¿La primera orfebrería del nordeste de la Península Ibérica? Nuevas aportaciones a partir de la cuenta áurea de Cau del Tossal Gros (Torroella del Montgrí, Baix Empordà, Girona)

Abstract

La cuenta bitroncocónica de oro localizada en la cueva sepulcral de Cau del Tossal Gros (Torroella de Montgrí, Baix Empordà, Girona) constituye la primera de este tipo conocida en la Península Ibérica. Estas cuentas son comunes en yacimientos del sur de Francia y se fechan de forma relativa en el Neolítico Final. Con el objetivo de establecer su proceso de producción se han realizado análisis de composición, radiológicos y traceológicos. Los resultados muestran la gran complejidad tecnológica de la pieza, sin paralelos conocidos en la Prehistoria peninsular. La datación radiocarbónica del yacimiento mediante tres fechas AMS y los materiales recuperados confi rman una cronología de fi nales del IV-inicios del III milenio cal ANE. Finalmente, la comparación con los datos disponibles sobre la primera metalurgia del nordeste de la Península Ibérica permite proponer el posible origen, uso y valor social de esta peculiar cuenta áurea. ABSTRACTThe fi nd of a gold biconvex bead from Tossal Gros burial cave (Torroella de Montgrí, Girona)

Micro-EDXRF investigation of Chalcolithic gold ornaments from Portuguese Estremadura

“…The double‐conical bead (CVC.022) has the lowest amount of silver (6.7 wt% Ag) of the gold set. The known parallels of double‐conical beads in Iberian Peninsula have varying silver contents, namely 9 wt% Ag, 5.8 wt% Ag and less than 2 wt% Ag for the jewels of Zambujal, La Ermita and Cau del Tossal Gros, respectively. The two sides of the double‐conical bead from Convento do Carmo have similar compositions, suggesting that the two pieces originally belong to the same gold sheet.…”

“…Chalcolithic double‐conical beads are quite uncommon in Iberian Peninsula. The region of Portuguese Estremadura has only another example at the Chalcolithic settlement of Zambujal (Torres Vedras), while two additional parallels can be found already quite far, at La Ermita (Salamanca) and Cau del Tossal Gros (Girona) . This last double‐conical bead is understood as an importation from Southern France, and such distinctive typology might suggest contacts with regions outside the Iberian Peninsula, probably involving the spread of Bell Beaker Culture in Western Europe .…”

A Reappraisal of Iberian Copper Age Goldwork: Craftmanship, Symbolism and Art in a Non-funerary Gold Sheet from Valencina de la Concepción

“…Although published works on Neolithic and Copper Age finds include important contributions (Hernando Gonzalo 1983;Monge Soares et al 2014;Montero Ruiz & Rovira Llorens 1991;Nocete Calvo et al 2014;Perea Caveda 1991;Perea Caveda et al 2010;Rovira Hortalá et al 2014;Soriano Llopis et al 2012), there remain major research gaps, particularly with regard to our knowledge of the social and ideological roles of gold. This is the result of a number of factors, mainly that, with few exceptions (Blasco Bosqued & Ríos Mendoza 2010;Soriano Llopis et al 2012), there have rarely been publications dealing specifically with Neolithic and Chalcolithic gold artefacts, which, instead, have usually been described briefly in excavation reports or catalogues about early metallurgy. Therefore, it is often the case that the level of detail in the description of the pieces themselves (both in terms of technology and morphology/style) and their contexts has been somewhat limited.…”