To decorate or not to decorate, when is the question posed: pattern burnished pottery from the Arraiolos’ Castle Site (Portugal)

Abstract

Late Bronze Age/ Early Iron Age pattern-burnished pottery is one of the most widespread pottery groups from the greater Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Such pottery has frequently been interpreted as having a “special” character, linked to social inequalities or ritualistic functions. In order to address the title proposed this text briefly discusses the formal typology of a pottery set found at the protohistoric site of Arraiolos’ Castle (S. Pedro de Arraiolos) and archaeometrically characterizes its mineralogy. It finally discusses if the distinction between decorated and undecorated pottery pervaded, or not, the entire chaîne opératoire of production.