La Bastida, Totana
La Bastida de Totana | |
State of the excavation of the wall in April 2013 | |
| Location | Totana, Region of Murcia, Spain |
|---|---|
| Region | Guadalentín Valley |
| Type | Archaeological site |
| Part of | Argaric culture |
| Area | 4.5 ha (minimum estimate) |
| History | |
| Founded | Second half of the 3rd millennium BC |
| Abandoned | Mid-2nd millennium BC |
| Periods | Bronze Age |
| Cultures | Argaric culture |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Excavated |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | La Bastida |
La Bastida de Totana is an archaeological site associated with the Argaric culture, located in the municipality of Totana, in the Region of Murcia, Spain. It is situated on a conical-shaped hill approximately 6 km west of Totana and was occupied between approximately 2200 and 1550 BC. It is one of the largest settlements (minimum estimate of 4.5 ha) from the early Bronze Age in continental Europe and is considered one of the most important settlements of recent European prehistory. It formed part of the network of Argaric central settlements, with early urban planning and evidence of political and economic inequalities.
In 2005, La Bastida was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural. Its long history of research, initiated in 1869, and the fieldwork conducted since 2008 by the Mediterranean Social Archaeoecology Research Group (ASOME) of the Autonomous University of Barcelona make it one of the best-known Argaric sites to date.