Study Suggests Iberian Slate Plaques May Have Served as Non-Verbal Genealogical Records

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 University of Iowa, suggests these plaques, found in tombs throughout Portugal and Spain, might denote ancestral lineage. The findings are based mostly on an in depth statistical evaluation of 657 plaques, their designs and burial contexts.

Historical Theories Behind the Plaques

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

Genealogical Interpretation Gaining Ground

 Prof. Lillios in an announcement mentioned 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 strains, whereas the opposite confirmed a corrected model. This remark indicated a deliberate recording system fairly than purely aesthetic engraving.

As per sources, the researchers suggest that the geometric motifs and horizontal registers might 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 Usage

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