Production and exchange during the Portuguese Chalcolitic: the case of bifacial flaked stone industries

Abstract

This study focuses on the economic organization of bifacial flaked stone industries of the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic Portugal. It is often claimed that social hierarchies first appeared in Western Iberia during this period (ca. 3500-2500 BC). The specific research goals are: determining the production repertoire at lithic production sites, examining the possibility of craft specialization (with particular regard to artifact standardization), and investigating the geographic distribution of artifacts, in order to detect evidence of centralization. The analyses show that the organization of economy differed markedly between different artifact classes. Production of subsistence-related lithics was decentralized and they circulated through local exchange networks, although some of them could enter long-distance exchange. Prestige-related items were exchanged over large distances and apparently were produced by specialists. The level of specialization and its importance for the economy remained modest. There is no evidence for large-scale sociopolitical integration.