Armando González Martín

Seated positions are extraordinarily exceptional in prehistoric graves and despite the increasing number of new cases its social meaning remains uncertain. This paper presents a new finding of a Bronze Age seated burial discovered in the prehistoric cemetery of Humanejos (Parla). Such a unique burial is carefully analyzed in the context of the IInd millennium cal BC burial rituals. Firstly, the different phases of the inhumation were de- scribed through an archaeothanatological approach, which showed that the body was originally bound in a sitting position and then the upper part, which was exposed, naturally collapsed after the decomposition process. Furthermore, the biological features of this young man were studied by the osteological examination of the body and C/N isotopes analyses. Finally, the only object found within the human remains, a flint arrowhead, was examined through use-wear analyses. Different hypothesis are proposed about the possible social meaning be- hind this strange burial ritual in the context of the Late Prehistory mortuary dataset, from the “bad death” (execution?, public punishment?) to other parallels pointing to the burial ritual of someone special within the community (elite/Shaman).

Puberty and adolescence represent a significant period of physical growth and maturation and a critical life stage in which children transition into adults within their societies. Numerous studies have observed a secular trend and have determined that puberty is now occurring earlier than in the past. This investigation represents the first application of a methodology for assessing the pubertal status of osteological remains to a prehistoric skeletal sample. Six Bronze Age adolescent skeletons from the Cerro de La Encantada archaeological site (Ciudad Real, Spain) were analyzed. Pre‐pubescence was observed at age 9 and the transition phase of the pubertal growth spurt at 15 years of age. These results were similar to those obtained from medieval, Industrial Revolution, and modern populations, both within and outside of the Iberian Peninsula. The similarity in the development of the Bronze Age adolescents to that of other past and contemporary populations suggests that the pubertal process has remained essentially unchanged across millennia until recent times. However, other interpretations, including the influence of a subpar developmental environment and potential methodological artifacts, are possible. Nevertheless, studies of this type provide important information about a crucial transitory period in human development.

Two Bell Beaker tombs in Toledo’s province aid to evaluate the women burials from the Iberian Peninsula
and the existence of identifiable behaviour based on sex. Women are part of Bell Beaker burials and they appear in all
the different constructions, associations and rituals distinctive of this period of time. Grave goods show heterogeneity
while displaying her social relevance and integration within their society. This suggests that the women burials remain
in the same social status of Bell Beaker communities, regardless of sex. The fact that one of the case studies is a
pregnant woman allows us to rethink the importance of maternity in the 3rd millennium B.C. and the casuality of the
pregnancy in women death in the past

Positive results have been obtained from resuming the study of the dolmen of El
Portillo de las Cortes (Guadalajara, Spain) taking into account materials that are nowadays
kept in the MAN (Museo Arqueológico Nacional) as well as recent fieldwork. We hereby
present a new C14 date obtained from a recently found and documented skull from the
MAN, and new perspectives about possible ancient interventions to rebuild the monument
and about supply sources for the community that erected it.

Abstract: Prehistoric urn burials in the inland Tagus valley
are characterised through the known examples in the area and
three new ones at the site of Las Mayores (Toledo), for which
archaeometric data have recently been obtained. The information
obtained allows a reflection, first on their relationship
with other parts of Iberia, especially the Argaric world, where
such burials are well known. In second place, their identification
within the regional sequence is assessed, as they are
characteristic of the Bronze Age but foreign to ProtoCogotas
communities. Pithoi burials did not enjoy a tradition in inland
Iberia and their great variability does not allow social considerations
at the community level. This practice is only comprehensible
within the small family circles of the segmentary societies
that characterised the Bronze Age in the area.

For many years, researchers have been examining the multiple factors that influence the stage of bone
preservation. In this sense, many studies have faced this complex challenge by reviewing the stage of bone preservation from different archaeological sites. The present study approaches the possible effect of the burial rites in postdepositional body transformations through the analysis of the final stages of preservation. To accomplish this, we have analysed the stages of preservation of adult skull bones (frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital) from two samples that come
from two Hispanic-Muslim cemeteries from different locations on the Iberian Peninsula and belongs to different periods. Our results show that skull bones present a significant side dependence in their preservation stage, in which the occipital
bone seems to be less preserved than the other three skull bones which are usually in contact with the tomb soil. Therefore, in this case, it could be asserted that a concrete extrinsic factor, skeletal position in Muslim burial rites, is related to the signal described in bone completeness and in this stage of preservation.

Despite its biological, social, and cultural importance, adolescence has been largely overlooked in historic groups as its measurement depends primarily on secondary sexual characteristics that cannot be observed in skeletal remains. Any information that can be obtained about this critical period permits for a better understanding of both life and death in historic populations. This study applies a newly outlined methodology by Shapland and Lewis (Am J Phys Anthropol 151:302–310, 2013; Am J Phys Anthropol 153:144–153, 2014) for assessing pubertal growth using osteological material to the San Nicolás Maqbara, a Hispano-Muslim burial site in the Spanish city of Murcia dating from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries AD. Despite an original sample of 80 adolescent skeletons, the methodology was applied to 54 individuals, of which 32 were assigned a pubertal stage. The San Nicolás adolescents experienced pubertal growth onset at a similar age to modern Spaniards but fell behind at achievement of peak height velocity (PHV). Delays in the attainment of later stages resulted in an extended adolescent growth period. Females progressed through the pubertal stages earlier and quicker than their male counterparts and were determined to be post-pubescent at 16–19 years of age while males had yet to reach this milestone in their late teenage years. As the developmental patterns of the San Nicolás adolescents appear to be quite similar to previously studied historic groups, it is suggested that the trends observed could be methodological artifacts or inherent to the study of osteological material.

El Rebollosillo is a small karstic cave located in the
center of Iberia used for the disposition of secondary
burials during the mid third millennium BC. We present
bioanthropological, isotopic (87Sr/86Sr, δ 13C y δ 18O)
analyses and 16 radiocarbon dates on human remains,
as well as mineralogical characterization of 6 beads (4 of
them variscite from Palazuelo de las Cuevas, Zamora), and
a quantitative analysis of 43 pottery fragments recovered
during the 1989 excavations. A minimum of 21 individu-als
have been identified, covering all age ranges and sex. Low
percentages of pathologies have been detected, mainly
dental calculus and caries, with specific cases of cribra
orbitalia, periostosis and arthritis. Only adults received
a clearly individualized treatment, suggestive of achieved
status. We interpret the evidence as a multi-staged mortuary
program, the last phase of which is documented at the site,
with previous stages perhaps carried out elsewhere, and
we evaluate these results in the context of the regional
funerary record.

Bone researches have studied extant and extinct taxa extensively trying to disclose a complete view of the complex structural and chemical transformations that model and remodel the macro and microstructure of bone during growth. However, to approach bone growth variations is not an easy task, and many aspects related with histological transformations during ontogeny remain unresolved. In the present study, we conduct a holistic approach using different techniques (polarized microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction) to examine the histomorphological and histochemical variations in the cortical bone of sheep specimens from intrauterine to adult stages, using environmentally controlled specimens from the same species. Our results suggest that during sheep bone development, the most important morphological (shape and size) and chemical transformations in the cortical bone occur during the first weeks of life; synchronized but dissimilar variations are established in the forelimb and hind limb cortical bone; and the patterns of bone tissue maturation in both extremities are differentiated in the adult stage. All of these results indicate that standardized histological models are useful not only for evaluating many aspects of normal bone growth but also to understand other important influences on the bones, such as pathologies that remain unknown.

El dolmen de Lagunita I es una cámara trapezoidal realizada sobre un monumento anterior de mayor longitud. En su túmulo se detectan distintas construcciones de diferentes momentos de refactura del monumento, que a su papel simbólico suman su uso funerario, albergando los enterramientos más recientes que ratifican la utilidad del enclave del Neolítico Final a la Edad del Hierro. A este uso reciente del monumento se refiere esta comunicación, aportando un avance de los análisis aún en curso, y su comparación con reutilizaciones tardías de megalitos próximos.

Abstract
The Archaeology and Physical Anthropology represent a multidisciplinary approach from which human past researchers could enrich their archaeological sites interpretations. The interaction of both disciplines permit overpass the analysis of isolated individuals in a specific archaeological context, and to reach a holistic understanding of the entire osteological remains recovered. Paleodemography deals with the
study of demographic structure in this archaeological populations and their diachronic evolution, and is an essential starting point for any investigation that involve inferences related with the biology and behaviour of past populations.
Taking into account the particular historical context, being an important Early-Christian monument founded in the 4th century and used as a cemetery until the 13th century, and due to the exceptional stage of preservation presented by the skeletal material, Marialba de la Ribera is one of the most important archaeological location of the NW of the Iberian Peninsula. The archaeological site was firstly excavated in the 60’s by Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI) of Madrid, who described the main building as a martyrdom church (martyrium or basilica), and recovered at least 100 skeletons of the inside and the surroundings of this monument. Posterior field works, carried out in 2009, revealed an important cemetery that finally permitted us to carry out the analysis of 269 individuals that were recovered in the different areas of the site.
This paper presents the first approach of the demographic analysis of the archaeological population recovered at the cemetery of Marialba de la Ribera (Villaturiel, León). Almost all individuals were age characterized and assigned to a concrete age group. The sample was composed by 119 non-adult and 150 adult individuals. Concerning sex determination, it was possible to ascribe 123 adult individuals and using a life table to estimate 25.55 years old as the population life expectancy at birth.
Taking into account our results it seems that the archaeological population recovered at Marialba de la Ribera presents a natural or pretransitional mortality pattern in which the life expectancy at birth reaches a maximum peak in the 10-14 age group and a minimum in the senile adults group. This pattern is similar to the one described in other osteoarchaeological samples recovered in the nearby regions and with similar chronologies. Despite this, it was detected an important bias concerning the individuals from the younger group ages. Those individuals from the 0-4 age group were underrepresented and on the contrary, individuals from 5-9 age group appeared over-represented.
The contrast of all this data with the heterogeneous spatial distribution of the tombs described in the cemetery has permitted us to propose that it exist an intentional use of the funerary space in the different areas of the site. It is probably that those areas still unexcavated, host the individuals of the non-adult age groups underrepresented in the sample. We expect that this preliminary result stimulates future interventions
in the archaeological site, which would permit us to corroborate this hypothesis.

RESUMEN
La Paleodemografía es la disciplina que se ocupa del estudio de los parámetros demográficos de las poblaciones pretéritas y su evolución diacrónica, resultando el punto de partida de cualquier investigación posterior. En este trabajo se analizan las características paleodemográficas de los antiguos pobladores de Marialba de la Ribera (Villaturiel, León), a partir del estudio de 269 individuos recuperados en su cementerio. Este yacimiento, con una extensa secuencia cronológica desde época tardorromana a medieval, es considerado de los más importantes del noroeste peninsular. Los resultados del estudio paleodemográfico parecen concordantes con un modelo pretransicional de mortalidad natural, obteniéndose datos afines a los referidos para otras poblaciones de la región con similar cronología. Sin embargo, se ha evidenciado
una subrepresentación en el grupo de 0-4 años y una sobrerepresentación en el grupo 5-9 años, que ahora podrían ser explicadas por el uso diferencial del espacio funerario y la excavación parcial del yacimiento.

LABURPENA
Paleodemografia da iraganeko populazioen parametro demografikoak eta haien bilakaera diakronikoa aztertzeaz arduratzen den diziplina. Ondoren egin beharreko edozein ikerketatarako abiapuntua izaten da. Lan honetan, Marialba de la Riberako (Villaturiel, Leon) garai bateko biztanleen ezaugarri paleodemografikoak aztertu dira bertako hilerrian berreskuratu dituzten 269 banakoren ikerketatik abiatuta. Aztarnategi hori da penintsulako ipar-mendebaldeko garrantzitsuenetako bat eta sekuentzia kronologiko zabala jasotzen du erromatar berantiarretik hasi eta Erdi Arora arte. Ikerketa paleodemografikoaren emaitzak, itxuraz, bat datoz hilkortasun naturalaren trantsizio aurreko ereduarekin eta antzeko kronologia duten eskualdeko beste populazio batzuetarako aipatutakoen antzeko datuak lortu dira. Dena den, 0-4 urte artekoen taldean ordezkaritza txikiegia eta 5-9 urtekoen taldearen gehiegizko ordezkaritza ikusi dira. Ehorzketarako eremuaren eta aztarnategiaren indusketa partzialaren arteko erabilera diferentziala izan daiteke horren guztiaren azalpena.

The methodology for sex determination in human skeletal remains depends on the different bone morphologies presented by men and women. Due to their direct implications in reproduction, the whole pelvis,
particularly the os coxae, shows different characteristics in either sex. The sacrum and the os coxae constitute the birth canal. In this research study, the os coxae shape is analyzed using geometric morphometrics, providing information on morphology, regardless of size or any other factor beyond the geometry itself. A total of 46 adult ossa coxae from a Spanish archaeological collection were studied using geometric morphometrics. The results show that there is a restriction on the shape of female os coxae. In contrast, male os coxae presents a greater
range of variation. The biological reason for this difference is the obstetrical dilemma; a concept defined as the anatomical conflict between bipedalism and the full-term birth of a neonate whose large head requires greater dimensions in the pelvic cavity. Our experimental data reinforce the validity of the obstetrical dilemma as source of the restriction on the shape of female ossa coxae. Additionally, according to the results obtained, size itself does not represent a condition for belonging to one sex or another.

Positive results have been obtained from resuming the study of the dolmen of El Portillo de las Cortes (Guadalajara, Spain) taking into account materials that are nowadays kept in the MAN (Museo Arqueológico Nacional) as well as recent fieldwork. We hereby present a new C14 date obtained from a recently found and documented skull from the MAN, and new perspectives about possible ancient interventions to rebuild the monument
and about supply sources for the community that erected it.

For many years, clinical and non-clinical investigations have investigated cortical bone structure in an attempt to address questions related to normal bone development, mineralisation, pathologies and even evolutionary trends in our lineage (adaptations). Research in the fields of medicine, materials science, physical anthropology, palaeontology, and even archaeobiology has contributed interesting data. However, many questions remain regarding the histomorphological and histochemical variations in human cortical bone during different stages of life. In the present work, we describe a study of long bone cortex transformations during ontogeny. We analysed cross-sections of 15 human humeri histomorphologically and histochemically from perinatal to adult age, marking and quantifying the spatial distribution of bone tissue types using GIS software and analysing the mineral composition and crystallinity of the mineralised cortex using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Our results allowed us to propose that human cortical bone undergoes three main ‘events’ through ontogeny that critically change the proportions and structure of the cortex. In early development, bone is not well mineralised and proportionally presents a wide cortex that narrows through the end of childhood. Before reaching complete maturity, the bone mineral area increases, allowing the bone to nearly reach the adult size. The medullary cavity is reduced, and the mineral areas have a highly ordered crystalline structure. The last event occurs in adulthood, when the ‘oldest’ individuals present a reduced mineralised area, with increasing non-mineralised cavities (including the medullary cavity) and reduced crystalline organisation.

In this article we will reflect upon the presence of single and collective burials in necropolis from the III millennium BC. in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. Cave 9 of the Valle de las Higueras, artificial cave necropolis in Huecas (Toledo) is used as a starting point for this objective. Nowadays the burials that used to be thought of as isolated and were interpreted in a linear manner, leading to the Bell Beaker individuality, should be assessed differently. It is not possible to discuss individuality and collectivity in absolute terms. However, these behaviours can be defined within the usage of the constructions and necropolis that hold them. Bell Beaker, which is significantly present in Central Iberia, especially in funerary records, should be understood in the ideological and social context of these cemeteries.
Although cave 9 is the only individual structure of the cemetery, its chamber and long passage are evidences of the Valle de las Higueras hypogeums’ megalithic roots. The tomb deliberate individuality is confirmed by the fact that it was closed as soon as the deceased adult was placed inside. The stone dagger that is amongst the grave goods distinguishes the deceased.
Cave 9 has been dated back to the first half of the III millennium BC using C14 dating. This establishes it as the oldest tomb of the cemetery. Although its characteristics do not permit it to be included in the collective megalithic tradition, it anticipates the individuality that is traditionally linked to Bell Beaker phenomenon. The flint dagger found amongst the grave goods could have a similar function as the metal weapons associated with Bell Beaker in a later period of time.
Therefore this example is also useful in order to analyse the previous tradition in which Bell Beaker is inserted and the scarce ideological interruption with the ancestral ritual it is associated. This is visible in cave 9’s appropriation of clear precedents; the megalithic construction, the single burial, the crouched position of the deceased and the distinguishing dagger. A great part of the genuine novelties attributed to Bell Beaker should be revised and specified more deeply as they repeat previous customs.
Valle de las Higueras is not a unique case in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. Currently a considerable number of necropolis from the III millennium BC are known. Most of them include Bell Beaker pottery in their final phase, associating single and collective burials in pits as well as hypogeums. These necropolis cover an extensive period of time and their different sectors or cores are more compact during the second half of the III millennium BC as a result of the economic and demographic intensification that started at the end of the previous millennium. In order to determine which type of burial, individual or collective, is more representative, it is important to be well aware of the necropolis organization and the changes or continuities Bell Beaker’s incorporation brings. Individuality and collectivity are different identities within a single social reality. This reality can only be understood within these funerary groups and their dynamics throughout the III millennium BC.

La Casilla de Cartón – Los Cercos se encuentra ubicado entre Seseña y Ciempozuelos (Toledo y Madrid), sobre la vega del Jarama y cercano al BIC de las Salinas de Espartinas. Representa una fase más del complejo económico y social, prehistórico e histórico, que articula las salinas; siendo el final de la explotación de tipo industrial romano de la sal extendida a la vega, manifestando los cambios de índole económico, social e incluso religiosa que se producen por el establecimiento final de una necrópolis tardorromana en el área de estudio, en la que se realizaron intervenciones arqueológicas durante los años 2003-2004.

El estudio arqueológico y antropológico del yacimiento Príncipe 11 en pleno casco urbano de Aranjuez (Madrid) confirma no solo la declaración de Zona de Protección Arqueológica urbana, sino que en investigación viene a sumarse a una lista de establecimientos e inhumaciones que
conforman un verdadero Bronce Medio o Pleno meseteño con diversidades regionales e incluso
locales que los individualizan.
Esto evidencia tanto una evolución propia de las tradiciones
indígenas, como en menor medida contactos externos -que no aportes de población- muy dispares -regionales, foráneas- con otras zonas que poseen una mayor complejidad si no económica, sí social. Estos elementos culminarán en la consolidación de un morfotipo cultural original -Cogotas 1-
prácticamente estable y exponente del modelo social y económico elegido por los grupos que ocuparon la Meseta y parte de los rebordes montañosos, durante casi un milenio.

El estudio conforma el número 2 de las publicaciones ARANJUEZ STUDIA en 1999, como monografía de investigación en colaboración entre personal de ARGEOS ESTUDIO DE ARQUEOLOGÍA S.L. y la UNIDAD DE ANTROPOLOGÍA de la Facultad de Biología de la UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE MADRID.

Presentamos los resultados del análisis de dos tumbas del yacimiento del Sector 22 en Toledo. Sus cuatro individuos reúnen algunos de los aspectos más singulares de los enterramientos Cogotas I de la Meseta, y una fecha C-14 que asegura su adscripción. Las sepulturas se encuadran
posteriormente en el conjunto de enterramientos Cogotas que conocemos hoy en el Tajo, valorando y contrastando con la Meseta Norte, cuestiones que atañen a la cronología, los modos funerarios, la población enterrada y la localización espacial de las tumbas.

El estudio en profundidad del hueso humano arqueológico puede aportar información relevante a la ciencia de los biomateriales, al informar sobre la evolución del proceso de implante de biovidrios o biocerámicas reabsorbibles. En este trabajo, se propone una aproximación, mediante diferentes técnicas de microscopía, espectroscopía y difracción de rayos X, a la variabilidad histológica y mineral del tejido óseo en el transcurso de la ontogenia y así, poder realizar una extrapolación que permita comprender mejor el implante de materiales biodegradables. Respecto a la variabilidad histológica, se han observado diferentes tipos de tejidos en la cortical del hueso en las distintas edades, siendo el hueso fibrolaminar principal en etapas tempranas de la vida, y el hueso secundario o haversiano en etapas adultas. Los análisis de espectroscopía Raman e infrarroja indican un aumento en la cristalinidad de la parte inorgánica del hueso a lo largo del ciclo vital. Por último, el estudio del tejido óseo mediante difracción de rayos X muestra la presencia de β-fosfato de calcio e hidroxiapatito como componentes minerales principales del hueso

For many years, clinical and non-clinical investigations have investigated cortical bone structure in an attempt to address questions related to normal bone development, mineralisation, pathologies and even evolutionary trends in our lineage (adaptations). Research in the fields of medicine, materials science, physical anthropology, palaeontology, and even archaeobiology has contributed interesting data. However, many questions remain regarding the histomorphological and histochemical variations in human cortical bone during different stages of life. In the present work, we describe a study of long bone cortex transformations during ontogeny. We analysed cross-sections of 15 human humeri histomorphologically and histochemically from perinatal to adult age, marking and quantifying the spatial distribution of bone tissue types using GIS software and analysing the mineral composition and crystallinity of the mineralised cortex using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Our results allowed us to propose that human cortical bone undergoes three main ‘events’ through ontogeny that critically change the proportions and structure of the cortex. In early development, bone is not well mineralised and proportionally presents a wide cortex that narrows through the end of childhood. Before reaching complete maturity, the bone mineral area increases, allowing the bone to nearly reach the adult size. The medullary cavity is reduced, and the mineral areas have a highly ordered crystalline structure. The last event occurs in adulthood, when the ‘oldest’ individuals present a reduced mineralised area, with increasing non-mineralised cavities (including the medullary cavity) and reduced crystalline organisation.

Throughout ontogeny, human bones undergo differentiation in terms of shape, size and tissue type; this is a complex scenario in which the variations in the tissue compartmentalisation of the cortical bone are still poorly understood. Currently, compartmentalisation is studied using methodologies that oversim- plify the bone tissue complexity. Here, we present a new methodological approach that integrates a his- tological description and a mineral content analysis to study the compartmentalisation of the whole mineralised and non-mineralised tissues (i.e., spatial distribution in long bone sections). This new meth- odology, based on Geographical Information System (GIS) software, allows us to draw areas of interest (i.e., tracing vectorial shapes which are quantifiable) in raw images that are extracted from microscope and compared them spatially in a semi-automatic and quantitative fashion. As an example of our meth- odology, we have studied the tibiae from individuals with different age at death (infant, juvenile and adult). The tibia’s cortical bone presents a well-formed fibrolamellar bone, in which remodelling is clearly evidenced from early ontogeny, and we discuss the existence of ‘‘lines of arrested growth’’. Concurrent with the histological variation, Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy analyses corroborate that the mineral con- tent in the cortical bone changes differentially. The anterior portion of the tibia remains highly pierced and is less crystalline than the rest of the cortex during growth, which is evidence of more active and con- tinuous remodelling. Finally, while porosity and other ‘‘non-mineralised cavities’’ are largely modified, the mineralised portion and the marrow cavity size persist proportionally during ontogeny.

En el presente artículo se analizan restos humanos y arqueológicos del yacimiento del cerro de La Encantada
(Granátula de Calatrava, Ciudad Real) con el objetivo de comprender ciertos aspectos sobre la estructura
social del Bronce de La Mancha a través de un análisis multidisciplinar. El examen de los marcadores
de actividad física, la antropometría, además de una primera valoración de la relación con los ajuares
funerarios, intenta desvelar una nueva visión sobre la organización social y económica de La Mancha entre
el 2200 y el 1300 cal BC.

In this paper, archaeological and anthropological remains from cerro de La Encantada (Granátula de Calatrava,
Ciudad Real) are analyzed in order to understand aspects about the communities of La Mancha Bronze
Age though a multidisciplinary approach. Analysis of markers of physical activity, anthropometry, and a first
view on grave goods associated will provide a picture about social and economic structure of La Mancha
Bronze Age between 2200 and 1300 cal BC.

En el presente artículo se analizan restos humanos y arqueológicos del yacimiento del cerro de La Encantada (Granátula de Calatrava, Ciudad Real) con el objetivo de comprender ciertos aspectos sobre la estructura social del Bronce de La Mancha a través de un análisis multidisciplinar. El examen de los marcadores de actividad física, la antropometría, además de una primera valoración de la relación con los ajuares funerarios, intenta desvelar una nueva visión sobre la organización social y económica de La Mancha entre el 2200 y el 1300 cal BC.

In this paper, archaeological and anthropological remains from cerro de La Encantada (Granátula de Calatrava, Ciudad Real) are analyzed in order to understand aspects about the communities of La Mancha Bronze Age though a multidisciplinary approach. Analysis of markers of physical activity, anthropometry, and a first view on grave goods associated will provide a picture about social and economic structure of La Mancha Bronze Age between 2200 and 1300 cal BC.

The theme of death as historiographical subject has a long history. However, the project presented here tries, on the one hand, to focus their objectives on very specific perspectives that are linked to a matter of absolute actuality in the field of humanities research, the construction of power. From that perspective, it aims to analyze the use of the death as an instrument of power and representation by the dominant elites in society and in the articulation of collective political and cultural values. It also aims to orientate from a line of clear interdisciplinary work (history, art, literacy, philosophy, music, epigraphy, codicology, anthropology ect.), that can build a broader interpretive prism and deeper analysis.
The monarchy at the head, the lens extends to the most conspicuous representatives of high secular and ecclesiastical aristocracy -nobles, urban patricians, prelates. The inevitability of death does not seem to be an impediment to the development of control mechanisms and ideological development of political and social power. By contrast, the ruling elites are able to build a speech and patterns of representation and permanent or temporary about death aimed at strengthening these instruments and turn them into models of continuity and transformation interested propaganda. From the good die preparation to the ritualization and complexity of specific liturgies and ceremonies, construction of buildings and pantheons or the translation of literary and historiographical values and instantiations, the prince's death, understood in the sense that historiography gives this term applied to the Middle Ages, much more comprehensive than the current sense, it points more towards continuity and progress than the breaking in the construction of power.
The topic allows an analysis from very different points of view and using very diverse sources along with different methodologies of investigation. However, in this first investigation period it has been prefered – in order to do it more approachable- to limit it in time and space, without trying to analyze every possible angle. In time, this period starts with the so called “gregorian reform”, its repercusion and ideological, political and cultural scope are well known. It ends with the affirmation of the monarchic powers and a new structure of the power relations during the fifteenth century. In space, it focuses on the territory that in great meassure, is used as a reference during these processes, France, and in the hispanic kingdoms for a better appreciation of the possible relations with its ultrapyrenean neighbour and among each other.
The complexity of information sources, from diplomas to the accounting information, from large to smaller architectural pieces sumptuary works with sculptural, pictorial or musical, and of course, literary and thought works, chronic prepared or ceremonial pieces also require a multidisciplinary methodological approach, from which to establish comparative analysis from the various areas of knowledge and over time and space.

El yacimiento arqueológico de Los Hitos (Arisgotas -Orgaz-, Toledo) es un importante complejo rural y sacro relacionado con las élites tardoantiguas de la capital de Toledo. Los registros arqueológicos y documentales revelan el proceso de monumentalización de Toledo y su territorio a lo largo del siglo VII, y permiten comprender el colapso del modelo territorial romano basado en uillae (p.e. Carranque), y su sustitución por un modelo visigodo genuino en el cual los complejos monásticos, sacros y funerarios, caso de Los Hitos, constituyeron nuevos referentes en la ordenación del territorio. La arquitectura documentada en este espacio es especialmente valiosa en este sentido y contexto y, en consecuencia, sirvió para transformar la imagen de las ciudades, territorios y paisajes ligados a los reyes, aristocracias y a las elites religiosas.