Los Millares archaeological site; roots of Almeria

It was no accident that you chose Almeria as the headquarters of the First National Congress of Archaeology in 1949. Our land was a pioneer in the study of past societies, especially the prehistoric ones, because some of the most important remote cultures of the European continent existed here. Los Millares.

What is Los Millares

Los Millares is a archaeological site regarded as the more critical of the Copper Age across Europe. It was discovered in 1891 by the Belgian mining engineer Louis Sireta pioneer of archaeology.

The enclave takes its name from the old Sale of Los Millareslocated at the entrance of the complex and currently converted into Visitor Reception CenterIn this exhibition you will find a permanent exhibition that is completed with the projection of a documentary in which the life of the thousand people is recreated 5000 years ago.

Where is it?

It is located in the municipality of Santa Fe de Mondújaron a spur-shaped plateau between the Rambla de Huéchar and Cinema Andarax River20 km from its mouth and 22 km from Almeria (at the end of the post I leave you a map with the location).

What you will find in Los Millares

In the archeological site we can tell:

• The village, protegido por tres líneas de murallas concéntricas más una cuarta fortificación a modo de "ciudadela". Presenta viviendas de planta circular, algunos edificios de uso público y construcciones relacionadas con la distribución y almacenamiento de agua. Los millarenses se dedicaban a la agricultura, la ganadería y la caza, junto con otros trabajos especializados como los metalúrgicos y la producción de puntas de flecha.

• The necropolisThe museum has about 80 collective tombs, something unparalleled in Europe at the time. In each tomb, members of the same clan were buried with their personal belongings: weapons, tools, ornaments, symbolic pottery and idols. Most tombs consist of a circular chamber between 3 and 6 meters in diameter, sometimes with several side niches. From the outside, the chamber is reached through a corridor. The whole is covered with a mound of earth and stones.

• Thirteen forts that complete the settlement's powerful defensive system.

Although perhaps the most helpful thing to understand was Los Millares are the reconstructions of the Interpretation AreaYou will find a section of the wall with towers and bastions, as well as houses, workshops and several graves in the form of burial mounds.

Why was it so important

Have you ever wondered how our ancestors went from living in villages where everyone was equal to living in primitive walled cities where there were already social classes, specialization of work and an elite that held power, or why one of those villages began to control more resources than the others, to the point of promoting great public works for the benefit of the community, or why a few inhabitants began to accumulate more wealth than the rest?

For apart from Iraq, Syria, Egypt or TurkeyThe answers to these questions, which lead us to the very origin of civilization as we know it today, you'll only find them here, in Los Millares.

5 reasons to visit the Los Millares site

• It's a archeological site "underground", ya que a pesar de su enorme trascendencia aún resulta un gran desconocido, incluso para muchos almerienses, por lo que si te gustan las alternativas culturales y la huída de las masificaciones, éste es tu sitio.

• It's a great remedy to begin to banish the idea Almeria is only sun and sand.

• Obviously you can go as you see fit, although it is especially appropriate visit with your familyI assure you that the little ones will not be disappointed, especially when they know the Interpretation Area (reconstructions).

• Since the site is quite large (19 Ha), you can consider the visit as a route of hiking que os permitirá pasar un buen rato en contacto con la naturaleza. La visita podéis hacerla de dos maneras: completa (3 h) o solo el Centro de Recepción de Visitantes y la Zona Interpretativa (1,5 h). Una vez que dejéis atrás la antigua venta y os adentréis en él, llevad mochila, gorras, agua...

• You will enjoy a landscape typically almerian in which the usual ochre of the hills and hills contrasts with the intense green of the fruit trees that mark the river Andarax in its middle course.

Some useful information

Access is free, while visiting hours are from Wednesday to Sunday, from 10.00 to 14.00, open some afternoons depending on the season and closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays. More information is available at this telephone number: 677903404.

And once from there, dare to explore the AlpujarraAnd if you do it with someone who can show you something (I'm not saying names), so much the better!