Geoarchaeological Context of the Motilla de la Vega Site (Spain) Based on Electrical Resistivity Tomography

Abstract

ABSTRACTDuring the Bronze Age, the region of La Mancha Occidental (Spain) was occupied by prehistoric settlements in which the protection of basic resources was a primary concern. The structure of these settlements comprised several concentric walls that surrounded conical mounds around 4–10 m high. The Motilla de la Vega is an unexcavated site next to the Azuer River, and is only 4 km from another Bronze Age village, called Motilla del Azuer, which has been subject to systematic archaeological excavations and is the paradigmatic reference for these settlements. As Motilla del Azuer had a well inside its walls and this fort is located in a similar geological setting, it is logical to ask whether Motilla de la Vega also had a well inside its walls, and to determine whether it is possible to extend similar architectonic and social patterns to other settlements that occupied the river valleys of this region. In this study, we used the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method to detect the possible location of a well in Motilla de la Vega. In order to plan appropriate data acquisition, and to evaluate the optimal parameters for processing the field data, we performed a numerical modelling exercise to simulate the likely ERT responses based on the geological information and on the constructive scheme of the excavated well in Motilla del Azuer. Afterwards, we carried out five ERT profiles over the levelled Motilla de la Vega site and some of them have resistive anomalies similar to those that synthetic models predict for a well. Consequently, we propose the existence of a well placed in the eastern side of Motilla de la Vega, with the same relative position as the well of Motilla del Azuer. This has implications for the understanding of other sites in the region. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.