ABSTRACT
An analysis of the funerary world of the western Mediterranean between the fourth and second millennia bc 1 reveals a logic consistent with the establishment of a ‘peasant way of life’ 2 and the need to create new models for a community’s relationship with its environment. 2 But what is more important is that it reveals a complete process of cultural transformation of the greatest significance and that this is repeated with minimal variations. It also clearly demonstrates that the traditional structuring of prehistory needs to be modified and that traditional periodization is obsolete. That first conclusion has already been reached and defended by various authors in Spain, particularly by Vicent (1990) and Criado (1991, 1993). I do not intend, therefore, to repeat what we already know, but to try to suggest how the different processes of cultural change that mark the beginning of a ‘peasant way of life’ in three specific areas are clearly reflected in the particular characteristics that the funerary world developed in each case, and how this process invalidates the traditional periodization of prehistory. The three areas that will be considered here are: the islands of the central Mediterranean, as exemplified by Sardinia, southeast Spain (mainly Almería, Murcia and Granada, but including also Malaga and Jaén for comparison), and the La Mancha region of Spain (Ciudad Real, Albacete and part of Cuenca) (see Figures 5.1 and 5.2). Map showing the main areas of the western Mediterranean. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315812618/236f5dd7-038d-4683-befd-a58e2c9e1a96/content/fig5_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
1: Southeast Spain. 2. La Mancha region. 3. Ibiza. 4. Mallorca. 5. Menorca. 6. Corsica. 7. Sardinia. 8. Sicily.
Map showing the regions of La Mancha and southeastern Spain. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315812618/236f5dd7-038d-4683-befd-a58e2c9e1a96/content/fig5_2_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>La Mancha region: 1. Ciudad Real. 2. Region of Cuenca. 3. Albacete; southeast Spain: 4. Murcia. 5. Almería. 6. Granada. 7. Jaén. 8. Málaga.
