An Object Out of Place
In the 1970s, excavators working at Bòbila Madurell, a Copper Age settlement just inland from the Catalan coast, uncovered what looked like a polished bone tool lying on the floor of a semi-subterranean hut. The artifact measured about 10 cm long, with a smooth ivory sheen and faint traces of red pigment. For decades, its origins were uncertain. Now, a new analysis published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports1 identifies the material as hippopotamus ivory—the first known example in north-eastern Iberia and the oldest on record in the region'.
“The hippopotamus ivory object is an exceptional case of the Chalcolithic in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula,” the authors write. “It is a milestone for understanding the importance of these materials in the peninsular exchange networks of this period.”
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