Helena Bonet Rosado facts for kids

Helena Bonet Rosado (born in 1953 in València, Spain) is a Spanish archaeologist. She is an expert in the ancient Iberians, focusing on their tools, pottery, and settlements. Helena has written many books and articles about Iberian archaeology. Today, she is the Director of the Prehistory Museum of Valencia.

Education and Career

Helena Bonet Rosado earned her doctorate degree from the University of València in 1993. In 1999, she became the deputy director and head of the Prehistoric research department at the Prehistory Museum of Valencia. She was then appointed Director of the museum in 2005.

What Helena Bonet Researches

Helena Bonet studies the ancient Iberians, who lived in what is now Spain. She has done a lot of work to understand how their communities were organized.

Iberian Settlements and Pottery

Bonet, along with other archaeologists like Consuelo Mata Parreño, looked at how Iberian towns were set up. They believed that some larger towns, called oppida, had control over smaller ones.

Bonet and Mata also created a way to classify Iberian pottery. This system helps archaeologists identify different types of fine and coarse pottery made by the Iberians.

This image shows a detail from the 'Vase of the Warriors'. It's an example of special pottery from the ancient city of Edeta, found at Tossal de Sant Miquel. You can see it at the Valencian Museum of Prehistory.

The Ancient City of Edeta

In 1995, Bonet published important findings about the ancient city of Edeta. This city is now known as Tossal de Sant Miquel, near the town of Llíria.

Bonet suggested that Edeta was the capital city of a large Iberian region. This was because it was very big (about 15 hectares), had large houses with many valuable items, and produced special pottery. Edeta was also mentioned in old historical writings. Around Edeta, there were smaller forts and roads, which also showed its importance.

Excavations and Discoveries

Bonet and Mata led the excavation of Puntal dels Llops. This was a small Iberian hilltop fort near the modern town of Olocau.

They also excavated other small Iberian sites. These include La Seña in Villar del Arzobispo and Castellet de Bernabé in Llíria. More recently, Bonet and her team have published work on another ancient oppidum called La Bastida de les Alcusses, near Moixent.

Women in Iberian Prehistory

Helena Bonet has also written about the lives of women in Iberian times. This topic was also featured in a special exhibition at the Prehistory Museum in 2006.

See also

• Iberian culture
• Prehistory Museum of Valencia

In Spanish: Helena Bonet Rosado para niños