Cobre para los muertos. Estudio arqueométrico del material metálico procedente del monumento megalítico prehistórico de Castillejo del Bonete (Terrinches, Ciudad Real)

Abstract

Castillejo del Bonete is a cave adapted as a funerary monument during Late Prehistory. Various well-preserved metal objects were recovered from the site, both within and outside the graves. This paper presents a catalogue and analysis of the metal objects recovered before the end of 2012, and comprises results obteined from archaeometallurgical studies and an interpretation of their cultural and territorial context. Unpublished data from El Acequión, Albacete, is also presented to provide a comparative perspective on the provenance of metal during the Bronze Age. The metal artefacts were archaeologically contextualized prior to analyses, wich included lead isotopes, XRF spectrometry, SEM microanalysis, metallography and microhardness analysis. Our results reveal the use of various types of metals and the application of metallurgicall processes associated with Chalcolithic and ancient Bronze Age phases. Overall, the results obtained showed that the metal artefacts analysed did not contain tin, but high levels of arsenic, probably originating from the area of Linares (Jaén).