El cuarzo como material votivo y arquitectónico en el complejo funerario megalítico de Palacio III (Almadén de la Plata, Sevilla): Análisis contextual y mineralógico

Abstract

This paper examines an assemblage of quartz objects, such as crystals (rock crystal and prase) and pebbles, that were found in two spatially and chronologically different contexts of the Palacio III megalithic complex (Almadén de la Plata, Seville, Spain) excavated by the universities of Seville and Southampton between 2001 and 2002. Firstly, these objects are described macroscopically from a mineralogical and crystallographic point of view. When possible, samples are studied by X-ray diffraction and SEM in order to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition. Secondly, other similar instances, in which quartz and rock crystal objects have been found among the grave goods of funerary contexts of southern Iberian, are described. Finally, we propose a series of interpretations for these objects, both from a functional as well as a symbolical perspective, assessing the significance of their presence in spatially discrete and chrono-culturally distant contexts.