An Argaric halberd form the El Retamar motilla (Argamasilla de Alba, Ciudad Real) : contex, dating, provenance and inerpretation.
In 2019, the only Argaric halberd from the Meseta was recovered from the El Retamar motilla; it is the first specialized weapon in the Motillas Culture.
The discovery was made in a non-funerary context—Cut A—associated with ceramic vessels, a kiln, and seeds (flour and durum wheat, dressed barley, spelt, and flax). The weapon, weighing 118 g and 15.7 cm, has two rivets and an asymmetrical blade. It can be classified as the San Antón type (Lull type 2), with similar formal parallels in the halberd from tomb 999 at El Argar or another from the Gómez-Moreno collection. The piece does not contain tin; It is made of arsenical copper (3.4% As), with significant percentages of lead and silver (2-3% Pb; 0.47% Ag).
Lead isotope analysis reveals its probable origin in the mining area of Linares (Jaén). The date of the handle wood (Beta-591414, 3590±30, 2010-1895 cal BC) The halberd dates to the first century of the second millennium BC. This discovery confirms that the Argaric and Bronze Age populations of La Mancha established intense exchange networks, through which objects of high social value, such as ivory, circulated. the Argaric cup of La Encantada or the halberd of the motilla of El Retamar.
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