Settlements
Layout of the buildings and workshops of Peñalosa along the hillside (Alarcón 2006: fig. 4)
The Argaric settlement pattern is distinguished by its location, usually on hills near hydric resources, the location of dwelling and necropolis in the same place and the practice of metallurgy. The villages have a developed urban layout with long dwellings with plants of absidal, trapezoidal or rectangular shape. These buildings are arranged densely in groups on artificial terraces.
Appearance of the urban layout at the foothill of La Bastida (ASOME ©)
Last but not least, it is worth mentioning the existence of Argaric settlements located immediately on the coast, such as Punta de los Gavilanes and Illeta dels Banyets. Apart from a possible role on the communication routes, their inhabitants exploited the marine resources The argaric society was a milestone of sedentary life and urbanism, the launch of metallurgy and the development of political and economic inequalities. La Bastida offers a unique and exceptional opportunity to understand this key period of our past.the surroundings.
Archaeological site of El Argar (Antas, Almería; ASOME ©)
La Bastida (Totana, Murcia; ASOME ©)
Archaeological site of Fuente Álamo(Cuevas del Almanzora, Almería; ASOME ©) 
Gatas (Turre, Almería; ASOME ©)
It seems that the inhabitants of these villages did not prioritize the access to best and/or more vast arable lands in the vicinity, as there is an inverse relation between their inhabitants and the agricultural potential of their surroundings. Furthermore, the proximity to the main metallic mineral sources didn’t have an important role on the emplacement of these large villages. Therefore, we suppose that there were other reasons to choose the locations, such as defensive advantages or the strategical control on the communication channels and the economic territories.
Correlation between the size of the villages and the potential for the dry land agriculture (above) and the irrigable agriculture (down; Lull et al. 2009: fig. 8)
Near big settlements on hilltops, it stands out another type of villages, also located on hills but smaller (<0,5 ha). These one are usually constituted of a fortress and fewer graves, like in the settlements of Barranco de la Viuda and Tira del Lienzo, both in Murcia.
Barranco de la Viuda (El Hinójar, Murcia; ASOME©) 
Tira del Lienzo (Totana, Murcia; ASOME ©)
There is a third type of settlements, which are constituted of small villages located on lowlands on quaternary deposits and more humid grounds. The evidence of productive processes found in Loma del Tío Ginés, Los Cipreses and El Rincón de Almendricos indicates that their main economic activity was farming.
Los Cipreses (Lorca, Murcia; ASOME ©)
Rincón de Almendricos (Almendricos, Murcia; Lull et al. 2010: fig. 3)
Last but not least, it is worth mentioning the existence of Argaric settlements located immediately on the coast, such as Punta de los Gavilanes and Illeta dels Banyets. Apart from a possible role on the communication routes, their inhabitants exploited the marine resources from the surroundings.
Illeta de Banyets (El Campello, Alicante) http://www.arqueotur.org/yacimientos/la-illeta-dels-banyets.html?pagImg=1
Punta de Gavilanes (Mazarrón, Murcia) http://www.regmurcia.com/servlet/s.Sl?sit=a,55,c,522,m,1075&r=CeAP-2122-C_506_DETALLE_CENTRO
Photo Gallery
