Necrópolis de Los Algarbes
The Necrópolis de Los Algarbes is an archaeological site located in the Spanish municipality of Tarifa (Province of Cádiz, Andalusia). It represents one of the most important archaeological complexes of the province, corresponding to the Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age, being dated towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC.
Situation
The necropolis of Los Algarbes is located south of the province of Cádiz, in the Ensenada de Valdevaqueros, corresponding to the municipality of Tarifa, being located less than 1 km from the coast. Since the late 1960s they were studied; in the mid-70s, Carlos Posac Mon excavated ten burial structures related to the Bronze Age. It has been hypothesized that they had a possible function of demarcation of the territory, a kind of indicators of ownership of the different social groups buried there.
In the vicinity of the complex there is a monolith in memory of Lothar Bergmann, German researcher and speleologist, who discovered in the Province of Cádiz several dozens of caves and shelters with manifestations of rock art.
At present the deposit continues being investigated. The excavation (and conservation) of the artificial caves has allowed us to analyze social relations among the members of the population.
Description
The set consists of half a hundred funerary structures and artificial caves in the form of a circular chamber with entrances at various levels. There is also a large megalithic construction with a wide corridor carved in the sandstone, which can be related to the megalithic covered gallery burials.
The trousseau is found in this necropolis are of great wealth. They abound ceramic vessels. Pieces of bronze, ivory and gold have also been documented, as well as lithic industry, both carved and polished, and ornaments, consisting mainly of pendants and perforated discs, manufactured in mollusc shells. It has also documented rock art in the form of engravings.
From later times, the presence of other cultures has been recorded in the site, such as Phoenician, Roman and Muslim. The caves even served as housing for peasants during the 20th century.
The site, which to date had not received much attention from the general public, was put to work of value by the Junta de Andalucía between 2010 and 2012 and is currently open to the public. The opening to the public coincided with the presentation of the exhibition "Los Algarbes (Tarifa, Cádiz) The death and its social meaning makes 4000" in the Archaeological Complex of Baelo Claudia.
See also
- Rock art of the Iberian Southern Tip
- Cueva del Moro
- Cave of Bacinete
- Cueva de la Laja Alta
- Cueva del Sol
- Cueva del Tajo de las Figuras