EL ARGAR
EL ARGAR, THE ORIGIN OF ANTAS WINES
In Antas, Almería, lies one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe: El Argar, the birthplace of one of the most advanced cultures of the Bronze Age. In this same landscape, where a powerful civilization flourished more than four thousand years ago, some of the most special vineyards of Bodega Sierra Almagrera grow today, giving life to ANTAS® wines.
EL ARGAR, a civilization ahead of its time
The El Argar site gives its name to the Argaric culture, which developed in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula between approximately 2200 and 1300 BC, reaching its peak between 1700 and 1300 BC. Discovered and almost entirely excavated by the archaeologist Luis Siret at the end of the 19th century, this settlement revealed one of the most sophisticated societies of prehistoric Europe.
ANTAS, the heart of an ancient empire
Located next to the Antas River, the archaeological complex of El Argar and La Gerundia occupied two strategic hills that housed a true fortified city. A hierarchical society developed there, with a ruling elite, an economy based on agriculture, livestock, and metallurgy, and an urban organization advanced for its time.
The Argaric culture, an advanced Bronze Age society
The Argaric culture stood out for its mastery of bronze, a knowledge that granted power to its leaders and defined a hierarchical social structure. Its cities, built with stone and adobe and organized into streets and neighborhoods, housed dwellings, productive spaces, and more than a thousand burials integrated into the walls. These burials, accompanied by grave goods and food, reveal a deeply organized society with beliefs in a future life and a clear differentiation between the elites and the rest of the population.
ANTAS®, a wine born from history
To pay tribute to this millenary culture, we named our range of wines produced in these historic vineyards ANTAS®. In particular, ANTAS® Garnacha, made with 100% Garnacha grapes grown exclusively on these lands, is a unique wine that reflects the strength, elegance, and depth of a territory that was the cradle of one of the first civilizations in Europe.
Each Antas wine pays tribute to the Argaric culture by incorporating one of its most representative symbols on its label. Antas Garnacha features the Argaric diadem, a symbol of power and status; Antas Syrah presents the Argaric cup, linked to ritual and social life; and Antas Petit Verdot incorporates the halberd, an emblem of military power in this ancient civilization of the southeastern Iberian Peninsula.