The necropolis of the Verdelha dos Ruivos Cave and the genesis of the Bell Beaker complex in Portuguese Estremadura

Cardoso, João Luís

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.2/20556

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Authors

Cardoso, João Luís

Abstract(s)

The Verdelha dos Ruivos Cave, located some 20 km NNE of Lisbon, is the only necropolis of the Bell Beaker Complex identified so far in Portugal in which it was possible to isolate individual burials and reconstruct the original position of the corpses. The cave was discovered in 1973, during the inspection of a Cretaceous limestone quarry. The exploitation of the quarry face sectioned the cavity, leaving only its distal part. The archaeological excavation was carried out by a team from the former Geological Services of Portugal, led by O. da Veiga Ferreira. The team included a medical doctor, which constituted an obvious added value for characterising the composition of the population and defining inhumation practices. All that remained of the original natural cavity was a small crypt, whose brown infill contrasted with the colour of the limestone; this was a hardened carbonate breccia, with abundant limestone blocks and containing archaeological remains. The hardness of this consolidated infill made it difficult to carry out the excavation, which began in October 1973 and ended only in May 1974. Four main levels were identified, consisting of successive individual tombs in lateral decubitus, on the left or right side, with the body coiled up in a foetal position. It was possible to identify the position of 11 graves, sometimes covered by small limestone slabs; the most fragile anatomical segments were missing. The archaeological remains included several artefacts, which were not very abundant, but showed a clear diversity, including all the objects deemed characteristic of the Bell Beaker Complex: sperm-whale tooth buttons, gold spirals, a Palmela point, idols and ceramics. All the decorated ceramics correspond to Beaker types, which leads to the conclusion that the funerary use of this cave should be exclusively attributed to a community belonging to the Bell Beaker Complex. Radiocarbon datings obtained support the beginning of this necropolis at ca. 2700 BC, extending into the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. These results are consistent with the remarkable antiquity of the emergence of the Bell Beaker Complex in the Tagus estuary region, as demonstrated by the results obtained at the prehistoric settlement of Leceia, located approximately 40 km to the SW, a fact that will also be enhanced and discussed in this paper.