The Pyrenean Bronze (also known as Northeastern Bronze) is a regional European Bronze Age culture, known from archaeological facies, that spread through the Spanish provinces of Girona, Barcelona, Lleida and the eastern half of Huesca; also it spread through the French departments of the Pyrenees-Orientales and Aude.[1]

Pyrenean Bronze
Alternative namesNorth-East Bronze or Northeastern Bronze
Geographical rangeprovinces of Lleida, Barcelona and Girona, departments of Pyrénees-Orientales and Aude
PeriodEarly Bronze Age
Datesc. 2300–1650 BC
Preceded byBell Beaker culture, Veraza culture
Followed byUrnfield culture

From the Bell Beaker culture (2750-2300 BC), two regional styles appeared in Catalonia, one being the Pyrenean and the other the Salomó (from which the North-East Group was derived). These two styles coexisted at the same time in the provinces of Barcelona and the south of Lleida. From 1650 A.C. the Pyrenean ceramic style gave way to carinated cups, to pots with smooth or digitated cords, as well as to vessels with button appendages on the handle.[2]

Few settlements are known: Lo Lladre (Llo, Pyrenees-Orientales), Collet de Brics (Ardèvol, Lleida), Institut A. Pous (Manlleu, Barcelona), Roques del Sarró (Lleida), Cedre (Santa Coloma, Andorra).

Advanced bronze metallurgy was developed: flat axes,[3][4] needles, rivet daggers, arrowheads, as well as a diadem and two spiral bracelets found in the Montanissell cave. Possibly many of the techniques used had a North Italian origin in the Polada culture (2200–1600 BC).[5][6]

Dolmen of Molers, in Saldes
Dolmen of Maioles, in Rubió
Carinated bowl with epicampaniforme decoration, from La Riba site (Sant Just Desvern, Barcelona)

Several funeral formats were used:

  • pits such as Mas d’en Boixos (Pacs, Barcelona),[7] Bosc del Quer (Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Barcelona),[8] Can Bonastre (Martorell, Barcelona).
  • reuse of silos, such as Camp Cinzano (1950-1650 BC).
  • reuse of Chalcolithic hypogea: Carrer Paris (Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona).
  • hypogean pits (wells with a side chamber), for collective use: Mas d’en Boixos (Pacs, Barcelona),[9] Bosc del Quer (Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Barcelona), Can Bonastre (Martorell, Barcelona).
  • cists like Camp Cinzano (Vilafranca del Penedès, Barcelona),[10] or Vall de Miarnau (Llardecans, Lleida).[11]
  • caves with collective burials: Bòfia de Sant Jaume [ca] (Montmajor, Barcelona), Cova M del Cingle Blanc (Arbolí, Tarragona), Cova de la Pesseta (Torrelles de Foix, Barcelona), Galls Carboners (Mont-ral, Tarragona),[12] Cova del Gegant [ca] (Sitges, Barcelona),[13] Montanissell cave (Call de Nargó, Lleida).[14]
  • paradolmens or cave-dolmens such Tossal Gros (Torroella de Montgrí) [ca] in Girona, Masia (Torrelles de Foix, Barcelona), Tafania (Ventalló, Girona), Balma dels Ossos [ca] (Sallent, Barcelona), Cova Verda (Sitges, Barcelona), etc.
  • dolmens (Pyrenean chambers or simple chambers) with stone mounds: Creu de la Llosa, Serrat d'en Jacques, Santes Masses (Solsona, Lleida), Dolmen de Molers [ca] (Saldes, Barcelona), Castelltallat (Sant Mateu de Bages, Barcelona), Serra de Clarena (Castellfollit del Boix, Barcelona), Maioles (Rubió, Barcelona), etc.[15][16][17]

With regard to the megalithic traditions of the Pyrenean Bronze Age, the menhir and cromlech of Mas Baleta (La Jonquera, Girona) also must be included.[18]

Genetic profile

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Some individuals who lived in the Pyrenean Bronze area were geneticaly tested. From the collective funerary cave known as Grotte Basse de la Vigne Perdue, near Narbonne, an individual was assigned to Y-chromosome haplogroup R1b-Z195 (being its ancestor Haplogroup R-DF27).[19] Also from another collective funerary cave, the Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona), a male from the middle of the second millennium was assigned to Y-chromosome R1b-P310. Another individual from the Can Roqueta II necropolis in Sabadell (Barcelona), was from the subclade R1b-P312.[20] A male buried in the collective inhumation hypogeum found in Miquel Vives street (Terrassa, Barcelona), also was assigned to R1b-P310.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Maya, J. L. (1992). "Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in Catalonia. In: AA.VV. Aragon/Mediterranean Coast. Cultural exchanges during Prehistory. In Homage to Juan Maluquer de Motes". Zaragoza: Institución Fernando el Católico: 515–554. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ BARCELÓ, JOAN A. (2008). "THE CHRONO-CULTURAL SEQUENCE OF CATALAN PREHISTORY. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF RADIOMETRIC DATING FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE HOLOCENE TO THE IRON AGE". Cypsela. 17: 65–88.
  3. ^ Martin De La Cruz, J. C. (2003). "Els grups del neolític final, calcolític i bronze antic. Els inicis de la metalúrgia". Cota Zero. 18: 76–105.
  4. ^ Soriano, Ignacio; Amorós i Gurrera, Jordi (30 December 2014). "Moldes para puñales en la Península Ibérica durante la Edad del Bronce. El caso de Camp Cinzano (Vilafranca del Penedès, Alt Penedès, Barcelona)". Trabajos de Prehistoria. 71 (2): 368–385. doi:10.3989/tp.2014.12140.
  5. ^ Martin De La Cruz, J. C. (2003). "The groups of the late Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Old Bronze. The beginnings of metallurgy". Cota Zero. 18: 76–105.
  6. ^ Soriano, Ignacio; Escanilla, Nicolau (30 June 2016). "Can Mur (Barcelona). Crisoles con sistema de prensión y la metalurgia de la Edad del Bronce en el nordeste de la Península Ibérica". Trabajos de Prehistoria. 73 (1): 160–179. doi:10.3989/tp.2016.12169.
  7. ^ Soriano, Ignacio; Amorós i Gurrera, Jordi (30 December 2014). "Moldes para puñales en la Península Ibérica durante la Edad del Bronce. El caso de Camp Cinzano (Vilafranca del Penedès, Alt Penedès, Barcelona)". Trabajos de Prehistoria. 71 (2): 368–385. doi:10.3989/tp.2014.12140.
  8. ^ Carlús Martín, Xavier (2014–2016). "L'Establiment calcolític de Bosc del Quer (Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Osona, Barcelona). Estudi de les principals estructures i de les ceràmiques d'estil campaniforme". Cypsela. 20: 63–84.
  9. ^ Bouso, Mònica (2004). "COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TWO EARLY BRONZE SETTLEMENTS IN THE CATALAN PRELITTORAL DEPRESSION: CAN ROQUETA II (SABADELL, VALLÈS OCCIDENTAL) AND MAS D'EN BOIXOS-1 (PACS DEL PENEDÈS, ALT PENEDÈS)". Cypsela (15): 73–101.
  10. ^ Soriano, Ignacio (2014). "The geminated vase from Camp Cinzano (Vilafranca del Penedès, Barcelona) and the northeast - levante - Ebro Valley relations during the Bronze Age". Revista d'Arqueologia de Ponent (24): 9–25.
  11. ^ Morán, Marta (2002). "A cist grave in the Miarnau Valley (Llardecans, Lérida)". Bolskan (19): 37–51.
  12. ^ Vergès, Josep Maria (2016–2017). "LA COVA DELS GALLS CARBONERS (MONT-RAL, ALT CAMP), UNA CAVITAT D'INHUMACIÓ COL·LECTIVA DURANT L'EDAT DEL BRONZE". Butlletí Arqueològic. V (38–39): 17–43.
  13. ^ Daura, Joan; Sanz, Montserrat; Soriano, Ignacio; Pedro, Mireia; Rubio, Ángel; Oliva, Mònica; Francisco Gibaja, Juan; Queralt, Ignasi; Álvarez, Ramon; López-Cachero, F. Javier (21 July 2017). "Objetos de oro y epicampaniforme en la Cova del Gegant. Relaciones en la costa mediterránea de la Península Ibérica durante la Edad del Bronce". Trabajos de Prehistoria. 74 (1): 149. doi:10.3989/tp.2017.12188. hdl:2445/120339.
  14. ^ López, Joan B. (2005). "Cova de Montanissell (Sallent - Coll de Nargó, Alt Urgell). Operació: "Senyora de les muntanyes"". Cota Zero (20): 27–36.
  15. ^ Cura Morera, Miguel (1987). "Origen i evolució del megalitisme a les comarques centrals i occidentals de Catalunya I: Del neolític mitjà a l'edat de bronze". Cota Zero (3): 76–83.
  16. ^ Vilardell, Rosó (1987). "Origen i evolució del megalitisme a les comarques centrals i occidentals de Catalunya II: L'edat de bronze". Cota Zero (3): 84–91.
  17. ^ Galter, Josep Tarrús (11 January 2003). "Els constructors de megàlits a Catalunya : cistes i dòlmens entre els millennis V-III cal aC". Cota zero: Revista d'arqueologia i ciència: 54–75. ISSN 2385-3190.
  18. ^ Tarrús i Galter, Josep (2021). "El megalitisme a Catalunya: una breu visió general". Catalan Historical Review (14): 9–20. doi:10.2436/20.1000.01.173.
  19. ^ Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Donat, Richard; Der Sarkissian, Clio; Southon, John; Thèves, Catherine; Manen, Claire; Tchérémissinoff, Yaramila; Crubézy, Eric; Shapiro, Beth; Deleuze, Jean-François; Dalén, Love; Guilaine, Jean; Orlando, Ludovic (March 2021). "Heterogeneous Hunter-Gatherer and Steppe-Related Ancestries in Late Neolithic and Bell Beaker Genomes from Present-Day France". Current Biology. 31 (5): 1072–1083.e10. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.015. PMID 33434506. S2CID 231579488.
  20. ^ Olalde, Iñigo; et al. (15 March 2019). "The genomic history of the Iberian Peninsula over the past 8000 years". Science. 363 (6432): 1230–1234. doi:10.1126/science.aav4040. PMC 6436108. PMID 30872528.
  21. ^ Villalba-Mouco, Vanessa; Oliart, Camila; Rihuete-Herrada, Cristina; Childebayeva, Ainash; Rohrlach, Adam B.; Fregeiro, María Inés; Celdrán Beltrán, Eva; Velasco-Felipe, Carlos; Aron, Franziska; Himmel, Marie; Freund, Caecilia; Alt, Kurt W.; Salazar-García, Domingo C.; García Atiénzar, Gabriel; de Miguel Ibáñez, Ma. Paz; Hernández Pérez, Mauro S.; Barciela, Virginia; Romero, Alejandro; Ponce, Juana; Martínez, Andrés; Lomba, Joaquín; Soler, Jorge; Martínez, Ana Pujante; Avilés Fernández, Azucena; Haber-Uriarte, María; Roca de Togores Muñoz, Consuelo; Olalde, Iñigo; Lalueza-Fox, Carles; Reich, David; Krause, Johannes; García Sanjuán, Leonardo; Lull, Vicente; Micó, Rafael; Risch, Roberto; Haak, Wolfgang (19 November 2021). "Genomic transformation and social organization during the Copper Age–Bronze Age transition in southern Iberia". Science Advances. 7 (47). doi:10.1126/sciadv.abi7038. hdl:10810/54399. PMID 34788096. S2CID 244385333.