Agriculture first reached the Iberian Peninsula around 5700 BCE. However, little is known about the genetic structure and changes of prehistoric populations in different geographic areas of Iberia. In our study, we focused on the maternal genetic makeup of the Neolithic (∼ 5500-3000 BCE), Chalcolithic (∼ 3000-2200 BCE) and Early Bronze Age (∼ 2200-1500 BCE). We report ancient mitochondrial DNA results of 213 individuals (151 HVS-I sequences) from the northeast, central, southeast and southwest regions and thus on the largest archaeogenetic dataset from the Peninsula to date. Similar to other parts of Europe, we observe a discontinuity between hunter-gatherers and the first farmers of the Neolithic. During the subsequent periods, we detect regional continuity of Early Neolithic lineages across Iberia, however the genetic contribution of hunter-gatherers is generally higher than in other parts of Europe and varies regionally. In contrast to ancient DNA findings from Central Europe, we do not observe a major turnover in the mtDNA record of the Iberian Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, suggesting that the population history of the Iberian Peninsula is distinct in character.

Summary The recent discovery of an Atlantic halberd among other abundant and rich grave goods in the Bell Beaker double tomb 1 of Humanejos (Parla, Madrid) demonstrates that this type of weapon was part of the Beaker panoply. It is the first example of an Atlantic halberd in a Beaker burial context in Iberia and only the second one in Europe. The remaining halberds come from old and isolated finds in Early Bronze Age deposits that were usually interpreted as post‐Beaker votive deposits. In this paper the Humanejos halberd and its archaeological context (human remains, burial structure, radiocarbon dates) are carefully examined. The study includes the technical analysis of the halberd (metal composition, lead isotopes, use‐wear traces), together with the other metallic weapons and tools recovered with it (Palmela points, tanged dagger, awl) as well as the rest of the offerings (Beaker pottery, ivory and bone adornments). All these data suggest that this exceptionally rich grave could have held a woman and a man of the social elite, with the power to concentrate important amounts of precious raw materials (copper, gold, ivory, cinnabar) in few hands, especially when compared to other contemporary graves in the same site and region.

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