Resumen de Experimental production of the Late Neolithic/ Early Chalcolithic engraved schist plaques of Southwestern Iberia: an approach to techniques and tools
Jonathan T. Thomas, Victor S. Gonçalves, Marco António Andrade
Engraved schist plaques are one of the most original artistic manifestations in Southwestern Iberia during the Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic local chrono-zones (3200–2600 cal BCE), being assumed to be the distinguishing feature of the megalithic group that develops in this region since the mid-4th millennium BCE onwards. Although their «symbolic production» (in terms of their possible meanings) is extensively debated, the stages of their «physical production» are yet to be precisely defined, especially regarding the techniques and tools used. Based on some Experimental Archaeology exercises, the authors rehearse a practical approach to the manufacture of engraved schist plaques by defining the possible tools used in their production and how they influence the final outcome of the artefact. Replicas were analysed both macroscopically and microscopically, combining SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), in order to identify potential micro evidence from the use of different tools, thus setting up some working basis for further analysis on archaeological samples.
