 Since the discovery in September 1958 of the rich gold treasure of El Carambolo in Camas, three km west of Seville, and of hundreds of artifacts in the necropolis at La Joya, Huelva, archaeological surveys have been integrated with philological and literary surveys and the broader picture of the Iron Age in the Mediterranean basin to provide a more informed view of the supposed Tartessian culture on the ground, concentrated in western Andalusia, Extremadura and in southern Portugal from the Algarve to the Vinalopó River in Alicante.Alluvial tin was panned in Tartessian streams from an early date.The spread of a silver standard in Assyria increased its attractiveness (the tribute from Phoenician cities was assessed in silver).