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Open Warfare or the Odd Skirmish? B ell B eaker Violence in the North‐Eastern I berian P eninsula
Author(s) -
Soriano Ignacio,
Gibaja Juan F.,
Vila Lluís
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
oxford journal of archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1468-0092
pISSN - 0262-5253
DOI - 10.1111/ojoa.12054
Subject(s) - prehistory , interpretation (philosophy) , mythology , history , archaeology , geography , ancient history , classics , philosophy , linguistics
Summary Archaeological examples of violence in prehistory have increased in recent years. The evidence, methodology employed and interpretation of the data have been diverse, but in each case the myth of the ‘peaceful past’ is questioned. This work provides new data on the issue from the north‐eastern I berian P eninsula, associated with the B ell B eaker culture (c.2800–2350 cal BC ). Material from two megalithic tombs, C an G ol I and C an G ol II ( B arcelona P rovince), in particular a set of flint arrowheads, has been revisited. Use‐wear analysis on the arrowheads confirmed the presence of impact fractures. This indicates that the arrowheads were not funerary offerings, but that they entered the graves lodged in the bodies of the deceased. The data from the only site with evidence of massive death by violence in the neighbouring region ( C osta de C an M artorell) reinforce the hypothesis of episodes of conflict and violence during prehistory. However, the interpretation of the nature of such violence remains open to debate: was it an act of warfare or an occasional skirmish? And is the image of the B ell B eaker warrior identified in other E uropean contexts also applicable to this area?