3. The Recent History of the Site

The site of El Jadramil is located approximately 3 kilometres north-west of the city of Arcos de la Frontera, on a hill where a farmhouse of the same name is located, as well as the Haza del Palmar farmhouse.

The stratigraphic sequence is very similar to the one found on the promontory of the city of Arcos. The lowest bed consists of a greyish-blue and cream marl of the Tortonien age (Divar et al. 1988), followed by sandstone and marl of the Tortonien-Messinien age (Upper Miocene). Above this is a sandy calcareous deposit of the same age, capped by a green and grey marl of the Messinien (Jerez Mir et al. 1991).

Figure 2a: Aerial view of El Jadramil-El Palmar site, and the present quarry activity (2003)
Figure 2b: Aerial view of the modern quarry (in 2003) and the remaining area of prehistoric mining with the presence of shafts (Zone 2); an excavated area of shafts (square), partially excavated in the 1992-93 rescue survey and a non-affected area of the site, positioned to the south of the quarry and the Haza del Palmar farmhouse.

All the strata appear to dip slightly towards the north-east and have been quarried (Fig. 2). Important archaeological historical information has been removed from the site, which has never been subject to a protection order.

The archaeological site was partially excavated by rescue excavations and quarry controls between 1992 and 2001 (Figs 2 and 3). At least 30 vertical shafts (7 of which were partially excavated in the rescue excavations and quarry controls from 1992 to 2001) have been identified on the site. In addition, it is throught that a number of shafts have been destroyed during the present quarrying activities.

In February 2003 the UCA and SGGIMP proposed to the government of Andalucia that this site should be declared a site of Cultural Interest (BIC) and that a protective order be put in place. However, quarrying still continues to this day.

Figure 3: Different archaeological survey areas in El Jadramil (1992-2001) (modified from Lazarich et al. 2003)

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