As Carla Garrido, a researcher at the University of Barcelona and co-author of the study, explains: “Traditionally, archaeology has always studied pottery from a stylistic perspective: the shape of the piece, the type of decoration, whether it’s painted… But those of us who dedicate ourselves to studying ceramics as a human-made element perform what’s called an operational chain study, analyzing the entire process from obtaining the clay to assembling the piece and finally firing it.”
When studying the clay composition of hundreds of pieces recovered from the 61 settlements, the researchers discovered that they all came from a single site, perhaps two, located in the south of what is now Murcia province. The Argaric ceramics were made from clays sourced from the Sierra de la Almenara, situated in the southern part of modern-day Murcia, at the northernmost tip of the Penibética mountain range. This site is a considerable distance from the Argaric settlementsfarther to the west.
“We’re not talking about gold, silver, or metals; we’re talking about ceramics, and in very large quantities,” says Garrido.