Discovery of 4,800-Year-Old Cremation Ground in Spain Rewrites European Prehistory

Tomb 8 astatine Los Milanes successful Spain. Credit: Paula Becerra Fuello et al. / CC BY 4.0

Archaeologists person uncovered a 4,800-year-old cremation successful Spain that predates immoderate different known cremation successful Europe by 1,500 years, changing however experts recognize prehistoric burial traditions. The site, located successful Los Milanes successful southeastern Iberia, reveals that cremation played a cardinal relation successful funerary rituals overmuch earlier than antecedently believed.

The study, led by Paula Becerra Fuello and published successful PLOS One, describes Tomb 8 astatine Los Milanes arsenic the archetypal megalithic enclosure successful the portion to incorporate lone cremated quality remains. Until now, astir megalithic burials successful the country were thought to trust astir exclusively connected inhumation.

A groundbreaking find

Researchers excavated Tomb 8 successful 2023 and recovered much than 28,000 bony fragments and 1,200 teeth. The remains belonged to astatine slightest 21 individuals, some adults and children. Analysis showed wide signs of vulnerability to precocious heat, including fractures, shrinkage, and warping.

The find marks a crisp interruption from earlier interpretations. Burned bones recovered successful different Iberian tombs were often believed to effect from aboriginal disturbances, enclosure cleansing, oregon reuse of aged monuments. At Los Milanes, however, cremation appears to person been the main funerary rite.

Grave goods, including arrowheads, pottery fragments, carnal bones, and tiny chromatic beads, were besides unearthed. Their beingness suggests analyzable rituals and symbolic practices tied to the cremation process.

Evidence of ritual practices

Scientific tests strengthened the lawsuit for intentional cremation. Radiocarbon dating placed the usage of the tomb betwixt 2990 and 2460 B.C., with funerary enactment apt spanning lone a fewer generations.

Heat-induced changes recovered astatine Los Milanes. Credit: Paula Becerra Fuello et al. / CC BY 4.0

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and isotope investigation showed that galore bodies were burned arsenic implicit corpses, not adust skeletons. Variations successful bony coloration and pain strength suggest that pyres were built extracurricular the chamber, and that the remains were cautiously gathered and deposited afterward.

Researchers noted that the near broadside of galore bodies was much heavy burned than the right. This signifier points to a deliberate placement of corpses connected their sides, echoing burial customs observed successful adjacent sites.

Rethinking Iberian prehistory

Until this discovery, scholars believed that cremation successful southeastern Iberia appeared overmuch later, during the Late Bronze Age. The Los Milanes findings propulsion the signifier backmost to the aboriginal 3rd millennium B.C., forcing a re-evaluation of however prehistoric societies successful the portion treated their dead.

The grounds shows cremation was not accidental oregon secondary. It was a deliberate and meaningful ritual, the authors explained. The survey highlights however communities combined occurrence with architecture and symbolic items to grant the dead.

The probe besides suggests a diverseness of mortuary practices. Inhumations and cremations coexisted wrong the aforesaid necropolises, showing that communities chose antithetic methods of transforming the body. While inhumation preserved anatomical features, cremation reduced remains to fragments, altering their carnal appearance.

Wider European connections

The findings astatine Los Milanes align with caller discoveries astatine Perdigões and Lácara successful southwestern Iberia, wherever ample deposits of cremated remains person besides been found. Together, these sites suggest that cremation was a wide signifier successful Iberian prehistory, not a uncommon exception.

Comparisons with different European sites uncover akin variability successful burning techniques, substance use, and ritual settings. Differences successful isotope values suggest that those buried astatine Los Milanes originated from adjacent areas but utilized resources from antithetic zones, pointing to analyzable assemblage networks.

A turning constituent successful archaeology

For the archetypal time, archaeologists successful Iberia person a implicit postulation of cremated remains to study. By combining osteological investigation with radiocarbon dating and chemic tests, the probe squad has offered a elaborate reconstruction of however aboriginal Iberian communities performed cremation.

The discovery astatine Los Milanes challenges long-held ideas and opens caller questions. Why did immoderate groups take cremation implicit inhumation? What societal oregon symbolic meanings were tied to fire? And however did these practices link with broader prehistoric traditions crossed Europe?

While answers stay uncertain, the findings found that cremation was a deliberate and important ritual successful southeastern Iberia arsenic aboriginal arsenic the 3rd millennium B.C. The cremation crushed successful Spain is present recognized arsenic a landmark successful the survey of European prehistory.