RT Journal Article
T1 Choosing the site, getting the stones, building the dolmens: local sourcing of andesites at the El Pozuelo megalithic complex (Huelva, Spain)
A1 Linares-Catela, José Antonio
A1 Donaire Romero, Teodosio
A1 Mora Molina, Coronada
A1 Cáceres Puro, Luis Miguel
A2 Springer Nature, 
AB The geoarchaeological study focuses on the lithological characterization and provenance determination of the rocks of the El Pozuelo dolmens. The difficulty of identifying volcanic rocks in the intensely altered and deformed environment of the Iberian Pyrite Belt has required the implementation of a research methodology combining the archaeological and geological analysis of the megaliths and the area surrounding the Los Llanetes group. A total of 29 thin sections and 14 geochemical analyses (ICP-AES, ICP-MS and REE) have been carried out on samples from the dolmens and potential source areas, focusing on the chemical elements considered immobile during alteration processes. The petrological analyses confirm the identification of different andesite lithotypes and enable us to correlate the rocks used in the construction of the megaliths with source areas and quarries located within a 50–350 m radius. Several patterns are observed in the selection of the rocks, based on the material, visual and symbolic properties of the different lithologies. Foliated andesite is the most common stone used in the monuments, due to its excellent physical properties and technological suitability for extraction and transformation into megalithic supports. Other types of andesite (sheared, massive and amphibole-phyric), white quartz, ferruginous agglomerate and gabbro were also used for different architectural purposes. The results confirm the importance of locally available suitable rocks in determining site location, raw material procurement and monument construction during the Late Neolithic.
PB Springer Nature
SN 1866-9557
YR 2023
FD 2023-06-16
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/104039
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/104039
LA eng
NO Linares-Catela, J.A., Donaire Romero, T., Mora Molina, C., Cáceres Puro, L.M. (2023). Choosing the site, getting the stones, building the dolmens: local sourcing of andesites at the El Pozuelo megalithic complex (Huelva, Spain). Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 15: 101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01799-0
NO University of Huelva, Complutense University of Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 8 abr 2025