Connectivity Between Northern Iberia and Western France (2900–1100 cal bc): The Flux of Metalwork in the Bay of Biscay Modelled by Multivariate Clustering

Latorre-Ruiz, Juan

Abstract

Connections between northern Iberia and western France around the Bay of Biscay during the Chalcolithic, Early Bronze Age, and Middle Bronze Age are addressed in this article through a multivariate cluster analysis of a dataset of 1273 metal finds, comprising 4554 metal artefacts grouped into five multiregional clusters with distinctive distributions, chronologies, content, and contexts. Changes in distribution and chronology show that metalwork from faraway regions was deposited in similar ways, reflecting changing patterns of interregional connectivity. Changes in context and content suggest social transformations. The clustering method known as Latent Class Analysis is presented here in the hope that it will be applicable to other datasets elsewhere in the world.

Citation

Latorre-Ruiz, J. (2024). Connectivity Between Northern Iberia and Western France (2900–1100 cal bc): The Flux of Metalwork in the Bay of Biscay Modelled by Multivariate Clustering. European Journal of Archaeology, 27(2), 129-148. https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2023.41

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 19, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 24, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024-05
• Deposit Date: Jan 17, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 17, 2024
• Journal: European Journal of Archaeology
• Print ISSN: 1461-9571
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-2722
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 129-148
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2023.41
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2149454