The First Metallurgy in the Pityusic Islands (Balearic Archipelago, Mediterranean Sea)
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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-018-0685-8 ORIGINAL PAPER The first metallurgy in the Pityusic Islands (Balearic archipelago, Mediterranean Sea) Pau Sureda1,2 Received: 25 January 2018 /Accepted: 23 August 2018 # The Author(s) 2018 Abstract The islands of Ibiza and Formentera (the Pityusic Islands in the Balearic archipelago, Spain) were one of the last insular contexts to be colonised in the Mediterranean. The first settlement occurred during the second millennium cal BCE, probably by continental Bronze Age communities. During the first centuries of occupation (ca. 2100–1400 cal BCE), local material culture is defined in terms of the Bell-Beaker/Dolmenic and First Naviform periods. The Pityusic Islands have no mineral resources for producing copper or bronze objects locally, so the presence of metal objects dated to these periods necessarily indicates exog- enous contact. Seven metal objects have been found in five archaeological sites located in both islands. Archaeometallurgical research conducted on these objects reveals the economic behaviour of these first settlers in acquiring these resources. In this respect, aspects of this behaviour, such as technological patterns and trade dynamics, are analysed. Keywords Bronze age . Pityusic Islands . Metal trade . Isolation . Island colonisation . Archaeometallurgy . Lead isotope analysis . XRF-ED Introduction (Ibiza and Formentera) (see Fig. 1), archaeological informa- tion for the early prehistoric settlers is dated to the end third The development of metallurgy and the importance of metals and early second millennium cal BCE (Costa Ribas and from the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age societies in the Guerrero 2002; Ramis 2014) and is limited to just a few sites, Western Mediterranean are evident from several perspectives. including Avenc des Pouàs (Alcover 2008), Ca na Costa However, research has focused on major archaeological sites (Fernández et al. 1976;Toppetal.1979; van Strydonck and contexts, such Los Millares, El Argar and the Bell-Beaker et al. 2005), Can Sergent (Costa Ribas and Fernández 1992), groups. Islands offer a number of advantages for studying Cap de Barbaria II (Sureda et al. 2017a, 2017b), Cova des prehistoric human societies (Evans 1973; Cherry 1990; Fum (Topp 1988; Marlasca and López Garí 2015), Cova des Fitzpatrick 2004; Knapp and van Dommelen 2014; Dawson Riuets (Marlasca 2008; López Garí et al. 2013 )andPuigde 2014; Cherry and Leppard 2017), especially as regards the Ses Torretes/Es Castellar (Costa Ribas and Guerrero 2002). possibility of identifying the influx of foreign elements. This surprisingly late occupation is usually understood in The first human settlement on the Balearic Islands is wide- terms of environmental constraints, the Pityuses being ly accepted to have occurred between 2470 and 2210 cal BCE resource-poor (Alcover et al. 1994; Costa Ribas and Benito (Aramburu-Zabala and Martínez-Sánchez 2015; Bover et al. 2000; Bofill and Sureda 2008; Cherry and Leppard 2018). 2016; Cherry and Leppard 2018). On the Pityusic Islands Nevertheless, more than 50 Bronze Age sites (53) have been identified, although many of them have not been excavated. To date, archaeological research conducted on this archipela- * Pau Sureda go and focusing on the prehistoric period has been scarce, but [email protected] current projects related to the social and economic character- istics of the first human occupation are producing new data 1 Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio (Incipit), Consejo Superior de (Sureda et al. 2017a). The focus of this research concerns the Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Av. Vigo s/n., 15705 Santiago, Spain first centuries of occupation and permanent settlement on the archipelago. This chronological period is related to the Bell- 2 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Beaker and First Naviform archaeological groups in the Archaeol Anthropol Sci Fig. 1 Pityusic Islands map including the archaeological sites with objects studied in this paper Balearics (Micó 2006) (ca. 2100–1400 cal BCE). During CapdeBarbariaII these centuries, the islanders’ domestic activities were organised in villages of small houses, as well as in seasonally Cap de Barbaria II (CBII), an open-air village composed occupied caves. Various different types of funerary structure of at least three naviform habitations and other collective are distinguished, all related to rituals of burial in collective structures with different uses (storage, livestock shelter, graves (mainly dolmens and natural caves) (Lull et al. 2004). workplace, etc.), is located on the south-western cape of the island of Formentera (Fig. 1)(Suredaetal.2013; Sureda et al. 2017a); naviforms, similar to those in Majorca and Menorca, are boat-shaped structures con- Materials and contexts structed with a cyclopean technique (e.g. Juan and Plantalamor 1997; Salvà et al. 2002;Fornésetal. The calcareous Pityuses are entirely lacking in copper metal- 2009; Salvà and Hernández-Gasch 2009; Anglada et al. liferous ores; nonetheless, seven metallic objects (Fig. 2, 2013; Ramis and Salas 2014). The three naviforms at Table 1) can be definitively attributed to the first centuries of CBII do not differ from each other materially (size, con- their settlement.1 These objects therefore represent an oppor- struction technique and materials) and they were the fo- tunity to explore the nature of the first influences, contacts and cus of domestic activities during Balearic Bronze Age trade dynamics developed by the island settlers. These seven (including production, consumption and maintenance ac- objects were located in five different archaeological contexts. tivities). New radiocarbon dating (Sureda et al. 2017b) attributes a first occupation of the site (phase 1) to 1 One artefact from Puig de ses Torretes site, was also published as prehistoric ca.1662–1490 cal BCE (Fig. 3). Occupation continued (Costa Ribas and Benito 2000) but, after studing it, has been excluded because it seems to be related to the Punic nearest site of Cap des Llibrell (Sureda until the village was abandoned in ca. 850 cal BCE 2016). (phase 2). Archaeol Anthropol Sci Fig. 2 (a–f) Metallic objects’ photography from Pityusic Islands Three metallic objects were found at CBII (phase 1) Can Sergent (Fig. 2(d–f)). From a functional point of view, they cor- respond to two laminar fragments (CBII/2012/116), a The Can Sergent site is located in the south of the island of hook (CBII/2014/532) and an awl (CBII/2015/1125). Ibiza (Fig. 1). It was excavated between 1978 and 1979 and The first finds were two laminar fragments in Naviform two structures, known as Can Sergents I and II (Topp et al. 9 (US 1.9.1.4), in association with very important evi- 1979, pp. 227–8; Costa Ribas and Fernández 1992,p.308), dence of household activities (Sureda et al. 2017a). were identified. The first occupation was a village comprising Secondly, the fishhook fragment was found in Naviform several huts and an oval-shaped perimeter wall; subsequently, 8 (US 2.8.1.3) and was also associated with household an incineration necropolis dated during the Final Bronze Age consumption residues. It has a rectangular section, round- was built in the same place (Micó 2005,pp.81–82). ed corners and a curved shape, which corresponds to the The small metal dagger (Fig. 2c) belongs to the first occu- part of the bend and the beginning of the stem. Finally, pation of this site. The Can Sergent dagger is almost triangular the awl fragment has a quadrangular section and was and very small, with two perforations at its proximal end, found in Naviform 7 (US 1.7.6.1), along with an impor- where the rivets to support the handle, which have not been tant group of associated consumption remains, mostly preserved, would have been located. According to its dimen- malacological. sions and shape, it seems to have been extensively used. Table 1 Metallic object dimensions and weights ID Object Dimensions (mm) Weight (g) CBII/2012/116 Laminar fr. 15 and 12 long by 5 and 4 wide; 1 thick 0.32 CBII/2014/532 Hook fr. 13.6 long, 17.4 wide, 1.8 thick 0.46 CBII/2015/1125 Awl fr. 8.3 long, 3.4–3.9 wide, 2.8 thick 0.25 Can Sergent Rivet dagger 54 long and a maximum 24 wide 4.0 Cova des Riuets Awl fr. 6 long, 3 thick 0.5 Ibiza 1907 Dagger 117 long, 40 wide and 2.5 thick 40.0 Formentera Arrowhead 73 long; 17.7 maximum width, thick: 1.8 (pedestal), 3.4 (middle) and 2.4 (blade) 11.97 Archaeol Anthropol Sci Fig. 3 Location of all metallic objects into Cap de Barbaria II archaeological site Cova des Riuets typologically associated with some of the types of Early Bronze Age or Chalcolithic artefacts found in Iberia Cova des Riuets, a cave on the north-western side of La Mola, (Delibes de Castro and Fernández-Miranda 1988,p.86). on the island of Formentera (Fig. 1), was discovered archaeo- It is a knife or dagger (Fig. 2a) with a long triangular blade. logically in 1974 (Trias and Roca 1975) and excavated in It also bears what appear to be traces of hammering on the 2002. This intervention led to the find of a very complete edge of the blade, as well as some marginal burrs, apparent for archaeological repository, including two radiocarbon dates decorative purposes, which form a small central rib at its in- (2011–1886 and 1949–1780 cal BC), attesting a wide range tersection near the tip. of domestic activities (Marlasca 2008; López Garí et al. 2013). Among the objects found, we can highlight a metal awl Formentera fragment. It was found in the area of the cave entrance, in a secondary position. It consists of a small fragment of quadran- Recently (Sureda 2018), a chance find, apparently without gular section, corresponding to the non-functional part of the context, was recovered during farm work to the south of the implement.