allowi g
the
tomb
to
se ve
a
commu ity
ac oss
seve al
ge e atio s.The
collective
tombs
we e
ot
simply
utilita ia
spaces
to
dispose
of
the
dead.
They
may
have
helped
to
mai tai
li ks
betwee
livi g
commu ities
a d
thei
a cesto s
i
p ehisto ic
societies.
The
co ti ued
use
of
o e
mo ume t
could
also
ei fo ce
family
ide tity,
social
belo gi g
a d
claims
to
a
pa ticula
la dscape.The
compa tme ts
a d
thei
a a geme t
may
eve tually
help
esea che s
dete mi e
how
diffe e t
i dividuals
we e
t eated
afte
death.
A cheologists
will
look
at
the
positio
of
the
emai s,
the
elatio
betwee
bu ial
deposits
a d
objects,
a d
whethe
the
tomb
was
cha ged
o
exte ded
du i g
its
use.Dista t
ties
evealed
by
exotic
mate ialsSome
of
the
most
impo ta t
fi ds
a e
items
made
of
ivo y,
ambe
a d
seashells.
These
mate ials
we e
ot
easy
to
fi d
i
the
i la d
a ea
a ou d
Teba,
which
makes
thei
p ese ce
all
the
mo e
impo ta t.Seashells,
i
pa ticula ,
suggest
that
coastal
mate ials
t avelled
i la d
th ough
excha ge
etwo ks.
Jua
Jesús
Ca tillo,
a
U ive sity
of
Cádiz
p ehisto y
p ofesso
i volved
i
the
p oject,
said
thei
p ese ce
eflects
the
impo ta ce
of
the
sea
as
a
symbol
of
p estige
a d
poi ts
to
lo g-dista ce
co ectio s.Ambe
p ovides
a othe
clue.
A chaeological
esea ch
has
docume ted
the
moveme t
of
ambe
esou ces
th ough
exte sive
Medite a ea
excha ge
etwo ks
du i g
late
p ehisto y.
The
mate ial
may
have
bee
valued
fo
its
colou ,
shee
o
a ity,
a d
its
appea a ce
i
a
bu ial
co text
suggests
it
could
have
ca ied
social
o
itual
impo ta ce.The
ivo y
pieces
a e
equally
fasci ati g.
Ivo y
was
a
valuable
aw
mate ial,
which
could
be
ca ved
i to
o ame ts
o
othe
symbolic
objects.
Fu the
a chaeomet ic
a alysis
will
eed
to
be
ca ied
out
by
esea che s
to
dete mi e
the
mate ial’s
o igi
a d
how
it
a ived
i
southe
Spai .These
fi ds
challe ge
the
outdated
image
of
p ehisto ic
commu ities
as
isolated
g oups
with
little
co tact
beyo d
thei
immediate
su ou di gs.
I stead,
they
suggest
that
people
livi g
i
i la d
Ibe ia
pa ticipated
i
systems
that
moved
mate ials,
objects,
ideas
a d
cultu al
p actices
ac oss
co side able
dista ces.Tools,
weapo s
a d
sig s
of
statusThe
tomb
also
co tai ed
sophisticated
fli t
a tefacts,
i cludi g
a owheads
a d
la ge
blades.
O e
of
the
most
u usual
objects
is
a
exceptio al
halbe d,
a
weapo
esembli g
a
la ge
axe
o
blade
mou ted
o
a
shaft.The
halbe d
may
have
bee
used
i
combat,
hu ti g
o
ce emo ial
activity,
although
its
exact
pu pose
emai s
u ce tai .
Its
positio
withi
a
collective
tomb
could
suggest
that
ce tai
objects
we e
li ked
to
social
status,
leade ship
o
specific
ide tities
of
the
commu ity.G ave
goods
a e
ot
always
the
eve yday
possessio s
of
the
dead.
Possibly
some
we e
made
especially
fo
bu ial
ites
o
put
i to
the
g ave
as
gifts.
Othe s
may
have
bee
pe so al
possessio s
that
we e
used
i
life
a d
the
chose
to
accompa y
the
dead.By
looki g
at
wea
patte s,
methods
of
ma ufactu e
a d
the
co text
of
each
fi d,
esea che s
hope
to
dete mi e
whethe
the
a tifacts
we e
heavily
used,
delibe ately
placed
o
c eated
fo
symbolic
easo s.What
the
dolme
eveals
about
p ehisto y
To
co st uct
a
13-met e
sto e
mo ume t
eeded
mo e
tha
b ute
st e gth.
The
commu ity
had
to
fi d
a d
move
la ge
sto es,
o ga ize
wo ke s,
pla
the
st uctu e,
a d
mai tai
sha ed
t aditio s
about
the
t eatme t
of
the
dead.This
so t
of
coo di atio
implies
a
society
with
well
developed
commu al
systems,
a d
pe haps
developi g
status
diffe e ces.
Not
eve yo e
had
equal
access
to
exotic
mate ials
o
elabo ate
weapo s.
The
objects
could
the efo e
help
esea che s
i vestigate
how
social
oles
a d
hie a chies
developed
i
southe
Ibe ia.The
mo ume t
also
eveals
how
people
co ected
the
la dscape,
the
livi g
commu ity
a d
the
wo ld
of
the
dead.
A
visible
sto e
tomb
cove ed
by
a
mou d
could
have
se ved
as
a
sac ed
locatio ,
a
gathe i g
place
o
a
ma ke
of
te ito ial
ide tity.Dolme s
we e
ot
limited
to
A dalusia.
Simila
megalithic
st uctu es
appea ed
ac oss
pa ts
of
Eu ope
a d
Asia,
sometimes
fu ctio i g
as
tombs,
ce emo ial
spaces
o
p omi e t
la dma ks.
Spai ’s
Dolme
of
Guadalpe al,
ofte
called
the
“Spa ish
Sto ehe ge,”
a d
E gla d’s
5,000-yea -old
A thu ’s
Sto e
a e
amo g
the
bette -k ow
examples.The
esea ch
is
o ly
begi i gThe
U ive sity
of
Cádiz
p oject
is
suppo ted
by
Teba
Tow
Cou cil,
the
Pala q
Fou datio
a d
u ive sity
esou ces.
It
also
se ves
as
a
t ai i g
oppo tu ity
fo
Histo y
stude ts
lea i g
a chaeological
fieldwo k
a d
excavatio
methods.Fu the
labo ato y
a alysis
could
p ovide
additio al
i fo matio
about
the
people
bu ied
i side
Dolme
I
a d
the
objects
placed
alo gside
them.
Resea che s
may
be
able
to
i vestigate
the
o igi
of
the
ivo y
a d
ambe ,
ide tify
ma ufactu i g
tech iques,
exami e
esidues
a d
study
the
health,
diet
a d
moveme t
of
the
i dividuals.Fo
ow,
the
discove y
has
al eady
established
the
impo ta ce
of
La
Le tejuela.
The
tomb
is
ot
me ely
a
a cie t
sto e
st uctu e
filled
with
a tefacts.
It
is
evide ce
of
a
co ected,
o ga ised
a d
symbolically
ich
society
that
existed
i
southe
Spai
mo e
tha
five
mille ia
ago.The
seashells,
ambe
a d
ivo y
suggest
that
the
people
bu ied
the e
belo ged
to
a
wo ld
fa
la ge
tha
thei
immediate
su ou di gs.
Lo g
befo e
w itte
eco ds,
oads
o
mode
cities,
commu ities
we e
excha gi g
valuable
mate ials
ac oss
i la d
a d
coastal
egio s,
a d
p ese vi g
thei
beliefs
i
sto e.
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