El estado forestal de El Argar (ca. 2200-1550 cal ANE). Nuevas aportaciones antracológicas desde La Bastida (Murcia, España) para el conocimiento paleoecológico y paleoeconómico de la Prehistoria Reciente del sureste de la península Ibérica.

The aim of this study was to increase the palaeoecological and palaeoeconomical knowledge of the Argaric Bronze Age from south-eastern Spain (c. 2200-1550 cal BC). This PhD thesis has focused on the charcoal analysis from the Argaric archaeological site La Bastida (Totana municipality, Murcia, Spain), which was one of the most important prehistoric cities of the south-eastern territory (about 33000 km2), occupying a 4.5 ha-hilltop. The most outstanding constructive elements of this site are a large water reservoir (more than 400.000 litres) and an impressive stone-built fortification system which protected citizens from potential attacks. Charcoal coming from timber production and consumption during La Bastida diachrony was analysed. As a result, 28 taxa were determined for the site. That being so La Bastida presents the highest taxa variability for the whole Argaric territory.There is, in addition, a variation in taxa during the three phases of La Bastida. In all respects, these taxa draw a completely different landscape from nowadays. The surroundings of La Bastida presented a mesothermophyte flora and a Mediterranean riparian vegetation in the nearby watercourses. Owing to the results, we can offer a new panorama for the environmental and landscape features of the past that lasted at least the 650 years of the settlement, and which was, by far, not arid.Additionally, data from all the charcoal analysis (21) included in studies for Copper and Bronze Ages from the south-eastern territory of the Iberian Peninsula were collected.The aim was to observe if there was any palaeoecological disturbance or dissimilarity within Los Millares (3rd millennium cal BC) and El Argar (2nd millennium cal BC) transition –both archaeological groups developed in the same territory. In the light of charcoal analysis, no remarkable difference was found. Conversely, a marked palaeoecological affinity with both archaeological groups could be stated. Focused again on El Argar palaeoecology, up to the present, just 13% of the archaeological sites have analysed the charcoal on the recovered archaeobotanical remains. For that reason, there are few evidences to synthesize environmental conditions on the Argaric territory. Despite this, we analysed the existing data through correspondence analysis, and we identified separated habitats with different palaeoecological conditions. Dry conditions were detected in the surroundings of the coastal area, and higher humidity in the Penibetic mountain ranges area. Besides, the habitat diversity that featured the neighbourhood of each settlement during El Argar, and a continued availability of a large number of species from a wooded maquia cover could be ascertained. In accordance with our findings, these environmental conditions lasted at least until 1550 cal BC. Therefore, this work supports the idea that the end and collapse of El Argar, which caused the simultaneous abandonment of all Argaric sites, does not lie in an overexploitation and depletion of forest resources.