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Amphibolite tools of the Portuguese Copper Age (3000–2000 B.C.): A geoarchaeological approach to prehistoric economics and symbolism
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Amphibolite tools of the Portuguese Copper Age (3000–2000 B.C.): A geoarchaeological approach to prehistoric economics and symbolism

Katina T Lillios
Geoarchaeology, Vol.12(2), pp.137-163
03/1997
DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6548(199703)12:2<137::AID-GEA3>3.0.CO;2-5

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Abstract

One of the factors that may have contributed to the emergence of elites during the Copper Age (3000–2000 B.C.) of lowland Portugal was differential access to amphibolite. Amphibolite is a metamorphic rock found in the uplands of western Iberia and was used to make groundstone tools. In order to determine whether lowland communities had unequal access to amphibolite, source areas in western Iberia were analyzed, and groundstone artifacts from four Copper Age sites were studied. At the settlements, amphibolite was found to be the primary raw material used for groundstone tools. However, the proportion of tools made from amphibolite was significantly different among these sites, suggesting that the inhabitants of the sites did not enjoy equal access to amphibolite. Amphibolite tools were rarely found in burials, probably owing to their high value and/or use as heirlooms. Petrographic and geochemical analyses of amphibolites collected in the field demonstrate that the west Iberian source regions, specifically the Morais‐Bragança Ophiolite Zone and the Ossa Morena Metavolcanic Zone, are distinctive. The artifacts analyzed were found to be most similar geochemically to the amphibolites collected in the Ossa Morena Zone, particularly from the areas of Arronches and Montemor‐o‐Novo. These areas were also significant ritual centers during the Neolithic and Copper Ages, suggesting that amphibolite had important symbolic meaning as well as economic value. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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