Bell Beaker and the evolution of resource management strategies in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: García Rivero, Daniel; Jurado Núñez, Jesús María; Taylor, Ruth
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 72(2016:Aug.)
• Page Start: 10
• Page End: 24
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: Beaker -- Plain common pottery -- Stratigraphic sequences -- Absolute chronology -- Inferential statistics -- Economy -- Risk; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archéologie -- Périodiques; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2016.05.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-4403

Abstract

Abstract: This paper addresses the plain common pottery associated with Beaker contexts in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The detailed systematic study focuses on the pottery assemblage provided by one of the region's most important settlements, San Blas (Badajoz, Spain), while comparisons are made with other important sites in the study area. By means of the stratigraphic, typological and statistical analysis of the data, the main patterns of change in this material culture throughout the temporal sequence are identified and the historical explanatory factors are inferred. Specifically, during the second half of the 3rd millennium cal BC, an important change took place in the management of economic risk, which is materialised by a significant reduction in food storage and by the more immediate direct or indirect consumption of resources. We suggest that these patterns reflect a shift towards a short-term projection of the future, in a context with strong evidence of instability. Highlights: A quantitative analysis of Beaker plain common pottery of Southwestern Iberia is made. We propose a method linking ceramic typology, stratigraphy and inferential statistics. Significant trends in pottery diversity indicate a decrease of food storage over time. We discover changes in resource and risk management strategies in Bell Beaker society. We outline the factors behind the collapse of the Copper Age in the Iberian Southwest.