Between the hearth and the store: pottery specialisation and use in the Argaric Bronze Age settlement of Peñalosa (Spain)

Abstract

Research into the Bronze Age on the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula has always occupied a pre-eminent position in the archaeological discipline. Although we can state that there is a certain degree of scientific unity regarding the main cultural features of that period, few studies have focused on the social and technological process involved in the manufacture of pottery vessels. This paper aims to remedy that situation. To do this, we provide the results obtained from the technical analysis of the pottery vessels used in two activities essential to human survival – food storage and processing – in the Bronze Age settlement of Peñalosa (2086–1450 cal BC). At the same time, the macroscopic identification of the technological patterns developed in the tasks of manufacturing earthenware jars and pots allow us to reflect on the significance of the concept of specialization in the Argar Culture.