Neolithic production of sea salt in la marismilla (la puebla del río, seville). Revised data and hypotheses

Abstract

This paper shows the results of the archaeological interventions carried out in the prehistoric site of La Marismilla (La Puebla del Río, Seville). This site is located on the Western shore of Las Marismas region. In the Middle Holocene, this area was the coast of a great gulf where the Guadalquivir river flew into. Farming activities discovered remains of ceramic vessels, a finding that led to an archaeological excavation. Archaeological works detected seventeen hearths filled with abundant pottery sherds, which were the remains of Prehistoric human activity at the site. The detailed analysis of the stratigraphy and the material culture share information about the first known prehistoric salt exploitation in the Iberian Peninsula. The Marismilla is currently dated in the fourth millennium cal BC, known as the Late Neolithic, and it is currently one of the oldest salt production sites in Western Europe, where salt was obtained by cooking sea water in large ceramic vessels.