Atlantic Halberds as bell beaker weapons in Iberia: tomb 1 of humanejos (Parla, Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

The recent discovery of an Atlantic halberd among other abundant and rich grave goods in the Bell Beaker double tomb 1 of Humanejos (Parla, Madrid) demonstrates that this type of weapon was part of the Beaker panoply. It is the first example of an Atlantic halberd in a Beaker burial context in Iberia and only the second one in Europe. The remaining halberds come from old and isolated finds in Early Bronze Age deposits that were usually interpreted as post-Beaker votive deposits. In this paper the Humanejos halberd and its archaeological context (human remains, burial structure, radiocarbon dates) are carefully examined. The study includes the technical analysis of the halberd (metal composition, lead isotopes, use-wear traces), together with the other metallic weapons and tools recovered with it (Palmela points, tanged dagger, awl) as well as the rest of the offerings (Beaker pottery, ivory and bone adornments). All these data suggest that this exceptionally rich grave could have held a woman and a man of the social elite, with the power to concentrate important amounts of precious raw materials (copper, gold, ivory, cinnabar) in few hands, especially when compared to other contemporary graves in the same site and region