Beyond the <em>Thader</em> valley: settlement patterns and territorial dynamics in southern Murcia (Spain) between the 5^th BC and the 2^nd century AC

This paper explores the settlement patterns in the Iberian southeast, in particular in the valleys of the Quípar and the Guadalentín rivers, during the 5th BC-2nd century AC. It presents for the first time a global, diachronic and comparative analysis of the Iron Age and Roman sites in the southern area of Murcia, approaching the territorial dynamics which defined its transformation during those centuries. All the archaeological information of these territories (202 sites) has been compiled, reviewed and analysed through a Geographic Information System, along with those data relative to the spatial context of the sites (roads, lands and natural resources, traditional and historic environmental exploitation, etc.). On the one hand, these data allow us to outline the evolution of this area from a long-term perspective which the regional studies lack; on the other hand, they contribute to insert this southern area within the processes defined in the nearby territories during these centuries, such as Alicante and Andalucía