A man buried in Spain in the Bronze Age era
The Bronze Age in the Iberian Peninsula, including what is now modern-day Spain, is a fascinating and complex period that roughly spans from 2300 BCE to 700 BCE. This era marks significant advancements in metallurgy, societal structuring, and cultural development, influenced by various interactions between local and foreign cultures.
Geography and Environment
Bronze Age Spain was characterized by diverse geographical zones including the Mediterranean coastal areas, the interior Meseta, the northern mountainous regions, and the western areas along the Atlantic. These diverse landscapes influenced settlement patterns and economic activities, with coastal regions engaging more in trade while inland areas focused on agriculture and metallurgy.
Social Structure and Settlements
Society during this era was predominantly agricultural, with evidence of small, scattered villages and some larger fortified settlements, particularly in southern Spain. The emergence of such settlements suggests a stratified society, likely with chieftains or tribal leaders who controlled local resources and trade. The presence of fortified sites indicates concerns about security and possibly conflicts or rivalries among different groups or tribes.
Economy and Trade
The economy of Bronze Age Spain was primarily based on agriculture, supplemented by hunting and gathering. The introduction of metallurgy, particularly bronze working, was transformative. Copper ore was widespread, and tin, although less abundant, could be sourced or traded for, allowing for the production of bronze tools and weapons. Trade networks extended across the Mediterranean, connecting Iberian communities with those in the eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and Europe. This trade was facilitated by the region's coastal access, which played a crucial role in the exchange of goods and cultural influences.
Cultural Influences and Developments
Bronze Age Spain was a melting pot of various cultures. Indigenous cultures such as the Los Millares and El Argar in the southeast were integral to the cultural landscape. The Los Millares culture, in particular, is noted for its significant advancements in fortifications and burial practices, while El Argar culture is known for its social stratification and sophisticated metalworking. These cultures developed distinctive pottery styles and burial practices, including tholos tombs and pit graves.
Contact with other Mediterranean cultures such as the Phoenicians and Mycenaeans likely influenced local Iberian cultures, leading to technological advancements and the adoption of new customs and social structures. The Phoenicians, who settled on the southern coast, significantly impacted local cultures through trade and cultural exchange, introducing new technologies and artistic styles.
Religion and Burial Practices
Religious beliefs during the Bronze Age in Spain are inferred from archaeological finds, including sanctuaries and burial sites. There was a variety of burial practices, which included individual and collective tombs. Megalithic structures, such as dolmens and standing stones, remained significant throughout this period. These structures often served as communal burial sites and possibly as territorial markers or places of worship.
Technological Innovations
The major technological advancement of this era was the development and refinement of metallurgy. The ability to create bronze from copper and tin allowed for the production of stronger and more durable tools and weapons, spurring advancements in agriculture, warfare, and craftsmanship. Artifacts such as swords, axes, and jewelry from this period demonstrate high levels of skill and artistry.
Conclusion
Bronze Age Spain was a dynamic and formative period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula, characterized by technological innovation, increasing social complexity, and cultural exchanges. These developments laid the groundwork for the subsequent Iron Age cultures and the eventual Romanization of the region. The archaeological record from this period, consisting of settlements, artifacts, and burial sites, provides valuable insights into the lives of the people who lived in prehistoric Iberia.
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (COV20126) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles ancient populations from different geographic regions.
Modern genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (COV20126) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles modern populations from different geographic regions.
These results complement the ancient ancestry components shown in the previous section, offering a different perspective on the individual's genetic profile by comparing it with modern reference populations rather than prehistoric ancestral groups.
The G25 coordinates for the sample COV20126 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
COV20126,0.12305908,0.15522,0.03834304,-0.01513386,0.05511134,-0.0089123,4.358E-05,0.00744242,0.03162924,0.05057398,-0.00604524,0.01123266,-0.0186583,-0.00634898,-0.00617014,0.00445706,0.00495888,-0.00072562,0.00017334,-0.00243624,0.0014498,0.00395158,-0.00863508,-0.01569974,0.00321784
A western route of prehistoric human migration from Africa into the Iberian Peninsula
Being at the western fringe of Europe, Iberia had a peculiar prehistory and a complex pattern of Neolithization. A few studies, all based on modern populations, reported the presence of DNA of likely African origin in this region, generally concluding it was the result of recent gene flow, probably during the Islamic period. Here, we provide evidence of much older gene flow from Africa to Iberia by sequencing whole genomes from four human remains from northern Portugal and southern Spain dated around 4000 years BP (from the Middle Neolithic to the Bronze Age). We found one of them to carry an unequivocal sub-Saharan mitogenome of most probably West or West-Central African origin, to our knowledge never reported before in prehistoric remains outside Africa. Our analyses of ancient nuclear genomes show small but significant levels of sub-Saharan African affinity in several ancient Iberian samples, which indicates that what we detected was not an occasional individual phenomenon, but an admixture event recognizable at the population level. We interpret this result as evidence of an early migration process from Africa into the Iberian Peninsula through a western route, possibly across the Strait of Gibraltar.