Ausgrabungen und Prospektionen im Nordbereich der chalkolithischen Siedlung von Valencina de la Concepción bei Sevilla (Andalusien). Die Kampagne des Jahres 2019

Abstract

The ›mega-site‹ of Valencina de la Concepción extends along the northeast border of the Aljarafe Plateau, 6 km to the west of modern-day Seville in the south of Spain. During prehistoric times it was located next to an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, which covered most of the estuary of the Guadalquivir River. By means of geomagnetic survey of a surface of over more than 17 ha. we were able to document a concentric system of at least 5 ditched enclosures and another smaller area that is also defined by ditches. Geomagnetic survey also revealed a large number of pits, semi-circular huts excavated in the ground as well as possible hypogea. Archaeological surveys were carried out in three different areas and yielded a large amount of material. In this paper we present the first results of the excavation campaigns carried out during 2019 as well as the absolute datings obtained by manual drilling in the documented ditches. During the excavations carried out in the municipal plot of Cerro de la Cabeza (sectors 3 and 4) we were able to document a dense sequence of Chalcolithic pits and at least six semi-excavated huts, located near the edge of one of the ditches. The chrono-typological definition of the ceramics, as well as a series of 14C-dates obtained by AMS begin to reveal the sequence of the settlement. Beginning in the late Neolithic/ Early Chalcolithic (end of the 4th millennium BC) it experiences its peak occupation during the Middle Chalcolithic (first half of the 3rd millennium BC). According to the AMS-C14-datings from the drillings in the ditches enclosure 3 existed already in the older Chalcolithic phase. In the same way the datings suggest that during the Middle Chalcolithic enclosure 2 was followed by enclosure 1 and finally by the most extensive enclosure 5. During its transition to the Late Chalcolithic (mid 3rd millennium BC) there seems to be a reduction in the size of the settlement, decreasing even more to the central area of modern day Valencina, during the Late Chalcolithic (second half of the 3rd millennium BC). We also present some evidence that seems to indicate a short and not very intense occupation of the Cerro de la Cabeza area during the Early Bronze Age (beginning of the 2nd millennium BC).