Cristina Rihuete Herrada

Cristina Rihuete Herrada is an Associate Professor in the Department of Prehistory at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), specializing in Bronze Age Iberian archaeology with particular expertise in El Argar society. She leads the Mediterranean Social Archaeoecology Research Group and maintains an active research profile with numerous publications and ongoing projects through 2027.

Education:

• Ph.D. in History, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), September 4, 2000
• Degree in Geography and History, University of Barcelona (UB), January 1, 1989

Dr. Rihuete Herrada's research focuses on the social organization of Bronze Age societies in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly examining funerary practices, social stratification, and gender dynamics within El Argar culture. Her work integrates archaeological evidence with bioarchaeological analysis to reconstruct prehistoric social structures and demographic patterns. She has developed significant expertise in analyzing burial sites and material culture to understand class formation and social hierarchies in early complex societies.

Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Bronze Age Iberia, with particular attention to funerary archaeology, social organization, and gender studies within El Argar society. The research shows a methodological evolution incorporating interdisciplinary approaches including bioarchaeology, statistical analysis of material culture, and spatial analysis of burial sites. Key themes across her work include the relationship between material culture and social status, kinship systems in prehistoric societies, and the demographic patterns reflected in burial practices.

Dr. Rihuete Herrada has supervised 40 research projects throughout her career and currently leads or participates in multiple significant research initiatives including TRANSFORMATIONS: THE FORMATION OF EL ARGAR SOCIETY (2024-2027), PARENTESCO, POBLACION Y PRODUCCION EN EL ARGAR (2021-2024), and Son Fornés: temps, economia i societat a la Mallorca del 1r mil·lenni abans de la nostra era (2020-2022). Her research has received support from various funding bodies including the National Geographic Society.

She is a key member of the Mediterranean Social Archaeoecology Research Group, focusing on prehistoric societies in the western Mediterranean, with particular emphasis on the Bronze Age transition and social complexity formation in Iberia. Her fieldwork has centered on significant sites including Son Fornés in Mallorca and various El Argar culture sites in Murcia.