Revisiting an Early Iron Age Funerary Horizon. ›Cruz del Negro‹ Type Urn Burials in Southern Portugal and their Significance

Abstract

The cultural background of the ›Cruz del Negro‹ type urn burials has been the subject of some controversy. Examples from southern Portugal have been evoked on several occasions in the context of the discussion regarding the Phoenician or indigenous ›Tartessian‹ identity of these burials, but the poor quality of the data available until recently has precluded any definite conclusions. A number of new burials have, however, come to light in recent years,which are discussed in full in this contribution. The picture emerging from these new data isnot particularly revealing regarding the issue of the cultural identification of the individuals buried in ›Cruz del Negro‹ type urns, but certain specific patterns allow new insights into the nature of ›Cruz del Negro‹ type urn burials from southern Portugal. In particular, their marginal and almost ›intrusive‹ nature in some necropoleis is highlighted, and it is suggested that this could indicate the presence of individuals external to local communities who move within an ›orientalising‹ social, political and economic network mediated by Phoenician presence.