Abstract:

Architecture is one of the first expressions of human culture. Its development has been a constant throughout the centuries, especially since the appearance of sedentarization processes, when the combination of different materials to improve the durability and isolation of the constructions is observed. The execution of coverings for walls and other domestic structures made smooth surfaces available, on which to express the ideological codes of human communities or simply to develop their aesthetic values. In this paper, a plastered building fragment with remains of paint from the Cabezo Redondo Bronze Age site (Villena, Alicante) is presented. This is the first decorated fragment of render documented in the settlement. The analysis of the archaeological context in which it appeared allows us to relate it to other similar evidence documented in other Bronze Age sites, inside and outside the area of the El Argar culture. On this fragment a wide set of non-destructive analyses have been developed to preserve its patrimonial value. Firstly, a macroscopic observation with the aim of making a detailed description. Furthermore, mineralogical studies have been carried out to address the composition of the covering and the ornamental band, but also the geological characterization of the deposit environment, to contextualize the origin of the materials used. These analyses have also made possible to explore the manufacturing and maintenance processes of the domestic structures built in Cabezo Redondo, through the study of this singular element from these diverse and complementary approaches.