Antas travels back to the Bronze Age in an Argaric reenactment

A town in Almeria travels back to the Bronze Age in a historical recreation promoting the Argaric culture.

With activities and exhibitions, Antas returned to the Bronze Age in its second edition of the Historical Recreation of El Argar.

Antas held a Bronze Age reenactment highlighting the Argaric culture

The reenactment was held at the Antas site on Saturday, August 10, with the aim of highlighting the Argaric culture, named after the El Argar located near Antas, and to show what life was like more than 4,000 years ago.

The president of the provincial council of Almeria, Javier A Garcia, along with the provincial deputy, Carlos Sanchez and the mayor of Antas, Pedro Ridao, participated in the historical recreation this year.

At the event was an Argaric market of items pertinent to the time period, such as tools and jewellery.

There were also guided tours, workshops and an exhibition of birds of prey, as well as other various activities.

The Argaric culture, named from the type site El Argar near the town of Antas, in what is now the province of Almeria in southeastern Spain, refers to the early Bronze Age culture which flourished between c. 2200 BC and 1550 BC.

Javier Garcia, the president of the provincial council, showed his support

Javier Garcia reiterated the influence of this area in Antas, stating “It was the most important settlement of the Bronze Age in the southwest of the peninsula, and it was in our land,” adding that “Almería has a great heritage and it is valued with actions like this.”

Additionally, Garcia praised the reenactment as it allowed attendees to see “first-hand what that society was like that has been so important for our history and we can learn about the customs and culture of El Argar” through the events at the reenactment, adding “That is why I want to congratulate all those who make it possible”.

The president of the provincial council also wanted to highlight Almeria’s impact on the nation’s history and the importance of keeping it alive: “In Almeria we have a lot of history and we can boast, in addition to having one of the most important settlements of the Bronze Age such as El Argar, that we are the cradle of civilisation since Los Millares was the first city established in the entire Iberian Peninsula more than 5,000 years ago.”

This historical recreation is particularly important to the president as it is in line with the council’s  “firm commitment to highlight everything that is Almeria; our customs, our traditions and our cultures that give meaning to what we are today as a province.”

The mayor of Antas highlighted the importance of the Argaric Reenactment

The mayor of Antas also expressed his gratitude and enthusiasm towards the second edition of this reenactment, stating “Many people have participated and more than 800 people have come,” as well as putting the spotlight on those involved, “there have been many months of rehearsal, work and preparations and everything can be summed up in this recreation that has been very well received.” 

This edition saw eight sessions held with 60 people per session watching the 45-minute recreation, as well as touring the market, partaking in activities and learning more about the history. Tickets were sold out before each session, proving the events popularity.

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