A reappraisal of Iberian Copper Age goldwork: craftmanship, symbolism and art in a non-funerary gold sheet from Valencina de la Concepción

Murillo-Barroso, Mercedes, Eleazar Costa Caramé, Manuel, Diaz-Guardamino Uribe, Marta ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7641-300X, García Sanjuán, Leonardo and Mora Molina, Coronada 2015. A reappraisal of Iberian Copper Age goldwork: craftmanship, symbolism and art in a non-funerary gold sheet from Valencina de la Concepción. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 25 (03) , pp. 565-596. 10.1017/S0959774314001127

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Abstract

Taking as a point of departure the in-depth analysis and description of an exceptional discovery, consisting of a large hammered gold sheet decorated with embossed motifs from the well-known Chalcolithic settlement of Valencina de la Concepción (Seville, Spain), this article presents a general appraisal of the social and ideological role of gold in Copper Age Iberia. The information available for this find, including both its context and its inherent characteristics, opens up new perspectives for research into the technology, use, sociology and symbolism of gold during this time period. We describe and analyse this unique item in detail, including the characterization of the raw material used and the manufacturing process (via SEM-BSE and LA-ICP-MS), as well as an extensive reconstruction of the graphic motifs that are represented, by using digital imaging processing techniques (RTI). We compare this find with the data currently available for the (approximately) 100 Chalcolithic golden artefacts (or fragments of artefacts) found in Iberia to date. Finally, we present an appraisal of the social and ideological framework in which gold was used in Copper Age Iberia, discussing its relevance in aspects such as the dynamics of social complexity, worldviews or artistic creations.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	0959-7743
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	31 May 2017
Date of Acceptance:	17 November 2014
Last Modified:	02 Nov 2022 11:09
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/101017

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