PALMELA ARROWHEADS
Copper Age
PALMELA ARROWHEADS
Copper arsenic alloy.
Length: 10.6 cm. Maximum width: 2.7 cm. Thickness: 0.3 cm.
Length: 9.4 cm. Maximum width: 2.4 cm. Thickness: 0.3 cm.
Length: 8.3 cm. Maximum width: 2.3 cm. Thickness: 0.3 cm.
Late prehistory. Around 1800 B.C.
Origin
Coto de Doñana. Huelva; Grazalema. Cádiz; Villaluenga del Rosario. Cádiz.
Description
Collection of three pieces lacking context. Their morphology indicates that they are they of the type known as “Palmela”, whose name derives from the famous burial caves in Portual, near Setubal, in which a large number of this type of item has been found. They display a wide oval leaf, with very flat lenticular section. In contrast, the stems have a square section and are slightly shorter than the blades. Although they have sometimes been defined as arrowheads to be launched with a bow, due to the weight and size of some examples it seems more likely that they were mounted on fairly short spears as javelin points. They are characteristic of the Bell-beaker culture and the early Bronze Age.
Bibliography
- González, R.; Barrionuevo, F. y Aguilar, L. (1997): Museo Arqueológico Municipal de Jerez de la Frontera. 'Municipal Archaeological Museum of Jerez de la Frontera' Ayuntamiento de Jerez, p. 62.
