WHAT INSPIRES US?
Come and discover the prehistoric creativity that only Archaeology reveals.
SCHIST PLAQUES
These plaques, also known as "plaque-idols" or schist plaques (though schist was not the only material in which they appear), are archaeological artefacts characteristic of the latter phases of the Neolithic period and of the Chalcolithic in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in Portuguese Alentejo and Spanish Estremadura.
Thus, they exist in the Iberian archaeological record since the 4th millenium BCE, with multiple typologies. They are generally decorated with incised linear designs, more or less geometrical, and could have the "ocular motif" (i.e., two big eyes, which could be "solar"). Sometimes it is also during the preparation of the plaque, and previous to the engravings, that it becomes more clearly anthropomorphic: when to its morphology, generaly trapezoidal, is added two "shoulders", more or less sharped.
Photo: schist plaques in the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid, photograph by André L. Pereira, 2022.
CROSIERS
The "crosiers" are another element of the material culture characteristic of the late Neolithic and early Chalcolithic periods of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. Their name derives from their resemblance to Christian episcopal staffs and demonstrates, like other artifacts grouped under the broad denomination of "idols," the very historiography of Iberian Archaeology.
These objects originate from megalithic funerary contexts in Portuguese territory, exhibiting a geographical distribution similar to that of the schist plaques, with which they coexist in several archaeological sites. The "crosiers", however, are much rarer than plaques, with only about fifty "crosiers" identified in comparison to thousands of plaques. But, like the plaques, the "crosiers" are not only found in schist; pieces with similar morphologies, sizes, and decorations exist in other types of stone, bone, and even ivory. Representations of "crosiers" have also been identified in rock art, engraved or painted, as well as in menhirs and some ceramic vessels.
The true meaning of these pieces is unknown, but their symbolic value has traditionally been linked with "symbols of power and prestige" of the agro-pastoral communities south of the Tagus River in the latter stages of the 4th millennium BCE. Other authors also suggest their connection to "life cults," and others an uncertain practical function.
Photo: Decorated "crosier" from Anta 4 of Herdade das Antas, Montemor-o-Novo (Évora), Photograph by MNA/António Ventura, in Bueno Ramírez, P. & Soler Díaz, J. (coord.) (2021) Idols. Millennial Gazes. The State of the Art in Portugal. Imprensa Nacional – Casa da Moeda.
NATURALISTIC FIGURINES
The naturalistic figurines of the 3rd millennium BCE are small statuettes made of bone, limestone, and ivory that occur in both funerary and domestic contexts. Their name derives from their high degree of resemblance to the human body, a characteristic that contrasts with other types of anthropomorphic representation from the same period, which are markedly schematic.
In interpretative terms, they have been linked with divine expressions of the "religiosity" of Chalcolithic agro-pastoral communities, ancestor worship, and expressions of identity and power or status, evidenced either by the object (possibly a staff) that is sometimes represented in the hands of some naturalistic figurines, or by the exogenous raw materials (such as ivory) in which they sometimes occur, or even by the canonical and formal posture of the body.
Photo (from right to left): Naturalistic figurines from Llerena (Badajoz, Spain) and the archaeological site of Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Évora, Portugal), in the exhibition Idols - Millennial Gazes, Lisbon 2021, Photography by André L. Pereira.
OTHER "IDOLS"
Throughout the history of Peninsular Archaeology, the term "idols" has frequently been used to refer to objects with anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and other representational morphologies or decorations, whose function remains to this day unknown. This term is used for objects from different chronologies, from Prehistory to the contemporary period.
However, many of our pieces are markedly influenced by Chalcolithic "idols" in addition to plaques, "crosiers", and naturalistic figurines. Among these other "idols", some are flat, some made from animal phalanges, and others made from long bones, although many other typologies are known. In all cases, they correspond to stone or animal-derived elements, shaped and with engraved geometric motifs, with the "ocular motif" predominating, composed of two large eyes and incisions traditionally interpreted as "facial tattoos."
Photo: “Idols” made from long bones on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid. Photograph by André L. Pereira, 2022.
CERAMIC DECORATIONS
Since the creation of the first ceramic objects, it has been common to adorn their external and internal surfaces with different motifs, with the purpose of attracting attention, informing, reminding, or simply decorating. Ceramic decorations carry some informational weight and imply cultural aspects (and more) of the communities to which they belonged.
The different styles and motifs characteristic of various phases of prehistoric Iberia inspire us today in the creation and decoration of different pieces that will be available in our store.
Photo: Bell-shaped vessels on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid, Photograph by André L. Pereira, 2022.
ROCK ART
It consists of representations, through painting and/or engraving inscribed on rock surfaces, and has occurred from prehistory to the present day. The oldest rock art in European territory dates from the Middle Paleolithic (c. 100,000 to 35,000 BCE), and some of the largest concentrations of this type of art are found in the Iberian Peninsula. Caves best preserve Paleolithic painting, such as in Altamira (Spain), but large open-air rock areas were also extensively engraved, as exemplified by the incredible art complex of the Côa Valley (Portugal). Paleolithic art was primarily zoomorphic, with detailed representations of various animals, although frequently associated with other elements.
Much later, at some advanced points in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods (c. 3rd millennium BCE), rock art appears in caves, rock shelters, slabs of megalithic monuments, and other rock formations. It is characterized by geometric and schematic motifs, with an anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and "idol-like" corpus, often difficult to interpret. The techniques employed were engraving, using lithic tools, and painting, the latter frequently in red tones, achieved with red ochre and/or cinnabar.
Already in the Bronze Age (c. 2500-1500 BCE), similar rock formations (sometimes the same!) are engraved with geometric and anthropomorphic shapes, using the pecking and abrasion techniques. In the following period (Iron Age), geometric, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs, and objects such as weapons and other schematic motifs remain, as well as, in some cases, the representation of writing, for example, with the Greek alphabet (Rock 23 of Vale da Casa, Vale do Côa).
Photo: Anthropomorphic and "serpentine" figure from Ribeiro das Casas (Malhada Sorda, Almeida). Photograph by André L. Pereira, 2021.