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The outermost line of walls are of great interest, as there has been a collapse inwards, raising questions about the dynamics and constructive systems of the site. Inside the enclosure between the outer and intermediate walls, there are many circular or oval ovens, with masonry plinths and vaulted
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The intermediate enclosure occupies the western half of the fortification, between the intermediate wall and the outer face of a corridor surrounding the tower. The function of this enclosure changed during the different phases of occupation of the site, being sometimes used as a stabling area for
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During the Bronze Age, these fortified settlements played an important role in the management and control of local economies. Inside the walls was a water supply from a well, large-scale storage and processing of cereals, the housing of livestock, and the production of ceramics. Other handicrafts
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region and date from the Bronze Age, between about 2200 and 1500 BCE. The mounds are between four and ten metres (13 and 33 ft) high and were originally fortifications with a central plan and several concentric lines of walls. They are found around the La Mancha plain, generally some four to
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face of limestone blocks. Access to the interior of the fortification from the settlement area was through corridors parallel to the walls. The living area was located outside the walls, within a radius of about fifty metres (160 ft). The houses have an oval or rectangular floor plan, with
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The mound at Azuer has a diameter of about forty metres (130 ft). On it stand a tower, three concentric lines of walls, and a large courtyard. The central core is a masonry tower with a square floor plan, the east and west walls of which still stand more than ten metres (33 ft) high.
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where, until recent times, there were many lagoons and marshes. The special characteristic of this site and the massiveness of its fortifications, with masonry walls more than eight metres (26 ft) high, make the Azuer settlement one of the most notable Bronze Age survivals of the
Iberian
383:, directed by Trinidad Nájera Colino and Fernando Molina González, had by 2021 undertaken fourteen seasons of archaeological fieldwork, with the first research phase lasting until 1986. There was a pause of several years, and fieldwork started again in 2000 and was still in progress in 2021.
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study in 2014 found a relationship between the geological substrate and the distribution of the motillas at
Daimiel, considering also that they may be the most ancient system of groundwater collection in Iberia. The study concluded that the motillas were built in the Bronze Age during the
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cultures of the Bronze Age. The dead were buried in a crouching position, inside simple graves or graves lined with masonry walls or slabs, sometimes attached to the walls of the houses or to the outer defensive walls. Some children were buried in pots. Few
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masonry plinths, clay elevations, and embedded posts. Associated with the houses are large open areas of storage and work spaces, with a high concentration of pits and remains of fireplaces or ovens, and areas of
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plan, is a well which goes down through the alluvial terrace to the water table. This was in use throughout the occupation of the site and currently reaches to a depth of at least sixteen metres (52 ft).
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sheep, goats, and pigs, and sometimes as a warehouse for barley and wheat. It has rectangular silos built of masonry and mud, a system replaced by storage in large vases and
462:(Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha), Issue nÂş 127, 3 July 2013, declaring Motilla del Azuer to be a "Bien de InterĂ©s Cultural, con categorĂa de Zona ArqueolĂłgica"
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Within the walls are large spaces, a patio and two large enclosures separated by an intermediate wall. Inside the patio, which has a
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have been found, apart from the exceptional cases of adults buried with ceramic vessels. Such finds include a dagger with
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Extensive field work has been carried out since 1974 and was ongoing in 2021. On 20 June 2013 the site was declared a "
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There is also a cemetery at the site, covering most of the area of the settlement, following a common pattern in most
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520:"The first uses of groundwater in the Iberian Peninsula: the Daimiel motillas in the Bronze Age of La Mancha"
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clay covers, as well as rectangular silos for grain, which were built throughout the occupation of the site.
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FundaciĂłn Dalpa, "Patrimonio de
Castilla la Mancha, La Motilla del Azuer: la Edad de Bronce en la Mancha",
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437:"Recent fieldwork at the Bronze Age fortified site of Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Spain)"
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M. MejĂas Moreno, L. BenĂtez de Lugo Enrich, J. del Pozo Tejado, J. Moraleda Sierra,
458:"Acuerdo de aprobaciĂłn, Motilla del Azuer, localizada en Daimiel (Ciudad Real)" in
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500:"Archaeologists reconstruct life in the Bronze Age through the site of La Motilla"
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are the remains of one of the most unusual types of prehistoric settlement on the
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Entrance to the interior is by ramps within narrow masonry corridors.
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The outermost circular wall has in its last phase of construction a
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Bien de Interés
Cultural landmarks in the Province of Ciudad Real
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The work has led to consolidation and restoration projects.
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five kilometres (2.5 to 3.1 mi) apart, in an area of
509:, phys.org, 24 January 2008, accessed 9 November 2022
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228:is a prehistoric fortification dating from the
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435:T. Nájera, G. Aranda, M. Sánchez, M. Haro,,
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16:Bronze Age archaeological site in Spain
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460:Diario Oficial de Castilla-La Mancha
396:4.2-kiloyear BP aridification event
375:Investigations and restoration work
251:" (asset of cultural interest) to
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550:Archaeological cultures of Europe
570:Archaeological cultures in Spain
267:Archeological dig in August 2021
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271:The artificial mounds known as
59:Shown within Castilla-La Mancha
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379:Since 1974, a team from the
33:Overhead view in August 2016
309:View of the complex in 2017
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531:BoletĂn GeolĂłgico y Minero
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164:Spanish Cultural Heritage
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279:. They are found in the
249:Bien de Interés Cultural
533:125 (4) (2014), 455-474
525:9 November 2022 at the
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297:were also carried out.
238:Province of Ciudad Real
232:in the municipality of
76:Province of Ciudad Real
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202:; 11 years ago
389:An interdisciplinary
381:University of Granada
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442:16 July 2016 at the
114:39.04333°N 3.49750°W
371:of the same metal.
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565:Castilla–La Mancha
490:XVII (2009), 93-96
449:79 (December 2005)
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242:Castilla–La Mancha
153:Open to the public
150:Public access
119:39.04333; -3.49750
87:Castilla–La Mancha
277:Iberian Peninsula
226:Motilla del Azuer
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200:20 June 2013
191:Zona ArqueolĂłgica
174:Motilla del Azuer
22:Motilla del Azuer
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301:Description
293:Peninsula.
253:archaeology
182:Non-movable
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93:Coordinates
544:Categories
356:peninsular
244:, Spain.
230:Bronze Age
207:2013-06-20
197:Designated
145:Site notes
139:Bronze Age
102:39°02′36″N
447:Antiquity
339:cyclopean
281:La Mancha
236:, in the
105:3°29′51″W
74:, in the
523:Archived
503:Archived
440:Archived
350:Cemetery
273:motillas
187:Criteria
68:Location
344:middens
328:esparto
290:lowland
259:Context
234:Daimiel
205: (
135:Founded
130:History
78:, Spain
72:Daimiel
83:Region
529:, in
402:Notes
369:punch
288:and
224:The
179:Type
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467:^
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240:,
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