“STAIRWAY TO TARTESO’S HEAVEN”: LA ESCALERA MONUMENTAL DEL YACIMIENTO DE CASAS DEL TURUÑUELO (GUAREÑA, BADAJOZ, ESPAÑA). PRIMERAS EVIDENCIAS DE LA FABRICACIÓN DE BLOQUES CON MORTERO DE CAL EN LA PENÍNSULA IBÉRICA

Abstract

This work gives a new architectural and material analysis of the monumental staircase that presides over the courtyard of the archaeological site of Casas del Turuñuelo. The analysis of the lower steps has allowed us to document the first evidence of a lime mortar manufacture used to produce parallelepiped blocks, as ashlars stones. The work offers a historical vision of the finding, as well as an impact assessment resulting from the adoption of this technology and its functional advantages. Moreover, the results of the archaeometric analyses carried out on five of the steps are also presented. Through these analyses we can affirm that we are faced with the first lime mortar used in the Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula.