Back in
March 2023, I posted a column that identified a number of decorated slate
plaques found in Iberia, as toy owls created by children. These owl themed
plaques are a subset of a very large number of similar plaques from the Chalcolithic
Period (Copper Age, ca. 5200 BP) created in a time frame of 5500 to 4750 BP. It is important that we note that the owl
plaques are only a fraction of similar decorated plaques from that period. I
found this theory hard to accept based on a level of workmanship that would, in
my opinion, have taken longer to acquire than the short period of childhood.
A new
study has now been published that argues that the plaques are an early form of
writing and record genealogical records (Lillios et al. 2024).
Katina
Lillios and her collaborators state that the owl plaques represent only 4% of
the overall number (p. 4). “Typically found as grave goods in tombs
in south-western Iberia, the plaques are hand-sized objects (150 mm) most often
made from slate. They are primarily found in southern Portugal but also known
in south-western Spain.” (Lillios
et al. 2024:4) Presently there are 1826 of these engraved plaques recorded
according to the team. They argue very convincingly that the owls could not
have been toys created by children primarily because they are such a small
percentage of the overall number, while children are often the largest
demographic group in a society.
“That
only a minority of the plaques (4 per cent) have clear biomorphic traits, such
as ‘eyes’ (or
oculi) or a ‘nose’ (or ‘beak’),
presents a challenge to the notion that all plaques represent a deity, such as
a Mother Goddess. These plaques include the Biomorph Simple and Biomorph
Whiskered types. The overwhelming majority (70 percent) are of the Classic type— the
focus of this article. Classic plaques have a ‘ top’ and a ‘base’ separated
by a horizontal line or bands. The bands are filled with hachures or small
triangles, or are unfilled. The top can have straps (horizontal or vertical)or
other motifs, such as inverted ‘v’s,
rays, and a collar. In rare cases (n = 10), Classic plaques have ‘eyes’ or
oculi, like the Biomorph plaques. The base is typically decorated with six
design
motifs,
which can be found on their own or in combination with other motifs, and are
most often organized along horizontal registers. These motifs include
triangles, checkerboard, vertical bands, chevrons,
zigzags,
and herringbone. That these motifs are all textile weaves may suggest that the
plaques were inspired by clothing or other woven goods that have not survived,
except in rare cases.”
(Lilios et al. 2024:5) The plaques that had been identified as owls fall into
the categories that the authors here are calling “biomorph simple,” and
“biomorph whiskered.” The statement that “these motifs are all textile weaves”
is unproven and seems a little reckless.
In the following paragraph, note that the authors refer to the design elements as “records” as if they somehow contain data – another leap to conclusion. “A key question the study addresses is whether there is a correlation between the number of records on the plaques and their geographical distribution. If the plaques represent genealogical records, the researchers expected to find plaques with fewer records concentrated in Alentejo (in southern Portugal), regarded as the ‘heart’ of this tradition, while those with more records would be more geographically dispersed. This pattern would be consistent with the expansion of successive generations of a lineage to other areas. The results of the analysis show a significant, though not conclusive, correlation between the number of records and the dispersion of the plaques, which supports the hypothesis that they may represent lineages that expanded over time. Another fundamental aspect explored by the researchers was the possible relationship between the size of the tombs where the plaques were found and the number of bands separating the base from the upper part. Tomb size is an indicator of labor investment and, possibly, the status of the individuals buried within. This study found that plaques found in larger tombs tended to have a greater number of bands, which could suggest a connection between the complexity of the design and the social prestige of the individuals they accompanied.” (Carvajal 2024)
“A final theory exists that states these slates may have been genealogical records, similar to how heraldic emblems denote a person’s ancestry, as did the plaques. For Prof. Lillios, the spark that led to this hypothesis was one particularly unique plaque, ‘if there was any real spark in this research, it was in the study of one particular plaque in the Museu Geologico in Lisbon, in 2003.” (Oster 2024) ) If these plaques are genealogical, perhaps there is a basic design for a clan or family that gets more complicated from generation to generation by adding lines, triangles, or stripes while maintaining the basic design. The term “heraldic” implies this connection to an identifiable group of people, whether it is family or clan.
“Our work reassesses the genealogical hypothesis for the Classic plaques using a series of statistical analyses to evaluate whether significant patterning exists among their design, their geographic distribution, and the size of the tombs in which they were found. Our study indicates a positive relationship between tomb size and the presence of plaques with high numbers of bands. There is also a relationship between the number of bands, the presence of a collar, and the base design. What the bands and collars specifically denote is, however, unclear. Perhaps bands recorded the number of children, territorial claims, military conquests, or something else considered remarkable enough for Late Neolithic and Copper Age people to record on that plaque (and the person associated with it).” (Lilios et al 20024:13) Marks to record data, this would be the idea behind claims that the slates represent a very early example of a written language, although again, I think that is going a little far.
“Clearly much more work remains to be done on the plaques to elucidate their formal patterning and understand the organization of their production. To conclude, much of the debate around the Iberian plaques, which is centered around whether they were heraldic, or were related to ancestors, or represented deities, obscures more than reveals. Individual plaques clearly had social lives, and as a class of objects, perhaps sacred texts, their use or meaning no doubt changed over time. When they were first created, Classic plaques may have been accorded to individuals whose genealogical history was central to the mythos of a community, but who, over time, became important ancestors, or even deities themselves.” (Lilios et al. 2024:14) This is a possibility that certainly cannot be disproven at this time. They were clearly important, so many of them were created.
Many of the slate plaques have one or twos hole in the narrower end apparently to hang them up somehow. This implies display and reinforces that they represent something that identifies an individual, family, or group as different from the others. This could seemingly be defined in some ways as heraldic.
REFERENCES:
Carvajal, Guillermo, 2024, The Enigmatic Prehistoric Engraved Slate Plaques of the Iberian Peninsula are Genealogical Recordds and One of the Earliest Forms of Writing in Europe, 1 November 2024, https://www.labrujulaverde.com. Accessed online 15 January 2025.
Lillios, Katina T., Tang Zhuo, and
Jay Bowen, 2024,
The Engraved Slate Plaques of Late Neolithic and Copper Age Iberia: A
Statistical Evaluation of the Genealogical Hypothesis, European Journal of
Archaeology 2024. Accessed online 15 January 2025.
Negro, J. J., Blanco, G., Rodriguez-Rodriguez, E., et al., 2022, Owl-like plaques of the Copper Age and the involvement of children, Sci. Rep. 12, 19277, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23530-0. Accessed 2 December 2022.
Oster, Sandee, 2024, Ancient Iberian slate plaques may be genealogical records, 3 December 2024, https://phys.org. Accessed online 15 January 2025.
Sci.News Staff, 2022, Iberian Owl-Shaped Plaques Were Toys Made By Copper Age Children: Study,
5 December 2022, Sci.News online. Accessed online 1 March 2023.
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