Os motivos zoomórficos representados nas placas de tear de Vila Nova de São Pedro (Azambuja, Portugal)

Abstract

From the excavations carried out between 1936 and 1967 in the Chalcolithic settlement of Vila Nova de São Pedro (Azambuja, Portugal), there were recovered more than 500 ceramic elements usually known as “loom weights” with different shapes, dimensions and, in the majority, with decorated surfaces. The iconographic repertoire is quite diverse, with the geometric motifs in higher representation, followed by soliforms, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs. For the zoomorphic motifs there were identified eleven decorated surfaces, whose typology is split into two categories: quadruped – whose species are not identifiable; deer representations. These iconographic motifs are part of the symbolic and conceptual universe of Iberian communities from the 3rd Millennium BC, also appearing in several artifactual categories such as ceramics, figurines, plates, engravings and rock art paintings. Understanding the mechanisms that create and increase this thematic uniformity, as well as the meaning of the deer for these agro pastoral groups, will allow a closer approach to the cultural and social behavior of these communities.

Human–Deer Relations during Late Prehistory: The Zooarchaeological Data from Central and Southern Portugal in Perspective

“…We intended to put into discussion the different zooarchaeological aspects of deer presence in the archaeological records of Central and Southern Portugal's Late Prehistory, including "meaningful" and structured depositions, but combining this with the use of deer and deer body parts for technological, socio-cultural and ideological display. Previous studies have approached cervids in this region's Late Prehistory but focus either on faunal data from a strictly economic perspective [34] or on other pieces of evidence, commonly rock art and other "artistic" expressions [9,66]. These, even if occasionally mentioning zooarchaeological information, do not consider the intricacies and variability of this data beyond the fact that deer were hunted.…”

“…Alternatively, it could also relate to factors such as availability [34], sociocultural and ideological preferences, or the type of sites/contexts. At the same time, it is interesting that Vila Nova de São Pedro, where deer hunting shows an intermediate prevalence compared to all mentioned faunal spectra, is also where cervids were depicted in plaques [66].…”

“…Some unparalleled cases in Portuguese prehistory (see p. 39, [68,75]), as far as we know, are the Chalcolithic ivory deer figurine from Perdigões Tomb 2 [65,76] (Figure 4)-where the already mentioned red deer antler deposition was registered-or the cranial portion with antlers attached from an adult red deer, interpreted as a mask or accessory, recovered at the Late Neolithic hypogeum 1 from the same ditched enclosure [61] (Figure 3). The decorated plaques/loom weights from Vila Nova de São Pedro, specifically those decorated with schematic deer motifs, are also worth mentioning [66] (Figure 4). There is an ongoing discussion regarding whether these are related to weaving or other types of practices/use.…”

“…Bell beaker pottery decorated with cervids or, most notably, their antlers are found in several mentioned Portuguese sites but also in Spain (e.g., [77,[100][101][102]), which is of interest to this research. This is not the appropriate place to discuss the contexts or findings and use of these pottery elements further, but the depictions follow the same standards seen in other Late Prehistoric artistic expressions (e.g., [5,9,66]).…”

Sobre el Calcolítico ibérico. El ciervo como barca celeste

“…Para unirlas unas con otras de manera que formaran una especie de tapiz, o simplemente para aplicarlas al lugar donde tuvieran que exponerse, dichas losetas contaban con perforaciones en sus esquinas que facilitarían un cosido entre ellas o su fijación a alguna superficie mediante clavos de madera o de otro material no conservado. Pero lo importante para la propuesta aquí defendida es que diversos ejemplares muestran representaciones simbólicas entre las que abundan los ciervos y las imágenes solares o de las aguas celestes, cuestión que ya suscitó muchas dudas acerca de su utilización como simples pesas de telar (Almagro Gorbea, 1973: 219-222), un papel que todavía sostiene la tradición arqueológica para estas piezas (Martins et al, 2020) y, con dudas para su función, para otras similares procedentes de Outeiro Redondo, en Sesimbra (Cardoso, 2021: 72-75), o de Zambujal (Sangmeister y Schubart, 1981: lám. 6).…”