Julia Montes-Landa

Dr. Julia Montes-Landa is a Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research within the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. Her work focuses on archaeometallurgy and material culture studies, with special emphasis on prehistoric metallurgical traditions in Iberia and the Mediterranean region.

Her research interests center on Material Culture, Artefact Analysis & Technology, Archaeometallurgy, Technological choices, Materials analysis, Experimental archaeology, and Technical knowledge transmission. Her work challenges deterministic narratives of technological development, emphasizing contextual factors and human agency in metallurgical decision-making processes.

Analysis of her recent publications (2020-2025) reveals a consistent focus on bronze and copper metallurgy across different chronological periods, with particular attention to alloying techniques, ore sources, and production organization. Her research demonstrates how metallurgical practices reflect broader socioeconomic contexts and challenges linear models of technological progression. She employs a range of analytical techniques including pXRF, OM, SEM-EDS, and XRD to investigate metallurgical residues and technical ceramics.

Dr. Montes-Landa has served as editor for the 'Knowledge-scapes' special issue of Archaeological Review from Cambridge (2021), demonstrating her engagement with theoretical frameworks in archaeological knowledge production. Her work bridges technical analysis with broader theoretical questions about technological choice and knowledge transmission in past societies.

She maintains active research collaborations with scholars across Europe, particularly with institutions in Spain, and contributes to the understanding of metallurgical traditions in Northeast Iberia as a nexus between southern Iberian and Mediterranean metallurgical practices. Her laboratory work appears to be conducted within the Archaeological Science Laboratories at Cambridge, potentially engaging with the Pitt-Rivers Laboratory for Archaeological Science and related facilities.