The Iberian stelae of the Final Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age

iconography, technology and the transfer of knowledge between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean

Celestino Pérez, Sebastián
Araque González, Ralph (ed.)
Vilaça, Raquel (ed.)

The western Iberian stelae from the Final Bronze Age and Early Iron Age transition (c. 1200-550 BC) are rock art monuments that superbly represent the complex triangular relationship between culture, technology and communication. This book presents contributions from a multidisciplinary team of researchers and craftspeople to the comprehensive investigation of these monuments within their cultural and chronological contexts. The approaches encompass geo-archaeology, petrology, experimental archaeology, landscape archaeology and visual culture studies. Moreover, the technologies of prehistoric stone working and possible tools used for stelae making are examined by archaeometallurgical analyses, experimental replications, and traceology. This combined methodology goes beyond the traditional study of the motifs and their compositions on the stelae, seeking to re-evaluate the rock supports and the reasons for their choice, explore the technologies used for their production, and discover the symbolic significance of these stelae for the communities who created them. Eventually, this research considers the perspectives of stonemasonry, bronze and iron met-allurgy, and technology transfer. This has resulted in new insights on the social and cultural implications of the Western Iberian stelae, the emergence of early Iberian iron metallurgy, technology transfer, innovation, and intercultural contacts between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic at the dawn of history.