Bronze age to orentalizing period transition in Setefilla (Lora Del Río, Seville): archaeometric data from a stratigraphic sequence

Abstract

Setefilla (Lora del Río, Seville) is an emblematic site for Spanish Protohistory historiography, as it represented a milestone for the study of the transition from the Bronze Age to the Orientalizing period in Western Andalusia (South‑Western Iberian Peninsula). This paper aims to present the preliminary results of the archaeometric analysis performed to ceramic materials from a stratigraphic sequence of the site.

More concretely, the selected samples were found in the stratigraphic levels corresponding to the Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of the Sector 3 of Mesa de Setefilla (campaign 1979). The study has taken into consideration thin‑section petrographic analysis and X‑ray spectrometry, besides the more traditional morpho‑typological description, in order to outline the evolution of the compositional definition of the pottery of Mesa de Setefilla. It is the first time that the ceramic materials from this interesting context have been archaeometrically studied and interpreted from a diachronic perspective.