Xose-Lois Armada
I work at the Institute of Heritage Sciences (Incipit) at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). My main line of research is protohistoric metallurgy and its social interpretation, focusing geographically on the Atlantic façade of Europe and the Western Mediterranean. Throughout the years I leaded several projects on these topics. I am currently the PI of the research project “Mass production and deposition of leaded bronzes in Atlantic Europe during the Late Bronze Age - Iron Age transition” (ATLANTAXES), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Previously, I leaded the project entitled “Atlantic Late Bronze Age interaction through metal hoards” (ALBIMEH) at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, funded by the European Union through the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) (2014-2016). The aim of this project was to examine the nature and the degree of interaction between the Late Bronze Age communities of the European Atlantic façade (c. 1300-850 BC) through the study of metal hoards and votive deposits. In both projects we propose to determine the similarities and differences expressed by the hoards and votive deposits in different spheres (economic, technological, ideological and religious) by undertaking an intensive and comparative study of the phenomenon in selected geographical areas. To achieve this objective, priority was given to obtaining data using a standardised methodology in areas located in different regions on the Atlantic façade.
From the beginning of my career as a researcher, my main line of research has been based on three related central themes or sublines:
- Prestige objects and metals as an expression of power (feasting metals, goldwork…).
- The study of ancient mining areas: exploitation and changes in population patterns.
- Metal as a motivating factor for interactions and social change on a regional scale (Atlantic Europe, the Western Mediterranean and interactions between these two regions).
In methodological terms, my research combines the study of finds in museums and laboratories, including the use of archaeometric techniques, with fieldwork (surveys and excavations). I complement the collection of data in the field, museums and the laboratory and their subsequent critical evaluation by being permanently aware of the theoretical debates in current archaeology, especially with regard to subjects such as the history of technology, social complexity and cultural contact. Another aspect of my work is to consider ancient mining and metallurgy as part of our cultural heritage, attempting to combine research with conservation and the raising of social awareness.
I developed my previous research career at the University of A Coruña (1999-2005), Durham University (2006-2008), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (2008-2012) and University College London (2014-2016).
Phone: +34 981 590 962 - ext. 303
Address: Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio (Incipit)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Avda. de Vigo s/n
15705 Santiago de Compostela
Spain
From the beginning of my career as a researcher, my main line of research has been based on three related central themes or sublines:
- Prestige objects and metals as an expression of power (feasting metals, goldwork…).
- The study of ancient mining areas: exploitation and changes in population patterns.
- Metal as a motivating factor for interactions and social change on a regional scale (Atlantic Europe, the Western Mediterranean and interactions between these two regions).
In methodological terms, my research combines the study of finds in museums and laboratories, including the use of archaeometric techniques, with fieldwork (surveys and excavations). I complement the collection of data in the field, museums and the laboratory and their subsequent critical evaluation by being permanently aware of the theoretical debates in current archaeology, especially with regard to subjects such as the history of technology, social complexity and cultural contact. Another aspect of my work is to consider ancient mining and metallurgy as part of our cultural heritage, attempting to combine research with conservation and the raising of social awareness.
I developed my previous research career at the University of A Coruña (1999-2005), Durham University (2006-2008), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (2008-2012) and University College London (2014-2016).
Phone: +34 981 590 962 - ext. 303
Address: Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio (Incipit)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Avda. de Vigo s/n
15705 Santiago de Compostela
Spain
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Books by Xose-Lois Armada
This book shows us that these bronze artefacts not only open a window for us onto prehistory, but also have a recent biography that is often equally or even more revealing.
Following their manufacture and use some 3,000 years ago, these objects were withdrawn from circulation and buried. They thus formed accumulations of metal, a widespread phenomenon across the European continent, the significance of which still eludes us.
Discovered in the late 19th century, often during farm work, they ended up in the hands of erudite collectors who, at the end of their lives, decided to donate their collections to the university, where they are still being studied and today make up part of its heritage.
Today, the research led by the CSIC Institute of Heritage Sciences has allowed us to reconstruct this exciting history and to show how, three millennia later, all these objects still have much to tell us.
Though offering better pictures of artefact source, the explanation of artefact distribution across geographic space requires the use of theoretically informed models and solid archaeological evidence to discern differences between the circulation of raw materials, ingots, objects, craftspeople and populations. Bringing together many leading expert contributions address topics that include the invention, innovation and transmission of metallurgical knowledge; archaeometric based models of exchange; characterization and discrimination of different modes of material circulation; and the impact of metals on social complexity.
The 12 papers are organised in three main sections dealing with key debates in archaeology: transmission of metallurgical technologies, knowledge and ideas; prestige economies and exchange; and circulation of metal as commodities and concludes with a review current approaches, situating the volume in a broader context and identifying future research directions.
Reviews:
- M. G. Knight, The Prehistoric Society website – Book reviews (February 2019): online.
- L. Perucchetti, Ambix, 66(4) (2019): 354-356.
- C. Cavazzuti, European Journal of Archaeology, 23(1) (2020): 137-140.
- S. Adams, The Archaeological Journal, 177(2) (2020): 474-475.
- V. A. Sainsbury, Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 35(2) (2020): 171-174.
This volume addresses these issues by bringing together 33 papers by leading Bronze Age and Iron Age scholars from France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, North America, and the United Kingdom. Initial chapters from leading specialists introduce major themes (landscape studies, social organisation, historiography, dynamics of change, and identity), providing overviews on the history of approaches to these areas, personal perspectives on current problems, and possible future research directions. Subsequent chapters by key researchers develop these topics, presenting case studies and in-depth discussions of particular issues relating to the first millennium BC in the Atlantic realm of Western Europe.
Reviews:
- C. Catling, SALON (Society of Antiquaries of London Newsletter), 274 (March 2012).
- H. Mytum, British Archaeology, 124 (May/June 2012): 55.
- T. Champion, The Prehistoric Society website (July 2012): online.
- R. B. Clay, Choice, 49 (11) (July 2012): 2106.
- M. A. Fernández-Götz, European Journal of Archaeology, 15(3) (2012): 546-550.
- R. Vilaça, Revista d’Arqueologia de Ponent, 22 (2012): 251-254.
- B. Arnold, The Archaeological Journal, 169 (2012): 555-556.
- J. Bintliff, Trabajos de Prehistoria, 70(1) (2013): 216-218.
- P. S. Wells, Antiquity, 87 (2013): 609-610.
- J. A. Johnson, American Journal of Archaeology, 119(3) (2015): online.
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199567959.do""
- G. Ruiz Zapatero, Antiquity, 83 (2009): 1196-1197.
- F. López Pardo, Trabajos de Prehistoria, 66(2) (2009): 199-200.
- J. Sanmartí, American Journal of Archaeology, 114(3) (2010): online.
- X. López Cachero, Cypsela, 18 (2010): 329-331."
Metals and societies (papers) by Xose-Lois Armada
the scale of production. In all these areas, the circulation networks of raw materials, manufactured goods, ideas and technologies play an important role.
This book shows us that these bronze artefacts not only open a window for us onto prehistory, but also have a recent biography that is often equally or even more revealing.
Following their manufacture and use some 3,000 years ago, these objects were withdrawn from circulation and buried. They thus formed accumulations of metal, a widespread phenomenon across the European continent, the significance of which still eludes us.
Discovered in the late 19th century, often during farm work, they ended up in the hands of erudite collectors who, at the end of their lives, decided to donate their collections to the university, where they are still being studied and today make up part of its heritage.
Today, the research led by the CSIC Institute of Heritage Sciences has allowed us to reconstruct this exciting history and to show how, three millennia later, all these objects still have much to tell us.
Though offering better pictures of artefact source, the explanation of artefact distribution across geographic space requires the use of theoretically informed models and solid archaeological evidence to discern differences between the circulation of raw materials, ingots, objects, craftspeople and populations. Bringing together many leading expert contributions address topics that include the invention, innovation and transmission of metallurgical knowledge; archaeometric based models of exchange; characterization and discrimination of different modes of material circulation; and the impact of metals on social complexity.
The 12 papers are organised in three main sections dealing with key debates in archaeology: transmission of metallurgical technologies, knowledge and ideas; prestige economies and exchange; and circulation of metal as commodities and concludes with a review current approaches, situating the volume in a broader context and identifying future research directions.
Reviews:
- M. G. Knight, The Prehistoric Society website – Book reviews (February 2019): online.
- L. Perucchetti, Ambix, 66(4) (2019): 354-356.
- C. Cavazzuti, European Journal of Archaeology, 23(1) (2020): 137-140.
- S. Adams, The Archaeological Journal, 177(2) (2020): 474-475.
- V. A. Sainsbury, Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 35(2) (2020): 171-174.
This volume addresses these issues by bringing together 33 papers by leading Bronze Age and Iron Age scholars from France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, North America, and the United Kingdom. Initial chapters from leading specialists introduce major themes (landscape studies, social organisation, historiography, dynamics of change, and identity), providing overviews on the history of approaches to these areas, personal perspectives on current problems, and possible future research directions. Subsequent chapters by key researchers develop these topics, presenting case studies and in-depth discussions of particular issues relating to the first millennium BC in the Atlantic realm of Western Europe.
Reviews:
- C. Catling, SALON (Society of Antiquaries of London Newsletter), 274 (March 2012).
- H. Mytum, British Archaeology, 124 (May/June 2012): 55.
- T. Champion, The Prehistoric Society website (July 2012): online.
- R. B. Clay, Choice, 49 (11) (July 2012): 2106.
- M. A. Fernández-Götz, European Journal of Archaeology, 15(3) (2012): 546-550.
- R. Vilaça, Revista d’Arqueologia de Ponent, 22 (2012): 251-254.
- B. Arnold, The Archaeological Journal, 169 (2012): 555-556.
- J. Bintliff, Trabajos de Prehistoria, 70(1) (2013): 216-218.
- P. S. Wells, Antiquity, 87 (2013): 609-610.
- J. A. Johnson, American Journal of Archaeology, 119(3) (2015): online.
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199567959.do""
- G. Ruiz Zapatero, Antiquity, 83 (2009): 1196-1197.
- F. López Pardo, Trabajos de Prehistoria, 66(2) (2009): 199-200.
- J. Sanmartí, American Journal of Archaeology, 114(3) (2010): online.
- X. López Cachero, Cypsela, 18 (2010): 329-331."
the scale of production. In all these areas, the circulation networks of raw materials, manufactured goods, ideas and technologies play an important role.
Large numbers of these objects are found in the territory of present-day Portugal and Galicia and we use these as a common thread in our paper to study the Late Bronze Age feasting rituals of that area. We review the available evidence and consider its spread, characteristics and contexts, as well as its social role within the framework of the Late Bronze Age communities.
KEYWORDS: Silver, Metallurgy, Lead Isotope Analysis, Early Iron Age, Iberia, Phoenicians.
The sedimentary record covers different stratigraphic units, including several floors with their layers of preparation and domestic structures. The study of these floors, mainly through micromorphology, allows us to determine the composition, the processing and the technical treatment as well as the possible origin of the lithological materials used in their manufacture.
We highlight that the floors are composed of earth construction, made of local carbonated materials, mainly clayey fine sands. Mixing this material with water would cause a precipitation of CaCO 3 favoured by the im-permeability of their preparation layers, mostly silty clay aggregates, leading to the semi-cementation of the floor, which appears to have been the aim of the builders of El Calvari. This type of earth floor brings together a series of characteristics at the construction level such as cohesion among particles and tenacity, similar features to lime mortars.
In short, we have the opinion that the micromorphological analysis is an essential tool for the study and interpretation of domestic architectural elements. In this case, it has allowed us to identify and characterize the techniques and construction strategies of this type of floor by these first protohistoric builders of the NE Iberia.
Two brief excavation campaigns were carried out at the site in 2001 and 2006. Our archaeological investigation, begun in 2010, has included geophysical surveys, a geomorphological study of the site and its immediate surroundings, new topography of the main island using GPS, and the representation of the site and the gold mine using LiDAR data.
The combination of these techniques has provided us with a better understanding of the characteristics of the site and has been the basis for building a new summation of it. The hillfort is located to the north of the port of Brigantium and the Artabre Gulf, at the beginning of a steep stretch of coastline with few places for ships to shelter. Although this area is an unavoidable crossing point en route to the northernmost areas of the Atlantic, there are still major gaps in our knowledge of its settlement patterns during protohistoric and Roman times. This paper contributes to remedying this situation.
The Mediterranean relations of the communities on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula were much stronger than recognised previously. The archaeological record from this area shows an uneven distribution of resources and objects, which can be equated with the social inequalities in the Late Bronze Age communities that are well attested in their burials.
Some items usually linked to Phoenician trade must be dissociated from it, because the exchanges seem to have been made in other networks, including the central Mediterranean, and the focus of research on Phoenician pottery has neglected the important links shown by metal objects. It is difficult in the current state of knowledge to date some of these items accurately to either before or after the beginning of the colonial trade; and it seems clear that some bronzes from eastern Iberia, although dated to this period, were not part of the trading networks which radiated from the area of the Straits of Gibraltar, but came instead from the central Mediterranean.
The Phoenician presence in Catalonia must be dated to the 8th century B.C., though in all the area between the River Vinalopó and the Ampurias region contacts peaked during the 7th century. Most studies of Phoenician trade with the east coast of Iberia have concluded that Ibiza was the only mediator for these relations, but in our opinion other routes may have co-existed.
Contrary to the ex oriente lux diffusionist model, the archaeological record shows the existence of a fluid exchange network in the central and western Mediterranean, in which local communities from Iberia were not passive agents, but played an active role. For this reason, the origin of many objects often regarded as imports must be reconsidered.
To conclude, a picture emerges in which the communities of eastern Iberia were clearly involved in the socio-economic dynamics and trading networks of both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic in the Late Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age. These local communities were the leading agents of their own transformations before the arrival of the Phoenicians, a crucial factor in creating the conditions that made commercial relations with them possible. Characterisation of these Iberian societies during the Bronze Age, especially their exchange networks, is essential to our understanding of their responses to those exchanges and of the transformations of their social organization within the colonial framework from the 8th century onwards.
analysis to provenance metal sources and to reconstruct technological processes; palaeoenvironmental approaches, through palaeopollution reconstruction, provide diachronic information on past mining and metallurgy and their impact on the landscape, and metal studies on human and animal remains provide a direct link with sociological aspects
of metal use, medical treatments or cosmetics. The combination of these approaches enables a better understanding of the metal operational chain and the reconstruction of the human behaviours behind them. It also contributes to answering questions about the social interactions around metal production and exchange, regarding the weight of metal production in ancient economies, and in relation to the environmental and socio-economic imprints on territory, as well of their impact in human lives. Each specialist brings part of the story and articulating them all together can be challenging.
This regular session attempts to build a bridge among all the approaches frequently used for the study of metals. There are no geographical or chronological limits to the contributions although we welcome multidisciplinary approaches that encourage a wider view of the full metal operational chain and a reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of
multidisciplinary approaches applied to the study of metals.
The type of questions we want to address in this session are for example: How the aforementioned approaches can be combined to gain a better understanding of the extraction and use of ancient metals? Do palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data share a common narrative?
To what extent the information generated for geological surveys is useful for the study of ancient metals? What was the impact of metals on human health and in archaeological soils?
ArchaeologyHub es una de las cinco redes de colaboración científico-técnica creadas por el CSIC a mediados de 2021. Aglutina en la actualidad a más de 200 personas pertenecientes a 41 grupos de investigación de 20 institutos y centros de este organismo. Entre sus objetivos se encuentran cohesionar la investigación arqueológica que realizan dichos grupos y contribuir desde la disciplina a los grandes retos y debates del presente, contemplando además líneas de actuación en internacionalización, formación y captación de talento joven.
La investigación arqueológica del CSIC se apoya en infraestructuras científicas punteras distribuidas en sus numerosos centros e institutos, que incluyen técnicas de caracterización de materiales, datación absoluta, isotopía estable, bioarqueología o tecnologías geoespaciales, por citar algunos ejemplos. Además, nuestro organismo atesora importantes colecciones de referencia y conjuntos de datos que son resultado de su intensa y larga trayectoria científica.
La persona beneficiaria participará en la elaboración de un catálogo exhaustivo de estos recursos e infraestructuras, recabando y sistematizando información sobre la instrumentación existente, sus aplicaciones en Arqueología, su organización interna, los servicios ofertados o las características y modelos de gestión de colecciones de referencia y conjuntos de datos. Colaborará también en la diseminación de estos resultados en plataformas web, eventos, publicaciones y redes sociales. El Plan de Formación se desarrollará en el Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio (Incipit) bajo la supervisión del coordinador de la red, pero incluirá estancias cortas en otros centros y laboratorios, así como la participación en los grupos de trabajo y en otras iniciativas de la red.
El disfrute de este Plan de Formación proporcionará a la persona beneficiaria una excelente visión panorámica de las técnicas instrumentales utilizadas en Arqueología, que le resultará de enorme utilidad en su carrera profesional. Formará parte de una red de especialistas de alta cualificación, adquiriendo también competencias en organización de laboratorios, colecciones y datasets, así como en la creación y gestión de bases de datos y en comunicación científica.
Advances in the characterization of metals and metallurgical residues (including bulk elemental composition by XRF/pXRF and trace elemental and isotopic analysis by ICP-MS) combined with more sophisticated approaches to data analysis add greater resolution to provenance studies. Though offering better pictures of artefact source, the explanation of artefact distribution across geographic space requires the use of theoretically informed models and solid archaeological evidence to discern differences between the circulation of raw materials, ingots, objects, craftspeople and populations. Full characterization of metals circulation is essential to understanding its impact on social practices and the emergence of complexity and linguistic and cultural transfers of interacting peoples.
We are interested in papers on the following themes:
• Archaeometric based models of exchange.
• Invention, innovation and transmission of metallurgical knowledge.
• Research on comparative assemblages integrating archaeometric and typological analysis.
• Characterization and discrimination of different modes of material circulation.
• Archaeometric based studies on the impact of metals on social complexity.
Treasuries offer an opportunity for reading evidence over time, weighing the sometimes contradictory conclusions from textual or visual sources against technical analysis. This project delves into the medieval objects once gathered in ecclesiastical treasuries in order to highlight
long-distance and transcultural networks, shining a light on issues of broad relevance for scholarship and society today. We investigate multiple collections in the Iberian Peninsula and beyond, carrying out comparative research on medieval metalworks, ivories, hardstones, and textiles, along with their representations in miniatures and murals.
Research project: El tesoro medieval hispano en su contexto: colecciones, conexiones y representaciones en la península y más allá, IP Therese Martin, RTI2018-098615-B-I00, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/ AEI
/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER “Una manera de hacer Europa", 2019-2022.
Link to 2020 open access volume:
https://brill.com/view/title/57009
In this paper we will explore these two issues together. Drawing on the hypothesis that the transition between the Later Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age can be interpreted in terms of a reaction against trends towards social division, we will explore to what extent this was a general process within the region. To do that, we will explore the extent to which the archaeological evidence used to propose that idea can be equally found in the whole area of the north-western Iberian Peninsula at the same, or similar, time. We will focus on temporal and regional variability in some dimensions of the archaeological record: circulation and deposition of metal objects, emergence of settlement fortification, long distance trade, and architectural structure of settlements. Our aim is to discuss and further refine the initial hypothesis, and to possibly get some insights into the subsequent trajectories of human communities in this region.