THE PREHISTORIC CULTURE OF THE MOTILLAS: NEW APPROACHES TO AN OLD PROBLEM

The investigation of the Culture of the Motillas began four decades ago. Since then, various scholars have tried to ellucidate the origin, development and disappearance of this singular human group that existed during the Late Prehistory in La Mancha (South Central Plateau, Spain). As a result of recent research, three important issues about this question have arisen. First, the Motillas could possibly be the oldest system of underground water collection in Westerm Europe in Europe. Second, the implementation of this network of wells could be related to a climate crisis that could have dried the surface water for a long period of time, related to the 4.2 ka BP Climate Event. Third, the Motillas are tells, very similar in form to burial mounds. Funerary tumuli associated with the Culture of the Motillas have recently been described. This work also provides an updated inventory of all known Motillas.