Iberian people continued using, and possibly building, massive necropolises well into the Bronze Age, according to a study published November 11, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One by Eduardo Vijande-Vila of the University of Cádiz, Spain and colleagues.
During the Bronze Age, Iberian cultures moved away from large, collective tombs in favor of smaller individual burials. But this transition was not uniform, with some regions resisting this cultural shift. In this study, Vijande-Vila and colleagues describe the necropolis of Trafalgar in the Strait of Gibraltar as one of the latest megalithic burial structures in the region.
The necropolis of Trafalgar includes two known tombs, each with multiple individuals buried together. Radiocarbon dating of sixteen of these individuals demonstrate that both tombs were in use between 1875-1625 BC, indicating that cultures of southern Spain continued the use of large, collective tombs well into the 2nd millennium BC, among the latest known Iberian cultures to do so.
It remains unclear when this necropolis was originally built, but due to the lack of older materials recovered at the site, the authors hypothesize that the structure might have originated only slightly earlier, during the early 2nd millennium BC. Additional dating methods will be needed to confirm this, but if true, this site would be among the latest known megalithic projects to be built in the region.
There may be further undiscovered tombs at this site and therefore deeper insights into the history of Iberian burial practices. However, with the strong winds and shifting sands of the site's surroundings, the necropolis is in danger of being buried again beneath the dunes. Future research will require ongoing maintenance to preserve this site.
The authors add: "The Trafalgar megalithic necropolis has revealed a highly significant finding. During the Bronze Age, an entirely new funerary space was constructed in a landscape dominated by the sea. We propose this hypothesis based on the absence of archaeological evidence for earlier occupation in the surrounding area. Until now, the evidence available for this period has primarily pointed to the reuse of megalithic monuments built during the Copper Age. This discovery offers a new perspective on funerary practices during this period and would demonstrate that new monumental burial spaces continued to be constructed"
Author interview: https://plos.io/4f883qK
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Citation: Vijande-Vila E, Becerra-Martín S, Morell-Rovira B, Díaz-Zorita Bonilla M, Molina-Piernas E, Muñoz-Muñoz A, et al. (2026) The last builders of megaliths in the South of the Iberian peninsula? The Bronze Age necropolis of Trafalgar (Barbate, Cádiz, Spain). PLoS One 21(11): e0359220. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359220
Author countries: Spain, Germany.
Funding: Analisis interdisciplinar para el conocimiento del poblamiento humano de la Bahia de Cádiz durante la Prehistoria Reciente (VI-II milenios a.n.e.)", funded by 2014–2020 ERDF Operational Programme and the Department of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Regional Government of Andalusia. Ref.: FEDERUCA18- 106917 (2020–2023). "ARQUEOSTRA. Arqueología de la ostricultura romana. Técnicas interdisciplinares para la determinación de los orígenes de la acuicultura en Andalucía y Marruecos", funded by 2014-2020 ERDF Operational Programme and the Department of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Regional Government of Andalusia. Ref.: FEDERUCA18- 104415. "MEDUSA. Creación de gemelos digitales para la mejora del riesgo y la promoción turística del patrimonio arqueológico vulnerable del litoral gaditano", funded by European Union. Plan complementario de Ciencias Marinas. Ref.: PCM 00031 (2023-2025). "Estudio antropológico, dataciones y análisis de isótopos estables de oxígeno y carbono de los huesos humanos procedentes de la tumba megalítica del Cabo de Trafalgar (Barbate, Cádiz)", authorised and funded by CEIMAR. Proyectos de investigación de Jóvenes Investigadores CEI-MAR 2021 Ref.: CEIJ-012. "Estudio bioantropológico y cronológico de los huesos humanos procedentes del tholos de Cabo de Trafalgar (Barbate, Cádiz)", authorised and funded by CEIMAR. Proyectos de investigación de Jóvenes Investigadores CEI-MAR 2022 Ref.: CEIJ-JD-01." The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
