Castellones
These settlements were situated on high, steep hills that acted as a natural defence but at the same time provided easy access on one of its hillsides, surrounded by fertile land and in areas with great visibility to monitor the roads and trade routes.
Throughout the Jabalón Valley, we encounter a series of settlements such as Cerro del Castellón in Villanueva de los Infantes, Cerro de las Cabezas in Valdepeñas, Encantada in Granátula de Calatrava and Alarcos in Ciudad Real. The highlight amongst these is Encantada, as the settlements in Valdepeñas and Ciudad Real developed as Iberian oppidum, “fortified cities”.
These settlements had a series of complex defence systems based on walls, towers, and bastions that complemented the natural defences of the cerros (hills).
The dwellings adapted to the topography of the land. They were constructed with stone skirting and cob walls. They had rectangular, square and oval-shaped floor plans with one or more rooms. Alongside the dwellings there were other buildings that had other uses, for example as grain stores or wine presses.
They had a sanctuary and necropolis area in which it was possible to find two different types of burials: individual tombs and tombs arranged side by side with a wealth of grave goods.
The best example of these settlements is the site at La Encantada, situated in the Campo de Calatrava looking over the Jabalón Valley, in the municipal area of Granátula de Calatrava.
El Castellón de Villanueva de los Infantes
This is a settlement situated at the top of a hill measuring 879 m with steep slopes on two of its sides and easy access from the other two hillsides. It enjoys an unbeatable strategic position because it overlooks various roads and moreover it is near the water in the basin of the Jabalón river. Bell-shaped ceramics have been found, including cups and bowls, decorated with grooves and some with dots that date from 2500 B.C. Traces of a very meticulous bone industry have also been found, with ‘V’-shaped ivory buttons and amber necklace beads, which, alongside the existence of other smaller surrounding sites, indicates that it could have been an important centre of redistribution and hierarchical organisation.
During the Chalcolithic period, the small fortified centre of Peñaflor grew in importance, from which ruins of the wall, a cistern and a silo or storage carved into the bedrock still remain. Remains of a necropolis, most certainly used by the inhabitants of Peñaflor, were found on the southern hillside.
Useful visiting information:
The results of the excavations can be seen in the Provincial Museum where there is a model of this settlement and the archaeological materials found are exhibited. El Castellón was later occupied in Medieval times.
It is easy to get to and is signposted. A visit is well worthwhile to discover the extensive view, the strategic position and the selection of the location because of its characteristic orography.
The Motillas
A motilla is the type of prehistoric site that is most characteristic of the southern Meseta. They are artificial mounds, between 4 and 10 m high, situated on the plains of La Mancha, throughout the river meadows and in barren areas. At present, over 20 motillas that cover an extensive area from Argamasilla de Alba to Malagón, are known.
Its special set-up comprising a fortification with a centralised plan surrounded by a settlement with its corresponding necropolis, responds to an adaptation to the specific ecological conditions of the landscape of La Mancha. During the Bronze Age, they played an important role in the management and control of basic resources such as water, and they also stored cereals, occasionally stabled livestock and produced ceramics on a large scale.
The Motilla de Azuer
The Motilla de Azuer archaeological site is situated in the meadow of the Azuer river, around 10 km to the east of Daimiel (Ciudad Real). It was the first settlement of these characteristics that underwent systematic archaeological excavations carried out by the team from the Universidad de Granada, led by T. Nájera and F. Molina.
The following elements can be observed at the site:
The fortification: It has three concentric areas, the most central of which revolves around a square-shaped tower which is accessed via ramps within passageways. There are two large spaces inside the fort: to the east there is a courtyard with a trapezoidal floor plan, where there are remains of a hydraulic structure, and to the west there are two large premises separated by the intermediate wall, which were used to store cereals and for various production activities as can be gathered from the presence of several furnaces. The outermost boundary was constructed with a façade of large limestone blocks.- The settlement: The settlement was situated outside of the fort, within a radius of 50 m, the sedimentation of which reaches 3m in some areas. Remains of dwellings have been found that were of an oval or rectangular shape and built with stone skirting and cob walls. Inside one house, a kitchen shelf with 12 medium-sized storage vessels and several grinding stones has been conserved. In the settlement area, different kinds of production areas have also been documented with a high concentration of silos and ditches, sometimes filled with ash and waste materials that are associated with the remains from furnaces and homes.
- The necropolis: The Azuer necropolis coincides, as with the majority of the cultures of the Peninsular Bronze Age with the area of the habitat. At present, a total of 27 tombs have been excavated, in graves covered with small stone slabs or low stone walls. Grave goods including ceramic vessels and ornaments were few and of little importance. Specialised analyses have provided information about the palaeopathologies of this settlement in relation to health problems, nutritional stress, and their diet, which was rich in carbohydrates.
- Economy and the environment: EThe landscape around the site contained Holm oak trees, Portuguese oak trees, oak trees and cork oak trees as well as shrubs such as junipers, mastic, strawberry trees and cistus. This area would have been a mixture of open spaces and croplands. Many deer and wild boar as well as hares and rabbits were found among the remains of wild species of fauna in the Motilla de Azuer. Other carnivorous mammals include lynxes, wild cats, badgers, foxes and birds such as bustards, partridges or little bustards and several Anatidae and birds of prey.
The Azuer settlement focussed its financial activity on extensive agriculture of cereal with different types of wheat and barley, which was complemented by the cultivation of leguminous plants such as lentils and peas.
The livestock mainly comprised sheep and goats, with less significant numbers of bovidae, horses, pigs and dogs. These resources were used both for the consumption of meat and to use the secondary products from the animals such as milk, wool, and in the case of some species, as a workforce.
Useful visiting information:
The site can be visited by making a prior appointment at the Daimiel tourist office. It is easy to access. At present, it continues to be excavated but an Interpretation Centre shall be opened soon and it shall be more accessible. We recommend visiting the site during the excavation periods, which is normally from July to October.
Medieval
