Circulation of olives, figs and grapes in the area of El Argar culture in south-eastern Spain

Abstract

The consumption of olives, figs, and grapes in El Argar territory (2200–1550 CAL BC) has been suggested through carpological analysis. Currently, there are 22 settlements with archaeobotanical studies of seeds and fruits; most of them present parallel anthracological analyses. There is a lack of wood finds of the mentioned species in some of the analysed sites, with only fruits present, while at other sites wood finds are reported but fruit remains are missing. If these absences are meaningful, one could aim to define production sites and exchange networks within this unique socio-political context of El Argar area. This paper aims to compare different series of archaeobotanical data to define fruit management and circulation in El Argar during the Bronze Age. The information provided by charcoal analysis circumscribes each settlement in a specific environment, which is directly related to the orography of the landscape. The results show a clear zoning of settlements participating in the circulation of edible fruits between the coast and the high plateau. The interpretation of exchange, redistribution and probable trade of fruit products between different El Argar sites adds new information about Argaric society.