1997/01/01 by Laure Salanova · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies #Beaker #Pottery #Chronology #Archaeology #Radiocarbon dating #Style (visual arts) #Context (archaeology) #Art #Ancient history #History
paper · doi:10.3406/bspf.1997.10872
openalex publication_date 1997/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
ABSTRACT The technological and typological analysis of seven hundred and fifty Bell Beakers from French tombs and settlements led us to reconsider the definition of Bell Beaker pottery and to reexamine the chronology of styles. We suggest reserving the term Bell Beaker for pottery which corresponds to a standard, defined by beakers with an "S" profile, coloured orange, decorated by hatching or lines often impressed with shells. The pots which diverge from this standard, traditionally termed Bell Beakers, have to be considered as late Neolithic ceramic groups, closely linked to Bell Beakers. According to the traditional chronology, the two groups of pottery succeed one another : the standard Bell Beaker diffused in an early stage before the regional styles appeared in a late stage. On the basis of radiocarbon dates, associations in single graves and analyses of series of pots, we think that this chronology is invalid. In fact, the variability of decoration depends more on the context pots (academic style for the funerary pots and freer style for domestic pottery) than on chronology.