Bell-shaped unglazed funerary urns were introduced into the Iberian Peninsula toward the close of the European Bronze Age, around 800 BC

(CLICK to Enlarge)

Bell-shaped unglazed funerary urns were introduced into the Iberian Peninsula toward the close of the European Bronze Age, around 800 BC. Archeologists of Spain, Portugal and France believe that these vessels were brought to Spain by Celts of the Urnfield culture in France. They usually have an incised geometric pattern, especially around the rim. Of the pair of urns shown here, the one on the left was excavated from pre-Iroquois site at Owasco, New York. The one on the right is from Marles, near Barcelona. Pottery of this type appears abruptly in New England sites at about the same time as its introduction into Spain. As pottery is lacking from sites of earlier date in the northeastern states, its sudden appearances, replacing carved soapstone bowls, points to an influx of people with a new culture, and the style of the vessels points to a probable origin in Iberia (Fell 1982).

Credits