Levantine Bronze Age

{{Infobox archaeological culture

|name = Levantine Bronze or Bronze of Levante or Valencian Bronze Age

|map = File:Iberia_Late_Bronze.gif

|mapalt =

|altnames =

|horizon =

|region = East Spain

|period = Bronze Age

|dates = {{circa}} 2200 — {{circa}} 1500 BC

|typesite =

|majorsites =

|extra =

|precededby = Bell Beaker culture

|followedby = Iberians

|definedby = Miquel Tarradell

}}

Named after its regional range, the Levantine Bronze Age (or Bronze of Levant, or Valencian Bronze) refers to a culture extended over the actual territory of the Valencian Community, in the "Levante" or eastern side of the Iberian peninsula. Its chronological range was between 2200 BC and 1500 BC.

It is considered an autonomous culture in relation to the Argaric culture by Miquel Tarradell in the sixties.{{cite book |last1=Tarradell |first1=Miquel |title=El País Valenciano del Neolítico a la Iberización : ensayo de Síntesis |date=1963 |location=Valencia}} The main aspects that allow the distinction of the Valencian Bronze from that of El Argar are the scarcity of metallic objects, the lack of carinated cups and ceramics, and the lack of the rite involving the inhumation of the deceased under its home floor.

File:Lloma de Betxí (30526074511).jpg, reconstruction]]

The economy was involved mainly in agriculture and herding. The metallurgy was much more developed in the southern part by the influence of the near Argaric culture.{{cite book |last1=Grau |first1=Elena |title=La Edad del Bronce Valenciano, una cultura autóctona, in De nómadas a ciudadanos, La Gran Historia de la Comunitat Valenciana (Tomo I) |pages=75–76}}

Oppida were defended by natural elements, tenches, walls and towers. The houses were rectangular and the walls had stone basements.{{cite web |last1=Lajara Insa |first1=Olga |title=El territorio en el bronce valenciano: estado de la cuestión |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10550/32836 |publisher=Departament de Prehistòria i Arqueologia (Universitat de València)}}

Caves were used as funerary places.

Genetic profile

Individuals from diverse archaeological sites were tested, a male from the barrow or collective burial mound known as Túmulo Mortòrum (Cabanes) had Y-chromosome R1b-P310, and a male inhumated in a cave near Lloma de Betxí had subclade R1b-Z195. Other individuals were tested from Cueva del Puntal de los Carniceros (Villena), Coveta del Frare (La Font de la Figuera), La Horna (Aspe) and Cabezo Redondo (Villena), belonging also to haplogroup R1b, but it is difficult to relate them to a given culture as the Vinalopó valley stands amid the Argaric culture, the Valencia Bronze Age and Motillas (or Manchego Bronze) areas.{{cite journal |last1=Olalde |first1=Iñigo |last2=Mallick |first2=Swapan |last3=Patterson |first3=Nick |last4=Rohland |first4=Nadin |last5=Villalba-Mouco |first5=Vanessa |last6=Silva |first6=Marina |last7=Dulias |first7=Katharina |last8=Edwards |first8=Ceiridwen J. |last9=Gandini |first9=Francesca |last10=Pala |first10=Maria |last11=Soares |first11=Pedro |last12=Ferrando-Bernal |first12=Manuel |last13=Adamski |first13=Nicole |last14=Broomandkhoshbacht |first14=Nasreen |last15=Cheronet |first15=Olivia |last16=Culleton |first16=Brendan J. |last17=Fernandes |first17=Daniel |last18=Lawson |first18=Ann Marie |last19=Mah |first19=Matthew |last20=Oppenheimer |first20=Jonas |last21=Stewardson |first21=Kristin |last22=Zhang |first22=Zhao |last23=Jiménez Arenas |first23=Juan Manuel |last24=Toro Moyano |first24=Isidro Jorge |last25=Salazar-García |first25=Domingo C. |last26=Castanyer |first26=Pere |last27=Santos |first27=Marta |last28=Tremoleda |first28=Joaquim |last29=Lozano |first29=Marina |last30=García Borja |first30=Pablo |last31=Fernández-Eraso |first31=Javier |last32=Mujika-Alustiza |first32=José Antonio |last33=Barroso |first33=Cecilio |last34=Bermúdez |first34=Francisco J. |last35=Viguera Mínguez |first35=Enrique |last36=Burch |first36=Josep |last37=Coromina |first37=Neus |last38=Vivó |first38=David |last39=Cebrià |first39=Artur |last40=Fullola |first40=Josep Maria |last41=García-Puchol |first41=Oreto |last42=Morales |first42=Juan Ignacio |last43=Oms |first43=F. Xavier |last44=Majó |first44=Tona |last45=Vergès |first45=Josep Maria |last46=Díaz-Carvajal |first46=Antònia |last47=Ollich-Castanyer |first47=Imma |last48=López-Cachero |first48=F. Javier |last49=Silva |first49=Ana Maria |last50=Alonso-Fernández |first50=Carmen |last51=Delibes de Castro |first51=Germán |last52=Jiménez Echevarría |first52=Javier |last53=Moreno-Márquez |first53=Adolfo |last54=Pascual Berlanga |first54=Guillermo |last55=Ramos-García |first55=Pablo |last56=Ramos-Muñoz |first56=José |last57=Vijande Vila |first57=Eduardo |last58=Aguilella Arzo |first58=Gustau |last59=Esparza Arroyo |first59=Ángel |last60=Lillios |first60=Katina T. |last61=Mack |first61=Jennifer |last62=Velasco-Vázquez |first62=Javier |last63=Waterman |first63=Anna |last64=Benítez de Lugo Enrich |first64=Luis |last65=Benito Sánchez |first65=María |last66=Agustí |first66=Bibiana |last67=Codina |first67=Ferran |last68=de Prado |first68=Gabriel |last69=Estalrrich |first69=Almudena |last70=Fernández Flores |first70=Álvaro |last71=Finlayson |first71=Clive |last72=Finlayson |first72=Geraldine |last73=Finlayson |first73=Stewart |last74=Giles-Guzmán |first74=Francisco |last75=Rosas |first75=Antonio |last76=Barciela González |first76=Virginia |last77=García Atiénzar |first77=Gabriel |last78=Hernández Pérez |first78=Mauro S. |last79=Llanos |first79=Armando |last80=Carrión Marco |first80=Yolanda |last81=Collado Beneyto |first81=Isabel |last82=López-Serrano |first82=David |last83=Sanz Tormo |first83=Mario |last84=Valera |first84=António C. |last85=Blasco |first85=Concepción |last86=Liesau |first86=Corina |last87=Ríos |first87=Patricia |last88=Daura |first88=Joan |last89=de Pedro Michó |first89=María Jesús |last90=Diez-Castillo |first90=Agustín A. |last91=Flores Fernández |first91=Raúl |last92=Francès Farré |first92=Joan |last93=Garrido-Pena |first93=Rafael |last94=Gonçalves |first94=Victor S. |last95=Guerra-Doce |first95=Elisa |last96=Herrero-Corral |first96=Ana Mercedes |last97=Juan-Cabanilles |first97=Joaquim |last98=López-Reyes |first98=Daniel |last99=McClure |first99=Sarah B. |last100=Merino Pérez |first100=Marta |last101=Oliver Foix |first101=Arturo |last102=Sanz Borràs |first102=Montserrat |last103=Sousa |first103=Ana Catarina |last104=Vidal Encinas |first104=Julio Manuel |last105=Kennett |first105=Douglas J. |last106=Richards |first106=Martin B. |last107=Werner Alt |first107=Kurt |last108=Haak |first108=Wolfgang |last109=Pinhasi |first109=Ron |last110=Lalueza-Fox |first110=Carles |last111=Reich |first111=David |title=The genomic history of the Iberian Peninsula over the past 8000 years |journal=Science |date=15 March 2019 |volume=363 |issue=6432 |pages=1230–1234 |doi=10.1126/science.aav4040|doi-access=free |hdl=10261/207967 |hdl-access=free |pmc=6436108 }}{{cite journal |last1=Villalba-Mouco |first1=Vanessa |last2=Oliart |first2=Camila |last3=Rihuete-Herrada |first3=Cristina |last4=Rohrlach |first4=Adam B. |last5=Fregeiro |first5=María Inés |last6=Childebayeva |first6=Ainash |last7=Ringbauer |first7=Harald |last8=Olalde |first8=Iñigo |last9=Celdrán Beltrán |first9=Eva |last10=Puello-Mora |first10=Catherine |last11=Valério |first11=Miguel |last12=Krause |first12=Johannes |last13=Lull |first13=Vicente |last14=Micó |first14=Rafael |last15=Risch |first15=Roberto |last16=Haak |first16=Wolfgang |title=Kinship practices in the early state El Argar society from Bronze Age Iberia |journal=Scientific Reports |date=27 December 2022 |volume=12 |issue=1 |doi=10.1038/s41598-022-25975-9|doi-access=free |hdl=10810/60599 |hdl-access=free |pmc=9794729 }}{{cite journal |last1=Villalba-Mouco |first1=Vanessa |last2=Oliart |first2=Camila |last3=Rihuete-Herrada |first3=Cristina |last4=Childebayeva |first4=Ainash |last5=Rohrlach |first5=Adam B. |last6=Fregeiro |first6=María Inés |last7=Celdrán Beltrán |first7=Eva |last8=Velasco-Felipe |first8=Carlos |last9=Aron |first9=Franziska |last10=Himmel |first10=Marie |last11=Freund |first11=Caecilia |last12=Alt |first12=Kurt W. |last13=Salazar-García |first13=Domingo C. |last14=García Atiénzar |first14=Gabriel |last15=de Miguel Ibáñez |first15=Ma. Paz |last16=Hernández Pérez |first16=Mauro S. |last17=Barciela |first17=Virginia |last18=Romero |first18=Alejandro |last19=Ponce |first19=Juana |last20=Martínez |first20=Andrés |last21=Lomba |first21=Joaquín |last22=Soler |first22=Jorge |last23=Martínez |first23=Ana Pujante |last24=Avilés Fernández |first24=Azucena |last25=Haber-Uriarte |first25=María |last26=Roca de Togores Muñoz |first26=Consuelo |last27=Olalde |first27=Iñigo |last28=Lalueza-Fox |first28=Carles |last29=Reich |first29=David |last30=Krause |first30=Johannes |last31=García Sanjuán |first31=Leonardo |last32=Lull |first32=Vicente |last33=Micó |first33=Rafael |last34=Risch |first34=Roberto |last35=Haak |first35=Wolfgang |title=Genomic transformation and social organization during the Copper Age–Bronze Age transition in southern Iberia |journal=Science Advances |date=19 November 2021 |volume=7 |issue=47 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abi7038|hdl=10810/54399 |hdl-access=free |pmc=8597998 }}