The oldest maritime vessels and their diffusion from the estuary of the Tagus (Portugal)

Abstract

L. Salanova (2000 a), taking up the “Classical Theory”, defended the origin of the maritime Beakers in the Tagus estuary, considering that this vase corresponded to the only pure Beaker production, named by her as the standard style. In this context, the importance of the published radiocarbon dates more recently published becomes evident, as it points to the actual antiquity of this production. This is particularly significant in the region in question, concerning the Hut FM of Leceia (CARDOSO, 1997-1998; 2014 a), which results confirm the emergence of the Beaker ceramics in this region around 2750 cal BC, a time when maritime Beakers already coexisted with regional productions. These results, along with the information produced by the DNA analysis carried out at the European level on Beaker populations, have confirmed the direct relation of these populations from their local predecessors (OLALDE et al., 2018). These are decisive arguments for the origin of the maritime vessels in the region of the Tagus estuary, which is the most important nucleus, on a European scale. From here, it expanded along the Atlantic coast, becoming an important receiving pole in Brittany, until it assumed residual values in more eastern regions, the Rhine valley and the Netherlands.