The Siret Collection is named after the two Belgian engineer brothers who, between 1880 and 1887, carried out excavations in southeastern Spain. In what are now the provinces of Almeria and Murcia, a large number of graves were brought to light that are associated with the Argaric culture, a Bronze Age culture that flourished in this region in the third and second millennium BC. The collection, mainly consisting of grave goods, not only contains a large number of high quality objects, including bronze weapons and jewelry in silver and gold, but also represents an important documentary source for some of the earliest metalworking in Europe. During this period Mediterranean Spain was an area of increased technological innovation. The exploitation of ores and its resulting metal industry led to important developments in the social, cultural and economic dynamics of the Argaric culture.