Ceramic productions and human interactions during the Early Bronze Age in northern Iberia

Abstract

The Early Bronze Age ceramic collection found into the caves of La Llana and El Toral III in Asturias (Spain) presents common decoration such as that found in the centre of Cantabrian Spain from the same period, which resembles others found in the Ebro Valley and Atlantic Europe. Therefore, the main objective of this study it is to identify the raw material originand understand the pottery production process during the Early Bronze Age in the Cantabrianregion. A methodological approach based on the chemical and mineralogical analysis ofvessels and experimentally fired clay samples collected all over the centre of this region wasdeveloped. Furthermore, the post-depositional processes affecting the sherds composition was evaluated by employing the rare earth elements as markers. The results showed that the studied assemblage has important similarities with the raw materials of the surrounding area,which supports the hypothesis of a regional mobility