A recent study conducted by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology has precisely identified the economic and political borders that, approximately 4,000 years ago, defined the territory of El Argar. Considered the first state structure of the Iberian Peninsula, this society maintained complex relationships with its neighbors from the Bronze Age of La Mancha and the Valencian Bronze, communities with less centralized social structures.

The research was based on an innovative analysis of ceramic production and circulation in the border area located in the northern province of Murcia. Thanks to this methodology, scientists have reconstructed in detail the interactions between these groups from the Early Bronze Age (2200-1550 BCE), successfully delineating the border dynamics and their impact on the social configuration of the time. The results of this work have been published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory.

Until now, the study of borders in archaeology had received relatively little attention, despite being a key element in the formation of the first state entities. To understand the consolidation of the first states in prehistory, it is essential to analyze how their borders were created and maintained, explains Roberto Risch, professor in the Department of Prehistory at UAB and coordinator of the study.

el argar bronze age borders
Central area of El Argar (purple) and maximum expansion around 1750 B.C.E. (red), middle and upper Segura valley, and main Argaric settlements. Credit: Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

The analysis has made it possible to establish clear patterns of interaction between the core of El Argar and its neighboring communities. One of the most relevant findings is the existence of active zones of exchange and negotiation, where social differences and power relations can be traced through the circulation of ceramics.

These vessels were not just everyday objects but reflected the structure of the economic and political networks of the time, says Adrià Moreno Gil, researcher at the Max Planck Institute and lead author of the study.

One of the key aspects of the research has been the study of ceramic production in the Segura River basin. In settlements located in the southern part of the study area, typically Argaric ceramics prevail, made with clays extracted more than a hundred kilometers to the south, in the coastal mountains of Murcia and Almería. This finding indicates the existence of a regional-scale ceramic distribution network, probably controlled by the central settlements of El Argar.

el argar bronze age borders
Map of the area investigated and of all the settlements studied. Credit: Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

In contrast, in the northern part of the studied territory, a multiplicity of small pottery workshops using local clays has been identified. This marked difference suggests that the economic systems of these communities were completely distinct, explains Moreno Gil.

While El Argar managed to produce large quantities of ceramics in specific locations and distribute them over long distances, peripheral groups maintained a domestic and smaller-scale production.

This contrast in ceramic production and distribution not only reflects technological and economic differences but also the existence of asymmetrical relationships between the different groups of the southeastern peninsula. The preeminence of El Argar was not limited to the control of strategic resources such as metals but also extended to everyday objects like ceramics, emphasizes Moreno Gil. The imposition of borders contributed to consolidating these inequalities, transforming them into a center-periphery system that favored Argaric society.

el argar bronze age borders
Ceramic cup, emblematic of the peak phase of El Argar, and ceramics from the peripheral communities of El Argar, from Cerro de la Campana (Yecla). Credit: J.A. Soldevilla / ASOME-UAB

The research team employed a novel approach combining archaeological surveys, petrographic analysis of ceramic materials, and spatial models using geographic information systems (GIS). This methodology has allowed them to map with unprecedented detail the areas of ceramic production and circulation, providing new tools for studying economic and political interactions in prehistoric societies.

Our work demonstrates that ceramic analysis is a fundamental tool for understanding economic exchanges, social relationships, and the configuration of border spaces in prehistory, states Carla Garrido García, a doctoral researcher at UAB and co-author of the study.

This approach could be applied to the study of other contemporary cultures of El Argar, such as the Únětice culture in Central Europe or the Minoan civilization in Crete, to examine how their borders were structured and how they maintained relationships with neighboring groups.

The study has been funded by the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities.

SOURCES

Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

Moreno Gil, A., Garrido García, C., Bonora Soriano, B. et al. Bronze Age Frontiers and Pottery Circulation: Political and Economic Relations at the Northern Fringes of El Argar, Southeast Iberia, ca. 2200–1550 BCE. J Archaeol Method Theory 32, 36 (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s10816-025-09702-y

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