Technological Changes in the Neolithic Pottery Production of the South Iberian Peninsula: the Transition from the Middle to the Late Neolithic in Los Castillejos (Montefrío, Granada)

Abstract

In this paper, we present the analytical results of the vessels from Los Castillejos (Montefrío, Granada), attributed to the Middle and Late Neolithic periods (5000-4900 BC and 4200-3600 BC, respectively). The analytical corpus used in this study comes from techniques related to Earth Sciences (stereomicroscopy using a binocular microscope and X-ray diffraction). The results obtained have allowed us to differentiate the moments of the occupation of the site; the periods are separated by more than 700 years and present a marked difference in the ceramic production that allows us to identify a cultural change between the Middle and Late Neolithic.