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Image Credit: M. Bartelheim et al. 2026
Bronze Age Necropolis with Collective Tombs Discovered Near Seville
Archaeologists have uncovered an exceptional Bronze Age cemetery at the Siete Arroyos site near Villaverde del Río in southern Spain, revealing complex funerary traditions dating between about 1880 and 1300 BC.
The necropolis lies on the slope of a prominent hill overlooking the Guadalquivir Valley, close to a long-occupied settlement. Excavations exposed seven tombs within a small area, displaying an unusually wide variety of burial types never previously documented together in the region.
The graves include simple pit burials, stone-lined cist tombs, and — most notably — two collective tombs. One of these contained the remains of at least twenty individuals placed in successive deposits. Earlier bones had been moved aside to allow new burials, indicating the structure functioned as a family or community burial place used across generations.
Radiocarbon dating confirms the cemetery belongs to the Middle Bronze Age, a period still poorly understood in the Guadalquivir Valley compared with other parts of Iberia. The presence of collective tombs is particularly significant, as this burial practice was previously thought to have disappeared locally after the earlier Copper Age.
Well-preserved skeletal remains show widespread dental disease and signs of childhood stress, offering insights into health and living conditions. The cemetery also appears closely linked to nearby habitation, suggesting a long-term relationship between settlement and burial space.
Researchers believe the site provides rare evidence for social organization and cultural change during a transitional era that eventually led to the emergence of the Tartessian culture in southern Iberia.
Published on: 20-02-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: LBV Magazine