Chalcolithic Artifacts: Pottery, Arrowheads, and Idols

Chalcolithic Material Characteristics

Bell-shaped vessels were common, known for their good cooking properties and profuse exterior decoration. Smaller vessels sometimes featured interior decoration as well. The exterior typically displayed alternating smooth and decorated horizontal bands. Lower triangular motifs sometimes incorporated radial patterns when viewed from below, while the lip featured narrow bands with more complex decorations. Vertical band developments were also present. Some bands were filled with parallel oblique lines, oblique lattice patterns, or left undecorated. Printed series of spikes were also observed. The arrangement and combination of decorative motifs varied depending on the specific type, such as troughs, Ciempozuelos, and Southeast styles.

The minority presence of these vessels in the material record suggests they may have conveyed information about the owner's social status or group membership (e.g., lineage).

Flint Arrowheads and Blades

Abundant flint arrowheads of varying types were found, including deciduous, peduncle and finned, side-appendaged, and concave-based varieties. Most exhibited uni- or bifacial retouching, often achieved with great technical skill through pressure flaking. Numerous flint blades, both complete and fragmented, were also discovered, likely used for harvesting vegetables. Large plates, whose production was restricted to a few points at European level (in Peninsula Orce in the area in the SW and NE GMT) but the disclosure of which shows the traffic of such pieces, recognized as objects of prestige for their high technical and difficult to achieve.

Metal Objects (Copper)

Scarce metal objects (copper) were primarily limited to four types: Palmela arrowheads (long stalk with a square section continuing into a leaf-shaped body), biapuntados punches with square sections of various sizes (from 3-5 to 17 cm), flat axes, and tab daggers (slightly elongated triangular shape, sometimes with a thickening or longitudinal nerve and stalk or metal tongue also be introduced in the grip usually wood, sometimes including some details on the bone).

Chalcolithic Idols

Rare but characteristic Chalcolithic items included Baetylus idols and Pastora plate idols. Anthropomorphic representations, particularly the overrepresentation of eyes (generically grouped as "eye" motifs), were noteworthy. Geometric decorations, possibly representing tattoos or clothing, may have conveyed information about the owner, similar to the ceramic bells. This geometric decoration was found in all the idols and idols Pastora-plate, while the idols-Baetylus often all that are represented are the eyes.

Baetylus Idols

Baetylus idols consisted of stone cylinders (often marble or alabaster) of variable size (from 20cm to about 1 m in length), crowned by a flat surface at its upper end (before reaching its top level) are visual representation more or less complex, occurring only at times that comes with geometric patterns in the rest of the front cylinder, below the eyes. These Bethylids were often found at the entrances of megalithic structures, possibly associated with burial rites or related to the identity of the individuals buried there.