Research suggests historical Iberian slate plaques might file household lineages

A brand new research proposes that engraved slate plaques from the Late Neolithic and Copper Age Iberian Peninsula (3200–2200 BC) might need served as non-verbal genealogical data. The analysis, led by Prof. Katina Lillios of the College of Iowa, suggests these plaques, found in tombs throughout Portugal and Spain, might denote ancestral lineage. The findings are primarily based on an in depth statistical evaluation of 657 plaques, their designs and burial contexts.

Historic Theories Behind the Plaques

The research was printed within the European Journal of Archaeology. Since their discovery within the 19th century, these hand-sized slate plaques, engraved with intricate geometric patterns, had been reported to have sparked quite a few interpretations. Early theories steered they had been emblems, amulets, or non secular artefacts. One other fashionable speculation linked the designs to Mom Goddess worship, however restricted depictions of facial options on the plaques—solely 4% present ‘eyes’ or ‘noses’—challenges this concept. An alternate idea, positing the plaques as youngsters’s drawings of owls, was dismissed as a result of absence of distinctive owl traits like beaks and their rare prevalence.

Genealogical Interpretation Gaining Floor

 Prof. Lillios in a press release stated that the plaques functioned as genealogical data emerged from a novel two-sided plaque on the Museu Geológico in Lisbon. One aspect displayed an obvious error within the variety of horizontal traces, whereas the opposite confirmed a corrected model. This commentary indicated a deliberate recording system quite than purely aesthetic engraving.

As per sources, the researchers suggest that the geometric motifs and horizontal registers could signify clan affiliations and generational distances from a founding ancestor. Statistical correlations confirmed that as communities moved farther from Alentejo—believed to be the plaques’ origin—register counts elevated, probably reflecting generational development.

Indicators of Elite Utilization

Reportedly, the research additionally discovered that plaques had been primarily related to bigger, extra elaborate tombs, suggesting they had been reserved for elites. Based on the researchers, these artefacts might have performed a task in managing property, marriage alliances, or burial rights inside influential households. Prof. Lillios, in a press release, emphasised the necessity for undisturbed archaeological websites to additional validate these interpretations, significantly by way of archaeogenetic research, though the shortage of well-preserved skeletal stays poses a problem.