Totana the vibrant heart of Europe

What? Don’t we first and foremost think of cities like London, Paris, and Rome when we talk about the vibrant heart of Europe? Or, with a sense of misplaced national pride, perhaps Amsterdam? That's correct, but 3,800 years ago, things were quite different. The epicenter of then-modern life was in Totana, in the province of Murcia. In 1869, the first excavations were carried out in an area six kilometers northwest of the town, which eventually uncovered a settlement where around a thousand people must have lived on a surface of 40,000 m2. For that time, it was not only one of the largest living areas in Europe in terms of size, but the findings by archaeologists also revealed an advanced civilization that, in terms of technological, social, political, and military development, was only comparable to the Minoan civilization on the Greek island of Crete. This period is now known as the Bronze Age, roughly lasting from 4200 to 2200 BC. According to many (sociologists, scientists, and politicians), this era marked the roots of our modern society. People learned to work with metal, thus making tools. As a result, nearly everything in their lives changed. The nomadic existence of hunters gradually disappeared, land could be cultivated, and settlements could be established. In what is now called La Bastida, visitors can experience the dramatic changes of that time. Guided tours of two hours are held every Saturday or Sunday. Tickets can be requested at the tourist office. What can visitors expect? La Bastida, built on a steep hill, has revealed many houses to archaeologists. These are situated on terraces and hidden from view in a valley, giving the settlement a strong natural defensive position. The fortification was quite robust for that time, with walls three meters thick, sometimes reaching up to seven meters in height. To date, three towers have been discovered over a length of 70 meters, but it is believed that it was about 300 meters long in total. Researchers have learned much from the contents of tombs under the floors of houses. On one hand, it illustrated that the inhabitants had already developed many techniques for making utensils and jewelry. But it also led, through the offerings in the tombs, to the conclusion that this early civilization already had a clear distinction in social classes.