Fuente Álamo

Fuente Álamo, located in the southeast of Spain, is a landmark for the important Early Bronze Age El Argar culture. The first excavations by the brothers Louis and Henri Siret at the end of the 19th century yielded such significant results that the Madrid department of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) successfully conducted research there from 1977 to 1999 together with its Spanish cooperation partners and numerous collaborators.
This sixth monograph of the project is dedicated to various archaeological material groups and scientific investigations. The meticulous analysis of the rough stone tools, their traces of use and the origin of the raw materials provides important insights into the economy and the position of Fuente Álamo in its cultural context. The ivory artefacts allow conclusions to be drawn about the far-reaching exchange relationships. Extensive faunal and botanical finds provide a vivid picture of the livestock breeding, hunting and agriculture of the time, as well as the consumption of the products obtained. At its prime, Fuente Álamo had a volume of production resources and land that exceeded both the number of workers and the livelihood of the local population. The results also suggest that the settlement was a central site for a broader economic and political organization.