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Reconstructing the Biography of Children's Stone Bracers in the Iberian Peninsula

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2022

Rosa Barroso Bermejo Open the ORCID record for Rosa Barroso Bermejo [Opens in a new window] ,
Francisco Martínez-Sevilla Open the ORCID record for Francisco Martínez-Sevilla [Opens in a new window] ,
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Barbero Open the ORCID record for Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Barbero [Opens in a new window] ,
Oscar Cambra-Moo Open the ORCID record for Oscar Cambra-Moo [Opens in a new window] ,
Primitiva Bueno-Ramírez Open the ORCID record for Primitiva Bueno-Ramírez [Opens in a new window]  and
Juan Manuel Rojas Rodríguez-Malo Open the ORCID record for Juan Manuel Rojas Rodríguez-Malo [Opens in a new window]
Rosa Barroso Bermejo
Affiliation:
Department of History and Philosophy, Area of Prehistory, University of Alcalá, Spain
Francisco Martínez-Sevilla*
Affiliation:
Department of History and Philosophy, Area of Prehistory, University of Alcalá, Spain
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Barbero
Affiliation:
Institute of Ceramics and Glass, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Madrid, Spain
Oscar Cambra-Moo
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
Primitiva Bueno-Ramírez
Affiliation:
Department of History and Philosophy, Area of Prehistory, University of Alcalá, Spain
Juan Manuel Rojas Rodríguez-Malo
Affiliation:
Rojas arqueología Sl, Toledo, Spain
*
*Corresponding author: email: f.martinezs@uah.es
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Abstract

Perforated stone plaques, known as bracers, are found across late prehistoric Europe and many of them have been recovered in Bell Beaker funerary contexts, usually associated with adult individuals. Experimental, technological, and use-wear studies have determined that the bracers were both utilitarian and symbolic objects. Very few are found in children's graves, but examples are known in the Iberian Peninsula, two of which are presented here. The analyses conducted on the two bracers, including archaeological contextualization, raw material identification, and technological and use-wear studies, allow the authors to reconstruct their respective biographies. Although these pieces were associated with young children, they had long lives before their final deposition in the graves. Use-wear marks on one of the bracers suggest that it was used in archery, despite its small size.

Les plaques de pierre perforées connues sous le nom de « brassards d'archers » sont fréquentes en Europe de la fin de la préhistoire et ont été découvertes en grand nombre dans des sépultures campaniformes, en général associées à des individus adultes. Des études expérimentales ainsi que des recherches concernant les techniques de fabrication et les traces d'usure ont établi que ces brassards remplissaient une fonction autant pratique que symbolique. Ils font rarement partie du mobilier des tombes d'enfants mais on en connait certains dans la péninsule ibérique, dont deux exemplaires présentés dans cet article. Les analyses de ces deux brassards (contexte archéologique, identification de la matière première, étude des techniques de fabrication et des traces d'usure) permettent aux auteurs de reconstruire la biographie de ces objets. Bien que les brassards aient accompagné des dépouilles d'enfants, ces objets avaient eu une longue vie avant leur déposition. Les traces d'usure sur un des brassards indiquent qu'il a été utilisé au tir à l'arc malgré sa petite taille. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Durchbohrte Platten aus Stein, die als Armschutzplatten dienten, kommen häufig in Europa in der späteren Urgeschichte vor, und in vielen Fällen wurden diese Gegenstände in glockenbecherzeitlichen Bestattungen besonders von Erwachsenen entdeckt. Experimentelle Arbeiten sowie Untersuchungen der angewandten Techniken und Nutzungsspuren haben nachgewiesen, dass diese Artefakte sowohl praktische wie symbolische Anwendungen hatten. Man kennt nur sehr wenige Armschutzplatten aus Kindergräbern, aber es gibt einige solche Fälle in der iberischen Halbinsel, wovon zwei Exemplare hier besprochen sind. Die Analyse der zwei Steinplatten (archäologische Kontextualisierung, Bestimmung des Rohmaterials, Untersuchung der Produktionstechniken und Nutzungsspuren) ermöglicht es, die Biografie dieser Gegenstände zu rekonstruieren. Obschon sie mit Kindern verbunden waren, hatten sie ein langes Leben, bevor sie schließlich ins Grab deponiert wurden. Nutzungsspuren auf einer Armschutzplatte deuten darauf, dass diese Platten, obschon sie sehr klein waren, tatsächlich im Bogenschießen gebraucht wurden. Translation by Madeleine Hummler

Keywords

Bell BeakerIberiabracersobject biographychildren's burialscampaniformepéninsule ibériquebrassardsbiographie d'objetssépultures d'enfantsGlockenbecherzeitiberische HalbinselArmschutzplatteBiografie von GegenständenKinderbestattungen
Type
Article
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , May 2023 , pp. 124 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Association of Archaeologists

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