Key Resources and Sociocultural Developments in the Iberian Chalcolithic

Abstract

The Iberian Peninsula displays extreme geographic and climatic differences, resulting in very different local preconditions. To what extent are these responsible for the heterogeneous social and cultural development in different regions observable during the 3rd mill. BC? To answer this question it is necessary to identify what was considered to be a resource and to determine how these resources were valuated. This book aims at investigating and reconstructing the dynamics and the diversity of the sociocultural manifestations on the Iberian Peninsula in relation to the use of resources in a comprehensive way during the Chalcolithic. In general regional overviews and detailed studies of the use of infrastructure, raw materials or social relations the possibilities to identify key resources as factors in these processes are explored.