Context (Field collection)
From a dolmen.
Event Date
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Other owners)
From the Fonseca Collection.
Event Date
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Display)
Previously on display in archaeology gallery, Case 25, Clarke Gallery 1984-2010.
Event Date 1984
Author: Lily Stancliffe

Description (Physical description)
Schist Idol from a dolmen, decorated with triangular motif.
Event Date 11/6/1992
Author: maa

Context (Analysis)
Ref: ESPRIT website at research2.its.uiowa.edu/iberian/index.php: " What is most striking about the plaques is that while they are each unique in their specific details, they are overwhelmingly consistent and standardized in their basic form, structure, and grammar. It was this observation that led me to more seriously consider them as heraldic emblems. Their use as heraldry may have been particularly important in the Alentejo of southern Portugal, where the majority of the plaques are found, and where the acidic soils are not conducive to the preservation of human remains.  Recognizing that genealogies are critical to personhood and power in complex societies known archaeologically and ethnographically, I developed the working hypothesis that the number of registers on the plaques recorded the generational distance between the deceased and an important ancestor, and the motif signified a person's clan/lineage affiliation (Lillios 2002, 2003). Based on the hundreds of plaques I have catalogued, all the evidence supports this interpretation." Katina Lillios of University of Iowa.

Event Date 2002
Author: maa