Social and Economic Prehistory Research Group (IH, CCHS)

We present the radiocarbon dates for twelve charcoal samples covering the complete area of the mine field of Casa Montero (Madrid, Spain), a site with more than 4000 plotted shafts. The χ2 test shows that eleven of them are statistically identical, with a 65% probability that all mining episodes occurred between 5337 and 5218 cal BC, a time span of approximately four generations. We test this probable hypothesis against other archaeological evidence and conclude that the comparatively large scale mining actions at Casa Montero would have necessarily required the mobilization of several small scale Early Neolithic groups into a succession of collective actions, probably performed in a seasonal manner. Neolithic fl int mining in Europe was not a long term technical solution to a practical need, but an extraordinarily meaningful and timely -historically contingent- social activity. In order to understand mining actions in these terms, we would require a reevaluation of the statistical variability and meaning of series of radiocarbon dates already obtained at many other fl int mines. When we do so, we might observe that, as in the case of Casa Montero, many of these radiocarbon dates actually represent sets of short term highly active ‘generational’ mining episodes separated in time.

The archaeometric characterization of a set of potsherds
from six Neolithic sites from the Madrid region has
allowed the identification of a new and time-persisting regional
technological tradition, based on the deliberated addition of crushed bone as temper in most pottery containers. This is the first known case in Iberia, and is outstanding because of its early chronologies and persistence in time: from 5300 to perhaps 3400 cal BC. Samples were characterized by complementary mineralogical and geochemical techniques such as thin-section, conventional and grazing angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The addition of bone temper created a light and resistant ceramic material, with technological advantages for both the storage and transportation. Such advantages might be linked to mobile or semi-sedentary groups.

Casa Montero is a mining complex located outside Madrid (Spain), dated from the Early Neolithic (c. 5400–5000 cal bc). An area of some 4 ha has been investigated and some 4000 shafts recorded, of which 324 have been excavated. The characterization of its raw flint materials and the establishment of its diagnostic features are indispensable in the reconstruction of the distribution of the mine's products beyond the immediate site. This work reports the geological study of the mine's Miocene flint layers and their petrological characterization. Archaeological samples from the mine's shafts were classified according to macroscopic features and petrological characteristics.

The aim of this paper is to present the characterisation of the siliceous rocks from the Neolithic mine of Casa Montero (5400-5200 cal. BC). It is located in Madrid (Spain) and it occupies 4 hectares with 3897 mapped shafts, out of which 324 have been excavated throughout three field seasons.
This kind of study is essential in order to establish the diagnostic features of the raw material and to investigate the distribution of the mine’s products. An analysis of the relationship between different siliceous raw materials and the lithic operative chain has been carried out as well.
The characterisation has been performed using two methods: macroscopic description and petrological analysis. Seven macroscopic types (from 1 to 7) and four petrological groups (from A to D) have been established. The macroscopic classification has been found to be fundamental in the
analysis of the lithic remains, given the large volume of lithic material recovered in the site. The petrological classification provides a good method for identifying materials from the Casa Montero mine at other archaeological sites.
The observation of refits has suggested a preference for a certain raw material. In order to verify this, an statistical Factorial Analysis has been applied to study the representation of each phase of the lithic operative chain in each macroscopic type of raw material.

... Bustillo & JL Pérez-Jiménez The Neolithic flint mine of Casa Montero was discovered as a result of the Archaeological Impact Assessment of Madrid's M-50 highway belt (Figure 1). The site is located south-east of Madrid, in the centre of Iberia. ...

SILEX is a Spatial Data Infrastructure developed for the management and distribution of the primary archaeological information about the Neolithic flint mine of Casa Montero, located in the periphery of the city of Madrid (Spain). It is designed according to an open approach, based on the use of standards and open source software and on the free access to the whole data about the site via Internet. It is a distributed information system with a three layer architecture: the data layer, formed by a GIS level and a complex entity-relationship thematic database; the web service layer, with the use of standard protocols and languages for accessing the database; and the interface layer, a mashup that combines forms and a geographical viewer for querying and retrieving data.

Casa Montero is a mining complex located outside Madrid (Spain), dated from the Early Neolithic (c. 5400–5000 cal bc). An area of some 4 ha has been investigated and some 4000 shafts recorded, of which 324 have been excavated. The characterization of its raw flint materials and the establishment of its diagnostic features are indispensable in the reconstruction of the distribution of the mine's products beyond the immediate site. This work reports the geological study of the mine's Miocene flint layers and their petrological characterization. Archaeological samples from the mine's shafts were classified according to macroscopic features and petrological characteristics.