0106 - “Idols” in ditches

Is the second situation in Perdigões, separated from the first one by more the 500 hundred years: the depositions of idols in the bottom of ditches.

The first situation was detected in ditch 1 (Mata et al., 2011), dated from de second half of the 3rd millennium BC. A schist idol, with lateral cuts, was found deposited just at the bottom of the ditch, associated to a complete pot and some faunal remains.

 

 

Idol in Ditch 1 (After Mata et al. 2011)

 

The second situation was recorded this year, in ditch 12, dated from Late Neolithic. An assemblage of 5 Almeriense Idols was recovered at the bottom of the ditch. I am just finishing a paper on this context that will be published next October.

 

Idols in ditch 12.

These situations, although apart in time, document a same general fact: the filling of the ditches was, frequently, the result of intentional human action and they might document a ritualization of the beginning of those processes. Unless we admit they were just lost by someone passing by.

More and more evidences are appearing every year to create problems to the “erosion” and “garbage” explanations of ditch fillings and to support other interpretations that take into account human activity and intentionality.  

References:

Mata, E., Fernández, J. e Caro, J.L. (2011), "Figurinha en xisto procedente del relleno del foso 1 del complexo arqueológico dos Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz", Apontamentos de Arqueologia e Património, 7, NIA-ERA, p.19-21.