Amber in prehistoric Iberia: New data and a review

Abstract

Provenancing exotic raw materials and reconstructing the nature and routes of exchange is a major concern of prehistoric archaeology. Amber has long been recognised as a key commodity of prehistoric exchange networks in Europe. However, most science-based studies so far have been localised and based on few samples, hence making it difficult to observe broad geographic and chronological trends. This paper concentrates on the nature, distribution and circulation of amber in prehistoric Iberia. We present new standardised FTIR analyses of 22 archaeological and geological samples from a large number of contexts across Iberia, as well as a wide scale review of all the legacy data available. On the basis of a considerable body of data, we can confirm the use of local amber resources in the Northern area of the Iberian Peninsula from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age; we push back the arrival of Sicilian amber to at least the 4th Millennium BC, and we trace the appearance of Baltic amber since the last quarter of the 2nd Millennium BC, progressively replacing Sicilian simetite. Integrating these data with other bodies of archaeological information, we suggest that the arrival of Baltic amber was part of broader Mediterranean exchange networks, and not necessarily the result of direct trade with the North. From a methodological perspective, thanks to the analyses carried out on both the vitreous core and the weathered surfaces of objects made of Sicilian simetite, we define the characteristic FTIR bands that allow the identification of Sicilian amber even in highly deteriorated archaeological samples.

Two new long-rostrum cranefly species from the Cretaceous Iberian amber (Diptera, Limoniidae, Helius)

“…Most of the 150 Iberian Penisula amber deposits are dated to Albian (Early Cretaceous), only a few of these localities are dated to Late Cretaceous e.g. in Asturias or Catalonia, and only two localities with amber are dated to the late Triassic (both in Alicante) 35 .…”

“…Both Basque-Cantabrian Basin and Maestrazgo Basin were formed during significant changes in fauna and flora on earth. The large sedimentary Basque-Cantabrian Basin has developed between the Iberian and European tectonic plates, the Maestrazgo basin is an intercontinental basin located in the Iberian Range 35 . In the Basque-Cantabrian Basin amber is preserved in rocks rich in organic matter from sediments, is large quantity of plants remains, coal and other continental organic material which was transported by rivers.…”

“…In the Basque-Cantabrian Basin amber is preserved in rocks rich in organic matter from sediments, is large quantity of plants remains, coal and other continental organic material which was transported by rivers. Largest deposits of Maestrazgo Basin is San Just with abundant plant remains and fusinished wood, were probably formed during subtropical hot-humid environment with hot and dry areas 35 .…”

Late Prehistoric Stelae, Persistent Places and Connected Worlds: A Multi-disciplinary Review of the Evidence at Almargen (Lands of Antequera, Spain)

“…copper, tin and/or gold), witnessed comparable processes of territorialization and became embedded in networks of long-distance connections (e.g. Armada et al 2008; Díaz-Guardamino 2010, 368–89; Ling et al 2014; Melheim et al 2018; Montero et al 2007; Murillo 1994; Murillo-Barroso & Martinón-Torres 2012; Murillo-Barroso et al 2018; Pavón 1998; Vilaça 1995; 2008; Vilaça et al 2002).

Figure 12.Distribution of Bronze Age and Iron Age sites in the Lands of Antequera with indication of the area of Almargen (sites mentioned in the text are labelled).

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El ámbar de la Cueva de los Cuarenta (Priego de Córdoba, Córdoba)

“…No será hasta el Neolítico cuando el consumo de ámbar se extienda a otras zonas peninsulares y aparezca por primera vez ámbar exógeno en sitios como el dolmen de Alberite, Cádiz (Domínguez-Bella et al 2001) o en Chousa Nova, Pontevedra (Domínguez-Bella y Bóveda Fernández 2011). Es significativo que todavía estén ausentes del centro peninsular (para una revisión véase Murillo-Barroso y Martinón-Torres 2012; Murillo- Barroso et al 2018).…”