Papers by Benjamín Cutillas Victoria
Antiquity, 2026
Founded in 228/227 BCE, the Carthaginian city of Qart Hadasht in southern Spain became the princi... more Founded in 228/227 BCE, the Carthaginian city of Qart Hadasht in southern Spain became the principal Punic political centre and military port in the western Mediterranean. Its defensive architecture featured a robust casemate wall composed of an outer sandstone face and inner mudbrick walls. Here, the authors present the geoarchaeological analysis of the earthen materials used in the construction of this wall. The results reveal differences in composition and provenance between mudbricks and mud mortars, with the former sourced across distances of 7-8km, highlighting the detailed knowledge of hinterland resources and complex political organisation involved in the wall's construction.
Mastia, 2025
Esta breve contribución aborda las problemáticas actuales en torno a la existencia de un enclave ... more Esta breve contribución aborda las problemáticas actuales en torno a la existencia de un enclave de raigambre fenicia en algún emplazamiento de la actual Bahía de Cartagena. Para ello, se analizan los escasos restos materiales que han aparecido en el hinterland de la ciudad correspondientes al Hierro Antiguo, junto a otros resultados ya publicados de tipo geoarqueológico y ambiental que apuntan de manera indirecta a una ocupación del Bronce Final y fenicia de la zona desde fechas tempranas. Los avances realizados en la ciudad a nivel arqueológico y patrimonial en las últimas décadas son indiscutibles, pero uno de los retos mayúsculos que todavía resiste es identificar evidencias fenicias en este enclave geoestratégico del sureste de la Península Ibérica.
Archivo Español de Arqueología, 2025
This contribution examines the textile remains deposited in graves at the Iberian necropolis of L... more This contribution examines the textile remains deposited in graves at the Iberian necropolis of Los Nietos (Cartagena, Spain). The cemetery has been excavated at various times since 1975 and contains nearly 200 cremation tombs of various types, dating from the 5 th to the 3 rd centuries BC. Despite the challenges posed by the fragile preservation of textiles, the application of archaeometric methods such as surface microscopy and scanning electron microscopy have enabled the identification of textiles through mineralization traces left on the metallic artifacts. The results of a first selection of burials at Los Nietos reveal the use and preservation of textiles on objects associated with weaponry, as well as the combination of several pieces made from different raw materials and weaving techniques on certain artifacts.
Scientific Reports, 2024
This article presents the results of the geoarchaeological study of earthen building materials us... more This article presents the results of the geoarchaeological study of earthen building materials used in a Tartessic public building at Casas del Turuñuelo. The construction dates back to the fifth century BCE
and is one of the monumental buildings of Tartessic culture, characterized by its complex architecture, prestige goods, and intentional destruction after a feast and animal sacrifice. We applied an integrated methodology combining macro and micro approaches to investigate earthen construction processes, such as techniques, labour organization, workers’ specialization, and environmental exploitation. The sample mainly consists of mudbricks, but we also include other forms of earthen materials such as mud plasters, mud mortars, and geological soils for comparison. In total, 64 samples from different building parts were studied through X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, thin-section petrography, and CHN analyses. The results reveal that the workforce involved in the construction process used different resources and presented different skill levels, but was centrally planned and organized. This study reflects on the communities’ knowledge of the environment, the logistic effort and technical skill employed in the building process, and the existence of strong political structures capable of managing the erection of the complex Tartessic buildings
Trabajos de Prehistoria, 2024
Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo los términos de una licencia de uso y dist... more Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo los términos de una licencia de uso y distribución Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0). Un horno y diversas estrategias: nuevos datos sobre las alfarerías del Hierro Antiguo a partir de la caracterización analítica de los materiales del horno de La Alberca (Lorca, Murcia) One kiln and several strategies. New data on the Early Iron Age potteries from the analytical characterisation of the potter's kiln ceramic assemblage at La Alberca (Lorca, Murcia) Benjamín Cutillas-Victoria a,b
Mastia, 2024
Cerámica y adobe: dos nuevos proyectos de investigación para el estudio de Qart-Hadasht (Cartagen... more Cerámica y adobe: dos nuevos proyectos de investigación para el estudio de Qart-Hadasht (Cartagena, España) Pottery and mudbrick: two new research projects for the study of Qart-Hadasht (Cartagena, Spain) Resumen En este artículo se presentan los objetivos y perspectivas de trabajo de dos nuevos proyectos de investigación centrados en la ocupación cartaginesa de la actual ciudad de Cartagena (España). Los materiales protagonistas de sendos proyectos son, por un lado, las vajillas cerámicas consumidas en la ciudad y, por otro, el empleo de materiales de construcción en tierra para erigir las nuevas edificaciones púnicas. Ambas iniciativas se caracterizan por un fuerte carácter interdisciplinar y arqueométrico que permite profundizar sobre determinados aspectos que condicionaron la vida cotidiana de la comunidad que habitó la ciudad de Qart-Hadasht en el último tercio del siglo III a.C. Palabras clave Península ibérica, dominación púnica, cerámica, arqueometría, arquitectura en tierra.
Archaeological Research in Asia, 2024
This article examines the archaeological detection strategy undertaken during the TYRAS project-T... more This article examines the archaeological detection strategy undertaken during the TYRAS project-Tell Ya'moun Regional Archaeological Survey-and its suitability for identifying megalithic structures. The study area covers 288 km 2 of the Northern Jordanian Plateau, a geographical region consisting of diverse landscapes of desert, plains and mountains. Our investigation uses an interdisciplinary methodology that combines satellite imagery examination (mainly HEXAGON images), spatial analysis, archaeological fieldwork, and photogrammetric techniques. The image analysis results combined with the terrestrial survey have made it possible to identify new, hitherto unknown megaliths. Eight new megalithic structures spread over four new sites have been discovered, forming groups of associated megaliths or located in isolation, contributing to a better understanding of the megalithic phenomenon of the region and its geostrategic location in the landscape. However, we have also detected some problematic issues that we will explore here, such as the accuracy of our work routine in detecting positive and negative results, together with the need for fieldwork to test such approaches.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2024
The founding of Qart-Hadasht, or ‘New Carthage’, in 228/227 BC reaffirmed the Carthaginian presen... more The founding of Qart-Hadasht, or ‘New Carthage’, in 228/227 BC reaffirmed the Carthaginian presence on the Iberian Peninsula. The city would serve as its main political base and military port in the Western Mediterranean before being lost to Rome in the Second Punic War. Although the conquest was led on the ground by the Barcid family, the town’s flourishing also led to an increase in the metropolis’s economic and commercial activities. In this study, a total of 37 amphorae of Central Mediterranean typology and located in different Punic contexts of the town were analysed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thin-section petrography (OM). The analyses reveal that a significant number of them originated in North Africa, mainly in the area of Tunisia, though some originated from
other production centres on the island of Sicily and probably Algeria. The results also confirm the existence of shared amphora types produced in different Punic production areas and workshops. Thus, the central argument here is that the arrival of containers from such diverse provenances allows us to identify the economic opportunity that this foundation represented for the metropolis as a whole and to explore how this new trade relationship was structured.
Les àmfores gregues a Ibèria. Novetats arqueològiques i estat actual de la recerca, 2024
Los cursos fluviales en Hispania, vías de comercio cerámico. Actas del VI Congreso Internacional de la SECAH (Zaragoza, 2022), 2024
Los recientes trabajos de revisión sobre los repertorios cerámicos de época púnica de la ciudad d... more Los recientes trabajos de revisión sobre los repertorios cerámicos de época púnica de la ciudad de Cartagena han permitido identificar dos fragmentos de cerámica ibérica pintada con decoración impresa. Este tipo cerámico sobresalía por su ausencia en los niveles de Qart-Hadasht y su ínfima presencia en el Sureste ibérico, siendo estos los primeros ejemplos localizados en la capital fundada por los bárquidas. Este trabajo aborda el estudio tipológico e iconográfico de estas dos cerámicas, así como su análisis macroscópico por lupa binocular, caracterización petrográfica mediante lámina delgada y composición química por fluorescencia de rayos X portátil (pXRF). Los resultados obtenidos no permiten plantear con seguridad el origen de ambos individuos, pero sí comenzar a explorar con nuevas técnicas y perspectivas un tipo de producción básica para examinar las posibles redes de intercambio comercial entre las comunidades iberas y la ciudad bárquida en pleno transcurso de la II Guerra Púnica.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2024
The recent excavations at Tell Iẓṭabba undertaken by the German-Israeli Tell Iẓṭabba Excavation P... more The recent excavations at Tell Iẓṭabba undertaken by the German-Israeli Tell Iẓṭabba Excavation Project have revealed an important sequence of architectural structures, indicating the settlement's strategic position on the perimeter of the Jordan Valley. The earthen architecture present at the site has been little explored to date as a key source of evidence to provide social information on past societies and their relationship with the natural environment. This study presents the geoarchaeological results of the analyses of mudbricks and calcareous redzina paleosol blocks dated to the Early Bronze Age and the Hellenistic period. The methodology combined portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF), wavelength dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (WDXRF), calcimetry, CH elemental analysis and optical petrography. The analysis of manufacturers' choices reveals the probable concomitant existence of skilled and unskilled workforces, in addition to informing us about the diachronic complexity pertaining to the earthen construction at the site. Our findings also shed light on the Tell Iẓṭabba community relationship with its local architecture, opening up new perspectives regarding the procurement processes and environmental determinism of the construction practices along the Ḥarod river.
Alberca, 2023
Esta contribución aborda el análisis de una urna cerámica localizada en el paraje de la Alquería ... more Esta contribución aborda el análisis de una urna cerámica localizada en el paraje de la Alquería de Beas y depositada en el Museo Arqueológico de Lorca. La excepcionalidad de este tipo cerámico estrechamente relacionado con las necrópolis de cremación que caracterizan el Bronce Final del sureste ibérico y la escasez de contextos adscritos a este periodo justifican su análisis a pesar de que su contexto exacto de aparición sea desconocido. El estudio de la pieza se completa con el análisis territorial de esta posición respecto a otros yacimientos sincrónicos con el objetivo de comenzar a evaluar la ocupación de esta área a inicios del primer milenio a. de C. con mayor precisión.
Open Archaeology, 2023
The use of mudbricks in Early Iron Age ramparts is an uneven feature of defensive architecture on... more The use of mudbricks in Early Iron Age ramparts is an uneven feature of defensive architecture on the Iberian Peninsula. The use of mudbricks as a building material has been linked to the arrival of Levantine building traditions with the Phoenicians, and its appearance among local societies varies between the eighth and sixth centuries BC according to the public or domestic nature of the structures. In this article, we present the geoarchaeological analyses of the mudbricks used in constructing one of the defensive towers or bastions at Villares de la Encarnación (Caravaca de la Cruz, Spain). This site, endowed with two complex fortification lines and towers, is one of the main settlements for understanding the development of the Early Iron Age among the inland and mountain communities of the region. The analytical program includes wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence, CHN elemental analysis, and thin-section petrography and provides new data about soil procurement and manufacturing choices. These results highlight the technical and social complexity behind mudbrick constructions and the adoption of new earthen practices among Early Iron Age communities in order to build more imposing and elevated towers that might convey an image of the power and strength of these inland settlements.
Plos One, 2023
Mudbrick constructions are extremely common in ancient western Asia, including the 1st millennium... more Mudbrick constructions are extremely common in ancient western Asia, including the 1st millennium structures of the southern Caucasus and Armenian highlands. However, in the Caucasus the geoarchaeological study of these materials to provide insight into building practices and social structure is a topic little researched, especially when focusing on the longue duré e. Artashat/Artaxata (Ararat region, Armenia) was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of the Artaxiads, founded in the eighties of the 2nd century BC, but even before this the site was occupied in the Chalcolithic period, (ca. 5200-3500 BC), Early Iron Age (ca. 1200-900 BC) and in the Urartian period (ca. 800-600 BC) as well. All the previous occupation phases showed communities that made extensive use of earthen constructions as determined during past and recent archaeological excavations. This multidisciplinary study seeks to examine mudbrick architecture as a proxy for environmental and social interactions during the 1st millennium BC combining geoarchaeology, archaeobotany and building archaeology. We analyzed changes and continuities in architectural form and practices, alongside reconstruction of technological and social processes, to identify issues of raw material procurement, attestation of re-use, and consistency of building practices. The results of the geoarchaeological analysis of the earthen building materials used in different parts of the ancient city point to a re-use of materials over time.
Geoarchaeology, 2023
Excavations at Ashdod-Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall wi... more Excavations at Ashdod-Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall with large earthen ramparts laid on either side. This fortified horseshoe-shaped enclosure once surrounded what was likely a human-made harbor and an adjacent acropolis with complex earthen architecture, constructed and active during Iron Age IIB-C (eighth-seventh centuries B.C.E.). These Iron Age public structures are at the center of the current research. In this paper, we present the geoarchaeological analyses of Ashdod-Yam's earthen architecture. We applied a multidisciplinary methodology to new evidence for mudbrick manufacture with the goal of understanding the relationship between governing bodies and craftsmen.
Terra, legno e materiali deperibili nell’architettura antica, 2023
The monumental rampart recently discovered at the site of Palaepaphos-Laona in Cyprus is one of t... more The monumental rampart recently discovered at the site of Palaepaphos-Laona in Cyprus is one of the most impressive secular building projects that were evidently executed by the rulers of the city-state of (ancient) Paphos in the Cypro-Classical period (circa 5th-4th centuries BCE). The enormity of the project is reflected in the huge volume of the building materials manufactured and mobilized for its construction, with mudbricks playing a significant role. This contribution aims to assess mudbrick manufacturing practices in the Iron Age through a geoarchaeological approach. We focus on raw material procurement, on labor organization and the manufacturers’ choices to better understand the relationship between natural and built environment.
XXIX Jornadas de Patrimonio Cultural Región de Murcia, 2023
Esta contribución aborda y reflexiona sobre los trabajos arqueológicos emprendidos desde el año 2... more Esta contribución aborda y reflexiona sobre los trabajos arqueológicos emprendidos desde el año 2018 en el entorno de la rambla de Algeciras, en el límite territorial de los municipios de Alhama de Murcia y Librilla (Región de Murcia, España). La reanudación de intervenciones de campo e investigación de esta zona ha acabado por generar un proyecto multidisciplinar volcado en el análisis territorial y cultural de este territorio en diferentes etapas de la Prehistoria Reciente peninsular. Nuestro propósito aquí es presentar un balance sobre las diversas ramificaciones que se han desarrollado a lo largo de este todavía incipiente proyecto, así como abordar los retos y perspectivas que han aparecido y continúan surgiendo en torno a la gestión de este paisaje cultural y su conocimiento.
Arqueologia em Portugal 2023 - Estado da Questão, 2023
A presente contribuição apresenta os objetivos do projeto “Building in New Lands: Phoenician sust... more A presente contribuição apresenta os objetivos do projeto “Building in New Lands: Phoenician sustainable architecture and environmental adaptation along the Mediterranean Sea”. Através deste projeto pretende-se estudar os modos de relação cultural e de interação com o ambiente entre comunidades fenícias na primeira metade do 1º milénio a.C., tendo como base análise de materiais de construção em terra. Neste sentido, foram seleccionados vários sítios com uma presença ou significativa influência fenícia em Portugal para, através de uma metodologia interdisciplinar, analisar estes materiais de construção e explorar questões importantes relacionadas com a aquisição de matérias-primas, opções de fabrico, tecnologia, organização do trabalho e evolução arquitetónica em diferentes ambientes mediterrânicos ligados pela mesma tradição.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022
Cobatillas la Vieja is one of the main settlements for understanding the beginning of the Late Br... more Cobatillas la Vieja is one of the main settlements for understanding the beginning of the Late Bronze Age (14th-13th centuries cal. BC) in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. After the macroscopic study of their ceramic assemblage, 30 representative samples were analysed by thin-section petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and binocular microscopy to address issues of provenance and technology. The characterization of four different fabric groups and several individuals reveals a more complex picture of production traditions, pottery exchange and consumption than often assumed for this period of supposed recession and socio-cultural transition. Potters' choices in different production locations are discussed, with an examination on the nature of consumption in two households that suggest both regional and interregional exchange of ceramics in the Late Bronze Age.
Zephyrus, 2022
The recent fieldwork carried out in the rambla de Algeciras has determined the strong and heterog... more The recent fieldwork carried out in the rambla de Algeciras has determined the strong and heterogeneous occupation of this area during the Early Bronze Age (2200-1550 bc). Despite the anthropic pressure that this environment has undergone, the results obtained through selective survey, archaeological excavation and the analysis of past archaeological research point to the existence of an important population density that probably maintained a close relationship with the nearby site of La Almoloya. The analysis of the different types of identified settlement reveals an intensive occupation and exploitation of the landscape, as well
as the existence of several positions dedicated to the control and surveillance of the immediate territory. Based on a multi-scale approach, the aim of this paper is to discuss the obtained results and to propose what role this area may have developed in the framework of the political and territorial entities proposed for the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula during the Argaric Bronze Age.
Uploads
Papers by Benjamín Cutillas Victoria
and is one of the monumental buildings of Tartessic culture, characterized by its complex architecture, prestige goods, and intentional destruction after a feast and animal sacrifice. We applied an integrated methodology combining macro and micro approaches to investigate earthen construction processes, such as techniques, labour organization, workers’ specialization, and environmental exploitation. The sample mainly consists of mudbricks, but we also include other forms of earthen materials such as mud plasters, mud mortars, and geological soils for comparison. In total, 64 samples from different building parts were studied through X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, thin-section petrography, and CHN analyses. The results reveal that the workforce involved in the construction process used different resources and presented different skill levels, but was centrally planned and organized. This study reflects on the communities’ knowledge of the environment, the logistic effort and technical skill employed in the building process, and the existence of strong political structures capable of managing the erection of the complex Tartessic buildings
other production centres on the island of Sicily and probably Algeria. The results also confirm the existence of shared amphora types produced in different Punic production areas and workshops. Thus, the central argument here is that the arrival of containers from such diverse provenances allows us to identify the economic opportunity that this foundation represented for the metropolis as a whole and to explore how this new trade relationship was structured.
as the existence of several positions dedicated to the control and surveillance of the immediate territory. Based on a multi-scale approach, the aim of this paper is to discuss the obtained results and to propose what role this area may have developed in the framework of the political and territorial entities proposed for the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula during the Argaric Bronze Age.