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Los Millares |
Los
Millares This site is considered to be one of the most important European sites of the Copper Age and is located about 17 km north west of Almeria. It was surprisingly hard to find as there are no signs to it until you actually find the approach road and can’t fail to find it then. Head to Gador from the Almeria/Granada motorway and got through the town – the main road forks at a railway line in the town – cross the track here, don’t go straight on or you will be off the main road. Once through the town keep going for a few kilometres to reach the site. We visited in March and it only opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 2pm which I think is the same all year. As you need at least 2 if not 3 hours to walk the site get there early.
View of the main necropolis If you take the path that leads straight from the carpark you will come to the main necropolis area that was built just outside the village. Many of the finds in these tombs can be seen in the Almeria museum but excavations have not been too intensive as there are lots of pot fragments laying around and even pieces of bone.
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site developed here on the banks of a then navigable river with abundant
wildlife and forests on the now bare hillsides and the village was
strategically positioned with natural defences on two sides. Also there
was a copper mine in the hills around Gador that led to further expansion
of the settlement. It was first discovered in 1891 but excavations were
only renewed in the 1950s.
The primary activity was agricultural but the development of the copper industry in the area led to a huge expansion of the site. There are around 80 dolmens, many dwellings and a complex configuration of defensive walls and small fortifications to control the territory.
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on you come to the walls of the settlement that were added to over the
years. The most modern is the outer wall which is over 300 metres long and
is the longest wall of the copper age in Europe. There are semicircular
towers at regular intervals and the main entrance still has arrow slits
remaining as well as the remains of the moat and the horn shaped entrance
to allow better defence.
View of the main gate to the village
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are four lines of defensive walls on the site and inside them are the
remains of round huts and workshops. A total of 13 forts have been found
around the perimeter of the settlement to protect the inhabitants.
Hut circles
Northern necropolis
The other path from the car park takes you to a reconstructed tomb and a section of restored village. There are exhibits of tools, crafts and everyday objects inside the huts.
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