The votive plaques (and the cross) from Lapa da Galinha, in the first half of the Third Millenium BCE

Abstract

Lapa da Galinha (literally «The chicken’s cave»…) is a typical small cave of the portuguese Estremadura. Located near Alcanena, it was excavated more than a century ago and, at the time, the numerous human remains therein identified have already been removed to the local cemetery and are not available for study and dating. A first note about this cave, very insufficient for the importance of the site, have been presented to the 1st National Congress of Archaeology (Moreira de Sá, 1959). Lapa da Galinha revealed, for the cultural milieu in which it is included, a considerable amount of engraved schist plaques and a rather peculiar «crosier», morphologically resembling an axe. If the «crosier» is so peculiar and unique, also the plaques form a very bizarre ensemble. Most of them are double faced, the motifs and decorative patterns are also peculiar and some present unusual shapes for the area of Estremadura – disclosing possible cultural influences of other regional areas. The «PLACA NOSTRA» Project shows, for the first time, drawings of all the available plaques and presents some new perspectives on the meaning of the «Lapa da Galinha connection»...