There is a deep history of archaeological investigation focusing on the Bronze Age El Argar, or Argaric, cultural phenomenon from southeastern Spain. Argaric archaeology is probably most famous for the elaborate settlement structures, well-preserved burials, and evidence for sophisticated metallurgy and material culture. The rich archaeological record and excellent preservation of human remains have provided archaeologists with incredible resources for reconstructing the lifeways of these Bronze Age peoples. Above Left: view of the site of Castellón Alto. By Rafael Jiménez from Córdoba, España - Castellon Alto 2, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21664792. Above Right: examples of grave goods recovered from an Argaric context. By Luis Siret - Siret, H., and Louis Siret (1887). «Les premiers âges du métal dans le sud-est de l'Espagne». Anvers., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1294319 I was recently involved in a collaborative research project on the human remains from the site of Castellón Alto that focused on the dental remains of the individuals buried at the site. As part of his Ph.D. research on the human remains from the site, Àngel Rubio discovered an interesting trend at the site: of the 106 burials examined, the teeth of 5 individuals showed atypical patterns of dental wear (see below). What was even more astounding was that each of those individuals was female. No males had these interesting patterns of wear. Further microscopic analysis conducted by Dr. Marina Lozano provided clues as to what behaviors may have contributed to the unique wear patterns identified on the teeth of these 5 individuals. Above: The 5 female individuals with atypical patterns of dental wear. Red arrows and circles indicate the location of the wear in the photos. Image from the article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105239. The remarkable preservation of organic remains (textiles, wool, plant fibers, etc.) in addition to extensive durable material culture (awls, loom weights, spindle whorl, needles) found at Argaric archaeological sites provided additional clues as to what tasks may have contributed to the unique patterns of dental wear on the 5 women from Castellón Alto. A probable explanation is that at least some of the women at the site were involved in specialized craft production such as textile production, processing of fiber or cordage, basketry, and similar tasks (see illustration below). Ethnohistoric documentation of the use of the teeth for craft production adds additional support that the formation of atypical dental wear in the subset of the women from Castellón Alto was related to craft production. Above: A scene of Argaric life featuring the many of the tasks related to food preparation and craft-production in the foreground. Ilustración: Miguel Salvatierra "Cultura argárica". The rich archaeological record from the Argaric contexts of southeasten Spain is bound to reveal more insights into human social lives and identities of Bronze Age peoples. In this case, analyses have revealed a unique role for at least some of the women buried at the site engaged in. References and further readingThis study:
Lozano M, Jiménez-Brobeil SA, Willman JC, Sánchez-Barba LP, Molina F, and Rubio Á. 2020. Argaric craftswomen: Sex-based division of labor in the Bronze Age southeastern Iberia. Journal of Archaeological Science:105239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105239. Additional references: I must emphasize the great resources at http://www.pastwomen.net/ and the resources on the Argaric culture in particular (http://www.pastwomen.net/objetos/cultura-argarica) for the preparation of this post. The website offers incredible, multi-language resources for the instructors, scholars, and anyone that is curious about the social lives of women in the past. The researchers, artists, and other contributors have really created an incredible resource.
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John C. Willman
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