Talayotic culture

Talaiot de sa Cova de sa Nineta (Son Serra de Marina)

The talayot culture was a prehistoric culture between the 13th and 2nd centuries BC. On the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean . It is known for the numerous remains of the eponymous tower buildings, the talayots , especially on Mallorca and Menorca . The cultural epoch on the islands was named after her Talayotic . The Talayot culture is a megalithic culture between the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age , characterized by towers and other buildings in large stone construction .

Naming

The name talaiot ( Catalan ) and talayot ( Castilian ) is derived from the Catalan word talaia for "observation and watchtower", which has its origins in the Arabic atalaji for "guard". The archaeologist Joan Ramis from Menorca coined the term “Talayotic culture” from this.

history

Megalithic cultures in Europe

On Mallorca, the larger settlements that can be found here and there are also called Clapers de Gegants (stone terrain of the giants). In Menorca, on the other hand, the classic talayots, as they are known from Mallorca (round or square), are relatively rare or have already decayed considerably due to the removal of stones ( Torre d'en Galmés ).

Similar structures were built in Corsica , Sardinia and Pantelleria during the Talayotic period . Some researchers therefore assume a connection between the cultures of the western Mediterranean at the time. The thesis that the Talayot culture emerged with the arrival of other peoples from the eastern Mediterranean on Mallorca and Menorca, who introduced the last section of the prehistory there with changed structures and a new social and economic system , has now been refuted. The culture of the Talayotic is a largely independent, understandable development of the Balearic Islands, whereby connections to other cultures are not excluded.

chronology

The age of the talayotic culture is divided into four sections (talayotic I to IV), covering the period from 1300 BC. Until the Roman conquest in 123 BC The first two or the last two of these periods of time show minor differences from one another. However, the talayotic culture is not a culture that emerged suddenly, but had its precursors, which are known as the pre-talayotic. The following table gives an overview of the historical sections known today of the cultural development of the islands up to the Romanization of the Balearic Islands.

Culture section	Crafts and buildings	time	Synchronism
Pre-ceramic time	Machined flints and bones	4000-2000 BC Chr.	Sumerian culture , building pyramids in Egypt
Archaic pre-talayotic	Unengraved and Engraved Ceramics; Living and burial sites in natural caves	2000 - 1800 BC Chr.	Early Bronze Age in Europe , Old Palace Age in Crete
The climax of the pre-talayotic	Bronze tools, idol stones; first huts, burial sites also in artificial caves ( Cuevas )	1800 - 1500 BC Chr.	Hyksos in Egypt , New Palace on Crete
End of the pre-talayotic	Bronze arrowheads, "Talischer Götze"; Dwellings in megalithic navetas	1500 - 1300 BC Chr.	Iberian El Argar Culture , Middle Bronze Age in Europe
Talayotic I.	Bronze swords and other weapons; Solitary talayots, underground graves	1300 - 1000 BC Chr.	New Kingdom in Egypt , Mycenaean culture
Talayotic II	Walled fences are built	1000 - 800 BC Chr.	Late Bronze Age in Europe , Phoenician expansion
Talayotic III	Bull worship, cremation; Hypostylos halls, attached rooms with a rectangular floor plan	800 - 500 BC Chr.	Hallstatt Culture , Archaic Greece
Talayotic IV	Acculturation , reproduction of ceramic forms, burial in fetus position (in lime); Sanctuaries	500 - 123 BC Chr.	Carthage trade republic , La Tène culture

Talayotic pottery

The time of Talayotic I , beginning around 1300 BC. Chr., Is characterized by the appearance of water reservoirs (sitjots), underground tombs and single towers in megalithic construction with Cyclops masonry . In Talayotic II , from approx. 1000 BC. BC, walled enclosures were added to the settlements. From these two sections of the first period of the Talayot culture up to about 800 BC. Finds of common pottery, burial pottery, bronze weapons and tools and worked bones are known.

In the section of Talayotic III there was already contact with seafaring cultures from outside the Balearic Islands, such as the Greeks and Phoenicians , then the Carthaginians . In the soil layers that were built in the years after 800 BC In addition to ceramics and figures made of bronze, objects made of lead and iron were also found . Various finds suggest a beginning trade with the Carthaginians , which began around 654 BC. Founded a trading post in Ibiza , Ebusim ( Ibis ). During this time the settlements received extensions with a rectangular floor plan as well as hypostylos halls (columned halls) and excavations made it possible to deduce a bull cult with cremation .

In Talayotic IV from around 500 BC. Chr. One went to the form of burial in fetus position (in lime ). Sanctuaries were built structurally and replicas of Carthaginian / Phoenician and Roman forms of ceramics emerged , which is known as acculturation . The offensive armament ( swords , knives , lance tips ) and the variety of tools increased in importance. The influence of other Mediterranean civilizations led to a gradual change in the local culture, which is evident not only from the household appliances found at the time, but also from the spiritual and artistic works, such as hero and warrior icons (small statues known under the name "Mars Balearicus").

Basic reconstruction of a naveta

Naveta "des Tudons" Menorca

Reconstruction of the settlement

Main entrance to the Ses Païsses / Artà settlement

Talayot under construction

Tower with a polylithic column

Talayot tower

Talayotic settlement
Mallorca

In the first millennium BC Around-oval enclosures made of stone blocks appeared, enclosing some complexes. This wall was built around existing talayots. Examples are Capocorb Vell in the Llucmajor area , S'Illot near Sant Llorenç des Cardassar , Ses Païsses near Artà and Es Rossels in the Felanitx area . In addition, new architectural elements are appearing especially on Menorca. Columns and pilasters join together to form real hypostyloi, which in Menorca often represent a genus of their own built into the earth in the vicinity of the talayots and may be seen as the predecessors of the Menorcan taulen ( Torralba d'en Salord ). The Menorquins also erected some stone boxes, such as those at Alcaidús, Binidalinet, Montplè, Ses Roques Llises , Son Ferragut Nou and Son Ermità.

Prehistoric sites

Mallorca (by regions)

Talayot de na Pol

S'Hospitalet Vell

Poblat Talaiotic de S'Illot

Palma

C'as Quitxero, Es Rafal, Son Sunyer

It pla

Binifat , Campanari des Moros, Cas Canar, Es Baulenes, Es Figueral de Son Real , Es Pou Celat, Es Pujolet, Es Racons, Es Turassot (pretalayotic), Es Velar de Maria, Necròpolis de Son Real , Sa Cova de sa Nineta , S'Illot des Porros , Son Bauló de Dalt , Son Coll Nou, Son Corró, Son Ferragut, Son Fornés , Son Fred , Son Homar, Son Marí, Son Perera Vell, Son Pou Vell, Son Serra de Marina, Son Vispó

Llevant

Bellver Ric, Ca n'Amer, Can Blai, Canyamel, Es Boc Vell, Llucamar, Mestre Ramon , Na Pol , Na Gatera, S'Illot , Puig Figuer , Pula , Sa Canova de Morell , Sa Gruta, Ses Païsses , S ' Heretat , S'Hospitalet Vell

Migjorn

Capocorb Vell (Capocorb d'en Jaquetó) , Es Antigors , Es Pedregar, Es Rossells, Es Velar de Son Herevet, Sa Talaia Grossa, Ses Talaies de Can Jordi, Son Danús Vell, Son Noguera

Raiguer

Es Picó, Can Peladet, Fideïcomis, S'Alcadena, S'Ermita, Son Sastre, Son Simó

Serra de Tramuntana

Alemany, Almallutx, Can Daniel Gran, Coma-sema, Coves de Sant Vicenç, Es Pujol, Les Arenes de Formentor, Llenaire, Pedret, Sa Roca Roja, Ses Casotes, Son Ferrandell, Son Gallard, Son Mas, Son Oleza, Son Puig , Puig de sa Morisca , Son Serralta

Menorca (by municipality)

Maó

Trepucó , Torelló, Talatí de Dalt , Sa Torreta, Binicalaf, Cornia Nou , Llucmaçanet Vell, Es Coster de s'Hort, Sa Cudia Cremada , Biniaiet Vell

Es Castell

Trebalúger, Binissaïda de sa Creueta

Ciutadella

Torrellafuda , Torretrencada , Naveta des Tudons , Son Catlar , Bellaventura, Son Bernardí, Torrevella d'en Lozano, Montefí

literature

Between 1869 and 1891 a nine-volume monumental work by the famous traveler Archduke Ludwig Salvator ( Lluís Salvador in Catalan ) was published in Leipzig . It is still reliable and accurate evidence of that era.

Ludwig Salvator: The Balearic Islands. Described in words and pictures. 9 volumes. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1869-1891 (reprint of the edition: Woerl, Würzburg et al. 1897. MacMedia, Palma de Mallorca 2002, ISBN 84-932469-1-3 ).
Luis Pericot: Las Islas Baleares en los tiempos prehistóricos . Ediciones Destino, Barcelona 1975, ISBN 84-233-0935-5 .
Mark Van Strydonck: From Myotragus to Metellus - A journey into the prehistory and early history of Mallorca and Menorca . Librum, Hochwald 2014, ISBN 978-3-9524038-8-4 (Dutch: Monumentaal en mysterieus - Reis door de prehistorie van Mallorca en Menorca . Löwen 2002. Translated by Jürgen K. Schmidt).

Web links

Talayotic culture (Spanish)
Overview of localities ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
Arqueobalear - Archaeological website of the Balearic Islands (Spanish)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Jaume Alzina i Mestre, Miquel Pastor Tous, Jaume Sureda Negre: The Talayot settlement of Ses Païsses. Ajuntament d'Artà, ISBN 84-606-2221-5 .
^ Heide Wetzel-Zollmann, Wolfgang Wetzel: Mallorca. A journey through the 6,000 year history of the Mediterranean island. Herder, Freiburg (Breisgau) a. a. 1991, ISBN 3-451-22311-2 , p. 14.

[Ses_Païsses-1] Jaume Alzina i Mestre, Miquel Pastor Tous, Jaume Sureda Negre: The Talayot settlement of Ses Païsses. Ajuntament d'Artà, ISBN 84-606-2221-5 .

[2] Heide Wetzel-Zollmann, Wolfgang Wetzel: Mallorca. A journey through the 6,000 year history of the Mediterranean island. Herder, Freiburg (Breisgau) a. a. 1991, ISBN 3-451-22311-2 , p. 14.