Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Researchers have discovered the oldest artifact crafted from hippopotamus ivory in the Iberian Peninsula.
This significant finding originates from the Bòbila Madurell site in Sant Quirze del Vallès, Barcelona, and it dates back to the second quarter of the third millennium BC, during the Copper Age.
It’s worth noting is that during this period, hippopotamus ivory was not present in the Mediterranean region.
Image credit: University of Barcelona
Initially documented in 1977 during ancient excavations, it is now housed at the Museu d’Història de Sabadell. Researchers have identified the material as hippopotamus ivory and conducted both taxonomic and traceological analyses. Additionally, they dated the site’s context using radiocarbon dating. Through Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) combined with anatomical and taxonomic identification, they determined that the object is a first lower incisor of Hippopotamus amphibius.
This object is just over 10 cm long by a maximum width of 13.2 mm and weighing 11 g, with a polished surface and small patches of red pigment.
The team has put forward an intriguing possibility that the piece might represent a stylized human figurine or idol, or alternatively, it could be associated with textile activities, possibly serving as a beater. This hypothesis gains support from the discovery of two spindle whorls within the same structure where the piece was found, alongside traces of red pigment.
However, the lack of limbs, facial features or wear marks rules out its use as a pendant, and it remains unclear whether it represents a figurine or a functional tool.
Drawing of the ivory object. Image credit: Ramón Álvarez Arza, Universitat de Barcelona
This pigment consists of iron oxyhydroxides mixed with an organic binder, such as animal fat, adding another layer to our understanding and inviting further reflection on its purpose and significance.
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The trade networks that introduced ivory to northeastern Iberia can be traced back to the Middle Neolithic period.
During this time, the Pit Grave culture played a significant role in facilitating exchanges across the north-western Mediterranean region. This included areas from Sardinia to the Alps and extended into southeastern France and the Pyrenees, utilizing both local and foreign materials such as variscite, flint, and obsidian for grave goods.
However, around 3655–3550 cal BC, these networks collapsed, leading to the abandonment of Pit Grave necropolises and prompting the development of new funerary practices.
The transition at the end of the 4th millennium BC into the beginning of the 3rd millennium in northeastern Iberia is marked by the introduction of copper jewelry, awls, and gold beads.
“The finding opens the door to consider possible long-distance exchange networks and to consider the role of this and other exotic materials in the growing social complexity of the Iberian Peninsula during the Chalcolithic, also known as the Copper Age,” according to the researchers.
These contacts have already been demonstrated by the arrival and exploitation of African and Asian elephant ivory in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula following the North African route. However, hippopotamus ivory is rarer and is often dated to later stages.”
“This object therefore opens the door to consider other distribution routes centred on the north-western Mediterranean, such as those that had operated during the Catalan Middle Neolithic Sepulcres de Fossa (pit graves) culture,” they add.
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer