The (super 14) C chronology of the Son Mas sanctuary site (Valldemosa, Mallorca, Spain).

Abstract

With >40 (super 14) C dates, mainly on bones and charcoal, the site at Son Mas is the only megalithic sanctuary on the Balearic Islands that has been dated by (super 14) C in detail. Although soil erosion made stratigraphy difficult and the monument was cleaned out regularly during its long use, the results demonstrate that the site was occupied from the Pretalayotic (Chalcolithic) until the Roman period. The aim of this study was not only to date the construction and the use of the sanctuary, but also to correlate this monument, by means of dispersion diagrams, with the other prehistoric sites situated within the same valley. The dates were also used to compare the site with the generally accepted chronology of the Balearic archipelago (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera).