Aportación al conocimiento de los ajuares funerarios de la prehistoria reciente del ámbito marítimo atlántico-mediterráneolos cilindros decorados

Abstract

Since the end of the 19th century, archaeological literature has collected a series of objects known as "decorated cylinders", which have been located in recent prehistoric sites in the Atlantic-Mediterranean area. These objects show a series of morphological and plastic attributes that make it difficult to attribute a precise function to them, so we approach their study and establish typological bases to clarify some of their probable functions. They are made of various raw materials, such as bone, limestone, wood, clay, ivory, and alabaster; the latter, because of their exotic character, constitute prestigious elements for these societies. They have cylindrical shapes, sometimes with a bottom and/or lid, in addition to decorations and treatments such as polishing. These objects have been documented, generally, as part of funeral goods, linked in a high percentage to the megalithic phenomenon, although there are also some examples found in the housing areas of these cultures. Hence, we pay special attention to analyzing in detail the contexts in which they appear. Chronologically they are located in a wide temporal band that covers from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age (approximately from the VI to the I millennium to. C), although with extensions in historical stages. In addition, his findings extend over a vast territory from Portugal to Iraq through Morocco, Spain, Greece, or Egypt, with the Iberian Peninsula as the main focus. On the other hand, the strong presence of prestigious raw materials, together with the wide temporal and territorial range, allow knowing the different trade flows by sea, river, and land, elements that are faithful testimony of the socioeconomic currents, culture, and culture of the human communities of recent prehistory. We, therefore, address its significance at the socio-economic, cultural, and cultic levels. We attend to the existence of cultural currents and trade relations by sea, river, and land of prestigious raw materials, between population centers. For this purpose, a brief description is provided of the possible routes and navigation systems in the Atlantic-Mediterranean maritime area. Finally, we propose new lines of study to be able to continue proposing hypotheses that allow us to continue obtaining information on the various functions that these objects had. KEYWORDS: Decorated cylinders, morphotypological study, bone, ivory, alabaster, stone vases, prestige elements, exchange, commercial relations, prehistoric navigation.