Pottery and Metallurgical Activity in Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula during III Milennium B.C.E.: Technological choices in the manufacture of ceramic instruments associated to the metallurgical process

Abstract

In this work the first metallurgical stages of the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula are evaluated from a new theoretical and methodological approach: the technological processes used in the manufacture of metallurgical ceramics. From this way it aims to analyse the degree of interaction between the pottery and metallurgical activity, and how the introduction of the latter influenced the ways of making ceramic vessels. In this sense, by archaeometric analysis of metallurgical ceramics of three archaeological contexts from III Millennium B.C.E. (Cabezo Juré, La Junta and Valencina de la Concepción), the concept of technological choice as a theoretical framework is explored, focusing on the study of the early stages of the manufacturing process of these instruments. The results provided show the existence of significant differences in the technological processes used in the manufacture of various metallurgical ceramics, especially when compared with domestic vessels.