Life in ancient Iberia was textured by geography — Atlantic coasts, interior plateaus and Mediterranean lowlands each fostered distinct lifeways. In cave sites such as Cueva de las Lechuzas and La Braña, bone toolkits, stone blades and hearth remains speak of hunting, seasonal foraging, and craft production. In contrast, Bronze Age settlements like Cabezo Redondo and some El Argar-associated tells in southeast Spain show planned houses, metallurgical debris and storage features indicating more intensive agriculture and craft specialization.
Burial practices vary across the region and through time. Collective tombs and megalithic monuments in some areas point to shared ancestor rituals, while single inhumations with grave goods in Bronze Age cemeteries suggest differential status or emerging social hierarchy. Material culture — pottery styles, metalwork and ornamentation — reflects both local innovation and long‑distance exchange across the western Mediterranean.
Archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological remains reveal a mixed diet of cereals, pulses, domesticated sheep and goats, supplemented by wild game and marine resources where available. These combined lines of evidence depict communities negotiating changing climates, technologies, and social networks over millennia.
