ABSTRACT
Whilst written sources date the arrival of the Phoenicians in the Iberian Peninsula to some time around 1100 B C , from both absolute and sequential chronological references archaeologists date the first material evidence for their presence to the period between the end of the ninth and the beginning of the eighth centuries B C . A t this time the first 'factories' were built along the Peninsulas Mediterranean coast, the Phoenicians' political and economic activity began (Aubet 1987), and the indigenous population reverted to the traditional form of concentrated settlement which had predominated during the Early Bronze Age (Nocete 1990). This can clearly be seen in the coastal areas of Andalucía and in the Levant as well as inland along the Guadalquivir valley. In coastal areas this is seen in sites such as Acinipo (Aguayo et al 1986) and in the Levant at sites such as Peña Negra, where the end of the first phase of occupation has been radiocarbon dated to 740 B C (uncalibrated date: González Prats 1985). In the Guadalquivir valley a radiocarbon date obtained from the base of one of the huts at the site of La Plaza de Armas suggests that this settlement must have been formed around 820 B C (Ruiz and Molinos 1993). A l l this indicates that there emerged a settlement pattern characterized by concentrations of circular or rectangular houses. We know little about the large, Late Bronze Age II (850-750 B C ) (Molina González 1979) settlements in the upper Guadalquivir valley because, in all but a few cases, these were located on the sites of large protohistoric centres of population and, as a result, it is difficult to identify many aspects of their internal organisation.
