Issue of stone fortifications on Iberian Peninsula from 4th to 2nd millennium BC

Walled enclosures on the Iberian Peninsula can be classified into fortification activities that took place in the Copper Age respectively Eneolithic across Europe, and from a variety of reasons. Even in the Iberian Peninsula this kind of fortification is not unique. At the same time in the area of Iberian Meseta extend ditched enclosures (Díaz-del-Río 2004). Walled enclosures that stand in the centre of the attention of this work are situated mainly in four regions: southeast and southwest of the Peninsula, Portuguese Estremadura and north Meseta and its western periphery. Walled enclosures lie in most cases on so-called spurs or hilltops. Their position is associated with flows of large rivers such as the Guadalquivir, Guadiana, Tagus, Duoro and Mondego and with their tributaries, or they are connected directly with the sea through estuaries. In the case of dry southeast area the enclosures are associated with smaller local rivers as Andarax (Los Millares). There exist many theories in conjunction with the proximity of deposits of copper ore and its processing, for example the "colonial" theory or the theory of factories. In the context of these models stand in the centre of the attention the role of indigenous inhabitants. Key words Iberian Peninsula - Eneolithic - Walled enclosures - Metallurg