Abstract
Grave goods from the Early Iron Age necropolis of Palhais offers a unique opportunity to study the metallurgy introduced in Southern Portugal by Orientalizing influence. Metals include two sets of instruments for body grooming, an “Alcores fibula” and a belt-lock, whose typology and/or decoration shows an Orientalizing inspiration. The composition and manufacture of artefacts is determined by conventional EDXRF, Micro-EDXRF, SEM-EDS, optical microscopy and Vickers microhardness testing. Elemental compositions indicate low tin bronzes (4.4 ± 2.4%) evidencing significant use of scrap as inexpensive raw-material or intentional alloying with low tin amounts for economical or technological reasons. Post-casting work involved hammering and annealing operations showing that these grave goods were produced as functional artefacts. A comparison with Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age artefacts from Southern Portugal shows that the low tin contents are common among the Phoenician bronzes. Moreover, an assessment of the coeval metals from the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula identifies other features of the Orientalizing metallurgy, such as an increase in unalloyed coppers and leaded bronzes, which can be related to the diversification of the bronze production methods during this period.
Highlights
The opening of a trench in 2008 for the ‘Alvito-Pisão Irrigation Block’, related to the implementation of the ‘Alqueva Dam Project’, revealed several negative structures at a place named Palhais (Fig. 1), not far from Beringel (Beja)
Obtained results attest that the acorn-shaped pendant and the five hollow spherical beads are composed of silver, whereas the remaining grave goods were made with bronze alloys
The metallic grave goods of Palhais necropolis are representative of a period characterized by a diversified metallurgy, as shown the occurrence of bronze, silver and iron artefacts
Summary
The opening of a trench in 2008 for the ‘Alvito-Pisão Irrigation Block’, related to the implementation of the ‘Alqueva Dam Project’, revealed several negative structures at a place named Palhais (Fig. 1), not far from Beringel (Beja). The affected area was subjected to archaeological work that identified four tombs (three inhumations and one cremation) apparently connected with a burial precinct with a rectangular plant (Santos et al 2009). These excavated structures probably belong to a larger Early Iron Age necropolis. Two inhumation tombs contained each one an adult female skeleton with a noteworthy assemblage of personal belongings, which emphasize the importance and exceptional nature of these burials in the context of the Proto-history of the Southern Por-. Metallic grave goods comprise five silver spherical and hollow beads and an acorn-shaped pendant, copper-based ‘Alcores fibula’ and decorated belt-lock and two iron knives or daggers. The metallic collection is completed by two instrument sets for body grooming that are unique among the Portuguese protohistoric record
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