Some 4,000 years ago, the southeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula was home to one of Europe’s first state-level societies: El Argar. From its fortified hilltop settlements, this Bronze Age power controlled vast territories, imposing its influence over neighboring groups through trade, warfare, and the steady flow of resources like metal, textiles, and ceramics.
But where exactly did El Argar end, and where did its less centralized neighbors begin? A new study1 has tackled this question by looking not at monumental architecture or elite burials, but at something far more humble: pottery.
By analyzing the production and circulation of ceramic vessels in what is now Murcia, Spain, researchers have been able to trace the shifting borders of El Argar’s influence. The findings suggest that this society maintained a firm grip over its core regions while engaging in complex, asymmetric relationships with surrounding groups in La Mancha and Valencia.
"The study of pottery production and distribution provides a unique perspective on how political and economic boundaries were established in the European Bronze Age," says Adrià Moreno Gil, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and lead author of the study.
Mapping an Ancient Borderland
The study focuses on the Middle and Upper Segura River valley, a transitional zone between El Argar’s heartland and the less hierarchical communities to the north. Through a combination of archaeological surveys, petrographic analysis (studying the mineral composition of ceramics), and GIS-based spatial modeling, the research team identified distinct zones of pottery production and exchange.
At the southern end of the study area, close to El Argar’s core, ceramic production was highly standardized. The pottery here was made from clays rich in phyllosilicates and schist—raw materials found only in the Baetic mountain ranges, far to the south. The presence of this “Argaric-style” pottery suggests that these frontier settlements were firmly integrated into El Argar’s economic system.
Farther north, however, a different pattern emerged. In the borderlands of La Mancha and Valencia, ceramic production was far more localized, relying on clays and tempers that could be sourced nearby. These vessels were made in smaller batches, suggesting a domestic-scale production rather than a centrally organized industry.
"What we see is a stark contrast in economic organization," explains co-author Carla Garrido García from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. "While El Argar was mass-producing pottery and distributing it over long distances, its neighbors continued to rely on local, small-scale production."
This contrast was not just economic but political. The researchers argue that the distribution of pottery reflects the presence of a core-periphery system, where El Argar’s dominance gradually faded as one moved northward.
Clay as a Marker of Power
The movement of ceramics tells a story of political control, trade networks, and social hierarchy. The study found that El Argar’s signature pottery extended into some frontier settlements, but in a limited and highly selective manner.
In some cases, Argaric pottery appeared in substantial quantities, suggesting strong political ties to the core. But in other sites—particularly in the northernmost part of the study area—these ceramics were completely absent. Instead, local communities produced their own pottery, indicating a degree of autonomy from Argaric influence.
"The absence of Argaric pottery in certain areas suggests that El Argar’s political reach had limits," Moreno Gil notes. "These communities were not fully incorporated into the Argaric state but may have been in a loosely affiliated or even adversarial relationship with it."
A New Framework for Studying Bronze Age Borders
The study challenges older models that saw El Argar as a monolithic power uniformly expanding across southeastern Iberia. Instead, the ceramic evidence points to a more nuanced picture—one where political and economic boundaries were actively negotiated through trade, resource control, and regional alliances.
Perhaps most significantly, this research provides a methodological blueprint for identifying ancient borders elsewhere. The combination of ceramic petrography and spatial modeling could be applied to other prehistoric societies, from the Únětice culture of Central Europe to the palatial civilizations of Minoan Crete.
"Borders are rarely just lines on a map," says Garrido García. "They are zones of interaction, competition, and negotiation. And in archaeology, they are often written in clay."
As new discoveries continue to refine our understanding of ancient state formation, this study highlights the crucial role of everyday objects—like pottery—in shaping the political landscapes of the past. In the case of El Argar, its power may have been defined not just by its fortresses or weaponry, but by the simple ceramics that carried its influence across the Iberian Bronze Age world.
Additional Related Research
Here are some additional studies related to Bronze Age political boundaries, trade, and ceramic analysis:
Kristiansen, K., & Larsson, T. B. (2005). The Rise of Bronze Age Society: Travels, Transmissions and Transformations. Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511614518
Meller, H., Arz, H. W., Jung, R., & Risch, R. (Eds.). (2019). 2200 BC – A Climatic Breakdown as a Cause for the Collapse of the Old World? Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt. DOI: 10.11588/propylaeum.637
Vandkilde, H. (2014). Breakthroughs and breakdowns: Exploring the long-term impact of the 3rd millennium BC in the European Bronze Age. In European Journal of Archaeology, 17(4), 602-633. DOI: 10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000066
Lull, V., Micó, R., Rihuete-Herrada, C., & Risch, R. (2013). The La Bastida fortification: New light and new questions on Early Bronze Age societies in the western Mediterranean. Antiquity, 87(336), 1223-1237. DOI: 10.1017/S0003598X00049869
Moreno Gil, A., Garrido García, C., Bonora Soriano, B., Gómez-Gras, D., & Risch, R. (2025). Bronze Age frontiers and pottery circulation: Political and economic relations at the northern fringes of El Argar, Southeast Iberia, ca. 2200–1550 BCE. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-025-09702-y
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