Understanding Site Function and Textile Production in Southwestern Iberia (3400–2000 BCE): The Loom Weights from Perdigões (Alentejo, Portugal)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The 16 ha site of Perdigões is comprised of ditched enclosures and negative features that were opened and closed throughout its long and complex occupation beginning in the Late Neolithic, continuing throughout the Chalcolithic, and into the early Bronze Age. This site includes around 12 roughly concentric circular ditches and several hundred circular pits, with a lower area in the center described as a natural amphitheater. Thousands of loom weight fragments were found throughout this center area, known as Sector Q. Loom weights are ceramic objects used in textile production and are a common find at settlements during the Chalcolithic in southwestern Iberia. Unlike contemporary fortified hilltop settlements in the region, there is currently little evidence for residential areas at Perdigões. Despite this, the loom weights at Perdigões appear similar to those at settlements. These loom weights provide the opportunity to explore the activities taking place at this notable site and its relationship to other settlements in the region. This paper presents the results of a preliminary analysis of this loom weight collection, examining the variability in these tools and their complex contexts, with the intention of better understanding textile production practices at this site and across the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36379.0