Bell-beakers in the Cantabrian region: an archaeological phenomenon within the chalcolithic communities from northern Spain

Abstract

The aim of this article is to approach the Bell-Beaker phenomenon not as an isolated manifestation but as a cultural element integrated into the socio-economic dynamics of the Chalcolithic societies. We discard here the descriptive study of material culture, i.e. the typological-comparative approach, highly developed in an eminently empiricist tradition of research and furthermore unnecessary for the progress of this work. First, we examine the archaeological evidence focusing on find contexts in order to adequately characterize the Bell-Beaker presence in Cantabria. Subsequently, a consideration on the involvement of the Bell Beaker components in the exchange models and the funerary practices of the Cantabrian Chalcolithic allows us to suggest several hypotheses concerning its participation in the socio-economic change processes documented in this spatial- temporal realm. The aim is to offer an alternative interpretation of this archaeological reality, that, despite its undeniable distinctiveness, when regarded in this way loses that phenomenal character and turns out to be a part of the interacting elements within a socio-economic formation immersed in a process of change.