Towards a high-resolution chronology of major megalithic monuments:: Menga and Montelirio (Andalusia, Spain) By Marta Diaz-Guardamino

https://www.academia.edu/165244106/Towards_a_high_resolution_chronology_of_major_megalithic_monuments_Menga_and_Montelirio_Andalusia_Spain_ For decades, establishing the temporality of major megalithic monuments was a significant methodological problem that hampered the interpretation of the roles they played among early complex societies as well as their changing social and cultural significance through time. In this paper, we discuss a high-resolution approach to two remarkable megaliths, the Menga dolmen (Antequera, Málaga) and the Montelirio tholos (Sevilla), for which, in the last ten years, a total of 122 chronometric ages (including radiocarbon, OSL and TL) have been obtained, including 79 for Menga and 43 for Montelirio. This body of evidence has allowed a completely new scientific understanding of their genesis and inception, time of use and biographies. Drawing from this experience, in this paper, we discuss the methodological problems and lessons implicit in the high-resolution dating of major megaliths, including choice of dating methods, sampling strategies, chronometric hygiene, and interpretation. ...