And what else beside cardial pottery? Searching for Mediterranean influences in early Neolithic settlement of valada do Mato (Évora, Portugal)

Abstract

Valada do Mato is an Early Neolithic settlement located in Southern Portugal, around 100km and 450km, respectively from the nearest Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. In spite of their Atlantic geographical position, Valada do Mato just like other Southern Portugal Early Neolithic sites strongly participates in a Neolithic Mediterranean identity sharing technological, economic and symbolic items with other western agro-pastoralist groups settled in both sides of Mediterranean basin. Being so, this paper pretends to look for both material and immaterial Mediterranean traits in Valada do Mato archaeological record, moving beyond the ubiquitous cardial pottery, searching for a more complex economy of relations within western Mediterranean cultural geography