Decorated lead plaques from Mallorca's post-Talayotic period. A study of their origins and manufacture, based on metals from Ses Copis and S'Alova necropolises (Sóller, Mallorca)

Abstract

This paper presents an elemental and isotopic analysis of twelve plaques made entirely of lead from two necropolises in Sóller –Mallorca–, S’Alova and Ses Copis. The manufacture of the said plaques can be dated from the 4th to the 3rd centuries B.C. during the post-Talayotic period. As for the origin of the metal, different regions have been taken into consideration, from the east and south of mainland Spain Levante and South Peninsular and, in a more uncertain way, in the Northeast of the peninsula, south of France and northern of Africa. By relating the data obtained in this study to that of other research studies, better knowledge can be built up on how the Balearic Islands were integrated in trade networks in the western Mediterranean during this period. Data from the study also sheds light on the organization of these manufactured goods. The combination of lead isotope analyses and a study of the distribution of different models could be a highly useful way of gaining an insight into how the consumption of lead worked and into relations among the island's post-Talayotic communities.