The first archaeometric data metallurgy in the cemetery and settlement of Calvari del Molar (Priorat, Tarragona)

Abstract

The presence of Phoenician pottery along the course of the river Ebro has been linked to Phoenician interest in the mineral resources of the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula in general and the Molar-Bellmunt-Falset area in particular, but until now this proposition has not been verified. In this article we present the first evidence of metalworking from the site of Calvari del Molar (Priorat, Tarragona) excavations of 2002-2003, which consists of a tuyère of a type hitherto unknown in Catalonia, a millstone used to crush ore, and an Orientalizing arrowhead that can be interpreted as a local imitation of foreign prototypes. The archaeometallurgical study of four other bronzes found during the excavations by S. Vilaseca (1930) is also included. Publication of these archaeological and archaeometrical results enables us to set out our proposals for future research on the settlement, its mining/metallurgical area and its relationship with Phoenician traders. Special attention is paid to silver, which was obtained from ores of that metal, from native silver and from lead sulphide.