33

The inclusion of faunal remains in Bronze Age funerary practices in Southern

Portugal. Montinhos 6 - a case study

Cláudia Costa1 & Lidia Baptista

2

1Universidade do Algarve, FCSH; ccordeirocosta@gmail.com.

2FLUP – CEAUCP-CAM. PhD scholarship from FCT. lidiabap@gmail.com

Abstract

Montinhos 6 is located in Serpa (Beja, south Portugal) and was excavated under the direction of one of the authors (LB)

during an emergency intervention within the Alqueva Project. The site was characterized by negative structures of

different types, chronologies and fills. In this paper the authors wish to focus on the structures related to the burial

practices from the Bronze Age: both hypogea and pits with burials from one individual to a maximum of five. Only six

hypogea revealed faunal remains associated with funerary rituals, consisting mainly of bones from the forelimbs of Bos

taurus and Ovis/Capra and a partial skeleton of Oryctolagus cuniculus. Most parts of the faunal assemblage were

deposited in articulation, but isolated radius are also present. An analysis of how these elements are used in these

practices can contribute some information to our understanding of the burial practices of the Bronze Age.

Key-words: Bronze Age; funerary practices; faunal remains.

Introduction

The site Montinhos 6 was identified and excavated under

the auspices of the “Project for the minimization of

Impact on cultural heritage arising from the execution of

the Brinches-Enxoé irrigation block – Work Phase”

(Projeto de minimização de Impactes sobre o Património

Cultural decorrentes da execução do Bloco de Rega

Brinches-Enxoé – Fase de Obra) undertaken by the

company EDIA, SA. The execution of the project, which

focused on an extensive area of the county of Serpa, and

specifically the parishes of Brinches and Salvador,

involved the opening of irrigation channels and in some

case more ample areas (where reservoirs or pumping

stations were to be installed). Excavation was carried out

by teams from the companies Arqueologia e Património,

Lda., and Histórias e Tempus, Lda, under the

coordination of Lidia Baptista. Various excavations were

carried out which allowed the identification and study of

contexts that contributed to a greater understanding of the

past of the county of Serpa. The results obtained in the

different emergency excavations allowed us to convert a

series of negative impacts on our cultural heritage into an

opportunity to know and study many archaeological sites

(Baptista & Gomes 2012). Of the 38 sites identified just

Montinhos 6, which revealed important archaeological

contexts from various chronologies was extensively

excavated in terms of area, as its location coincided with

the future site of a reservoir.

Summary of the excavation results

Location

Montinhos 6 (Baptista & Gomes 2011; Rodrigues 2011)

is made up exclusively by negative structures of varying

morphologies and chronology (from the Chalcolithic until

Late Antiquity). The site is situated in the catchment area

of the river Guadiana, which geologically is made up of a

hercynian substrate partially covered by quaternary and

tertiary deposits which form the Alentejan peneplain, an

extensive flat area with gentle undulations (Duque &

Almeida 1998). The closest mountainous areas are the

Serra de Serpa to the south, the Serra de Portel to the

north and the Serra de Ficalho to the east.

In terms of lithology, this is an area characterised by the

presence of metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rock

aged to between the Precambrian and the late Palaeozoic

period, and large quantities of igneous rock, such as

diorites, gabbros, granite and porphyries can be found in

the area (Hidroprojecto et alli 1998: 5).

Montinhos 6 is situated on two small hills separated by a light depression where the substrate is made up of caliço

(a form of limestone) of a whitish colour which

corresponds to a decomposition of gabbro-diorites which

are very easy to carve. The site of Montinhos 6 has a line

Figure 1. Localization of Montinhos 6 in the Iberian

Península and in the county of Serpa.

34

Figure 2. Distribution of the negative structures over the two hills.

Figure 3. Distribution of the negative structures in the northeast hill.

35

of site to the distant horizon in the north, west and south

and the surrounding landscape is dotted by gentle hills

cut in places by small ravines. The view is somewhat

limited to the east where there are some slightly bigger

hills. This expanse gives us a view of the catchment area

of both the Ribeira do Enxoé to the south and the Ribeira

de Grafanes to the north (figure 1).

Structures and chronology

The site was identified during the construction of a

reservoir which entailed the stripping of an area of 77713

m². In this area more than 200 negative structures were

discovered, without any type of ditch or trench

delineating the area of this large number of structures

(figures 2, 3 e 4).

Dating to the 3rd millennium BC, two architectural types

have been identified: Pits with a subcircular form in plan

and 55 structures which in plan roughly take the form of a

long bone (Baptista & Gomes 2013). It is however the

Bronze Age contexts that are the most numerous. This

category is made up of 14 hypogea, 130 pits of

subcircular plan, 2 small pits/depressions and an

“occupation area”. Human burials were found in all of the

hypogea, in the 2 small pits/depressions and in 7 of the

pits.

In addition to the funerary contexts, other acts of

deposition exist within the pits in which various

categories of artefact participate. Ceramics are the most

commonly recurring element, sometimes associated with

faunal remains and stone elements and the identification

of some refits between several of the ceramic fragments

from different deposits and structures has sparked

discussion about the biographies of the artefacts. For

example, there exist various cases in which separate

halves of the same vessels have been deposited in

different areas within the same pit and the refitting of

these fragments has allowed us to consider temporal

relations between structures and to think of the filling of

the structures themselves as architecture (Garrow et alli

2005; McFadyen 2006).

Funerary contexts” of the Bronze Age in Montinhos 6

Hypogea

The human burials associated with the Bronze Age occur

in 14 of the hypogea and 7 of the pits. The structures

referred to here as hypogea are diverse in orientation and

dimension, but are defined as composite structures dug

out of the substrata and consisting of a oval/circular or

square/rectangular antechamber with one or two funerary

chambers of circular plan (figure 5).

When we consider the relations between the fill, the

burial levels, and the different spaces that make up the

hypogea, there are several thing to note: 1) the majority

of the fill deposits from the hypogea show similar

characteristics to the substrata in which the structures

Figure 4. Distribution of the negative structures in the southwest hill.

36

were opened, do not normally contain any artefacts, and

when they do they are very fragmented and eroded; 2) the

antechambers were intentionally filled in within a short

time, probably with the earth taken from the excavation

of the structure; 3) in the majority of cases, the roofs of

the funerary chambers had fallen in, probably during pre-

history. This hypotheses is supported by the exclusive

presence of manual ceramic fragments, the majority of

which were badly eroded in the sediments that covered

the in inhumations; 4) when the roofs of the chambers fell

in without allowing sediment to enter the chamber we can

see a different and adverse effect on the individual

skeletons present in the chamber in the form of more

pronounced fragmentation; 5) beneath some

antechambers pre-existing pits were discovered which

were incorporated in the construction of the hypogea

themselves; 6) the characteristics of the deposits which

fill the pre-existing pits are very distinct from the fill of

the hypogea and contain some artefacts; 7) the function of

these pits, some of considerable depth (the average depth

is 2,07m, the deepest being 2,42m deep and the

shallowest 1,06m) perhaps allowed an evaluation of the

substrata with a view to constructing the hypogeum. In

other words, these pits could have been used as test pits

to determine the opening of a funerary chamber; 8) the

entrance to the funerary chambers were found untouched.

Regarding the burial levels themselves (figure 6), a first

look at the data shows that the primary burials are of 18

adults: 5 males, 9 females, 4 individuals of undetermined

sex; and 2 sub-adults. The secondary burials are of 12

adults: 2 males, 4 females, 6 individuals of an

undetermined sex; and 2 sub-adults. In total there were 30

adults and just 4 sub-adults buried in the hypogea.

The analysis of the positions of the skeletons found in

primary position revealed that 10 of the skeletons were

found lying on their right side, 7 on their left side, two in

a supine position with their limbs bent to the left side and

just one skeleton lying prone. Given that in a total of 14

hypogea, there are 17 funerary chambers, the number of

individuals per chamber is as follows: 9 chambers

contained individual inhumations, the other 8 holding

between 2 and 5 individuals.

In 4 chambers funerary offerings were not recovered,

those were the chamber of H102, which contained 5

individuals, chamber 2 of H118, which contained one

sub-adult, the chamber of H156, containing one adult,

and chamber 2 of H159 which contained 3 individuals. In

the other 13 chambers various artefactual elements, such

as ceramic vessels and metallic objects were found.

Regarding the animal remains that constituted offerings,

they corresponded to specific anatomical parts of a

unique animal, in some cases the bones being found

complete and in others still articulated. Ceramics were the

most common offering, represented by a collection of 31

morphologically diverse vessels, with open and closed

forms. The metal objects found were awls and daggers,

probably in copper.

Faunal remains were detected in just 6 chambers

associated with single burials, with the exception of

chamber H59 where 2 associations were identified. One

was a human skeleton in primary position, the second and

Figure 5. Types of hypogea identified in Montinhos 6.

37

ossuary. Besides this, a fragment of human bone, a right

ulna (the proximal half) of a sub adult was found

associated with an adult in chamber 1 of H118. The

fragment belonged to a sub-adult which was found in

another chamber of the same hypogeum.

The faunal remains were made up of the forelimbs of Bos

taurus (domestic cattle) and Ovis/Capra (sheep/goat) and

the partial skeleton of a rabbit. With the exception of the

skeleton in H169, the faunal remains were mostly

associated with female skeletons. The spatial associations

of the faunal remains in relation to the human elements

are diverse and they may appear at the feet of a human

skeleton (as in H59), with the human skull (as in H155

and H169) or between the thoracic region of the human

skeleton and the wall opposite the entrance of the

hypogeum (as in chamber 2 of H118 and chamber 2 of

H159). There is also an association of faunal remains and

an ossuary in H59, making it the only hypogeum where

within the same chamber two faunal associations were

found. The remains of the rabbit were found in the

interior of chamber H153, along with the other bones, the

majority of which belonged to an adult female. These

bones were found disarticulated and scattered over the

base of the chamber indicating post-mortem events that

are difficult to explain.

In summary, the specific architecture of the hypogea is

defined through funeral practice. The majority of human

remains correspond to adult individuals with which are

associated complete ceramic and metallic objects. The

faunal remains correspond to complete parts of the

forelimbs of sheep/goats and domesticated cattle, the

sheep represented by their right side, the cattle, the left,

with the exception of the partial skeleton of the rabbit.

Individual and collective burials of numerous

combinations were also found

Pits

Out of the large number of 130 pits, just 7 contain human

burials from which 9 individuals were exhumed (figure

7). Within the group of pit burials (FE) the occurrence of

one or two individuals in varied positions was noted. The

dimensions of the pit (diameter of the opening, maximum

diameter and depth) are variable; all have sub-circular

plans and have open and closed forms, and in the

majority of cases have cylindrical bodies and a flat base;

in 3 examples they contain small niches. Just 3 pits with

burials have faunal remains in their interior (FE77, FE144

and FE152), which correspond to the pits with niches,

and FE77 which is the only closed structure made up of

fragments of quern stone. Out of the structures containing

burials, just FE152 contains a context in which we can

consider the association of fauna as a funerary practice.

The first burial, corresponding to a child of 7-10 years old

at the time of death, was found in the niche. Given the

small size of the space within the niche, the corpse

(specifically the torso) was deposited partially in the area

Figure 6. Summary of all burials in Hypogea (all drawing are of the same scale, oriented to the north).

38

of the pit. In the top of the deposit which covered the

deposition a concentration of faunal remains which we

considered to be in association with the burial was

identified (figure 14). The second burial is a sub-adult of

14 years of age at the time of death and was found in the

area of the pit about 30 cm above the first burial, against

the opposite wall occupied by the previous inhumation.

Associated with this burial was a bone bead and 4

perforated shells.

Faunal remains in Bronze Age burial contexts

Hypogea

Of the 14 hypogea identified, just 7 faunal assemblages

were recovered with a total of 53 elements, exclusively of

mammals. The fauna found in the interior of the deposits

was found directly associated with human burials, with 2

exceptions, one an unidentified animal of medium size,

the other a sheep/goat which was found in the bottom of

the antechamber of hypogeum H102, along with 2

elements of rabbit found in the sediment that covers the

burials in the interior of the funeral chamber of H155.

The range of faunal remains associated with the human

burials contains just 3 species: domestic cattle (Bos

Taurus), sheep/goat (Ovis/Capra) and rabbit (Oryctolagus

cuniculus) not including the bones from an unidentified

animal which was comparable in size to a sheep or goat.

The types of bones appearing were radii, in the case of

the sheep/goats, and radii in articulation with the ulnae

and respective carpus in the case of the Bos taurus. The

radii of the sheep/goat were found associated with just

two human skeletons in hypogea H59 and H159, while

the bones of the bovine were found among the votive

artefacts of the ossuary of H59 and the skeletons of H118

and H155. Both the remains of Bos taurus and the

Ovis/Capra show cut marks at the joints suggesting

intentional disarticulation of those parts of the bodies, all

belonging to sub-adult animals. Lastly, the partial

skeleton of a rabbit was found associated with the

remains of a female individual placed in the interior of

the funerary chamber of hypogeum H153.

The arrangement found in H153 reveals some

particularities. On the one hand, the remains of a single

skeleton of an adult female were recovered grouped into

small clusters. Just some parts, the left shoulder blade,

thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum were found

in articulation (Rodrigues 2011: 43). In the centre of this,

a partial rabbit skeleton was recovered, made up mainly

of elements of the upper and lower limbs and some

vertebrae. As the ceiling of this chamber had collapsed,

we should not rule out the idea that the presence of the

rabbit is intrusive (and the dispersion of the human

remains is due to post depositional processes), but in

reality there was no stratigraphic evidence to

unequivocally support this hypotheses. Considering the

fact that the osteological remains, of human and animal,

were found at the same height in the base of the funerary

chamber (almost two meters from the surface), the

sediment which fills the pit provided little archaeological

Species H59 H102 H118 H153 H155 H159 H169 Total

Bos taurus 2 - 6 - 6 - - 14

Ovis/Capra 5 1 - - - 1 - 7

Oryctolagus cuniculus - - - 28 2 - - 30

Midsize animal 1 - - - - 1 2

Total 7 2 6 28 8 1 1 53

Figure 7. Sections of the pits with human burials.

Table 1. Frequency of faunal remains associated with hypogeal.

39

material, and all the bones exhibit the same degree of

erosion on their surfaces (pointing to the contemporaneity

of the deposition of human and animal), it seems

pertinent to accept the possibility that this was an

intentional association.

As for the two elements of rabbit which were found in the

deposit covering the burials in the interior of the funerary

chamber of hypogeum H155, their presence is more

difficult to explain. On one hand, the two elements are

loose and without any anatomical connection, suggesting

perhaps that they had formed part of the deposit that

filled the chamber and perhaps their presence was not

intentional. Also, following the caving in of the roof of

the chamber the cavity filled naturally with sediment and

this could also explain some foreign elements in the

deposit. On the other hand, as we have already seen,

rabbit is a species which appears to be associated to

funeral rites in hypogeum H153 so the intentionality of

the association of these remains should not be ruled out.

The case of H102 is slightly different from the other

hypogea because in the interior of the funerary chamber

various alternating levels of ossuarys and an articulated

human skeleton were found. As for faunal material, a

fragment of metacarpal bone from an Ovis/Capra and a

fragment of a medium size undetermined animal were

found in the deposit at the base of the antechamber,

however, they are not unequivocally part of the funerary

ritual, as they may have just made part of the deposit.

Effectively, the funerary chamber was reutilised

successively and if these remains made part of offerings,

after repeat reuse of the space, could have been removed

from their original position.

The case of hypogeum H59 is also strange insofar as in

the interior of the pit that pre-dates the hypogeum (found

under the antechamber) 32 fragments of dog remains

from a single animal, along with 2 fragments of

Ovis/Capra were found. The specific bones of the dog

found were the metatarsals and metacarpals, first and

second phalanges of both sides, a caudal vertebrae, skull

bones and several teeth. Clearly without anatomical

articulation, the bones were integrated in the deposit

complete and without marks of post mortem

manipulation, and therefore the intentional nature of their

presence also cannot be ruled out, although it is difficult

to interpret. The dog is a species which only appears in

Montinhos 6 in a group of articulated bones in pit F115

(Costa 2013). But, in the context of structured depositions

or groups of articulated bones identified in the other pits

of Montinhos 6, it seems that there is a special relevance

to the deposition of limbs and/or elements of the paws of

deposited animals, as the existence of the front and hind

limbs of a dog in the fill of a pit predating a hypogeum is

not exceptional in the context of Montinhos 6.

Effectively, the incorporation of faunal elements in a pit

predating the construction of a hypogeum has a parallel in

pit F49, which predates hypogeum H49. Faunal material

in this pit was not found associated to human remains,

but some elements of Ovis/Capra and remains of an

animal of similar size were present.

Given the above, and limiting ourselves to the finds

unequivocally associated with human remains in the

hypogea, it seems as if only the Bos taurus and

Ovis/Capra forelimbs, and the partial skeleton of the

rabbit do not leave us with any doubts as to their

participation in funerary practice (figures 8 to 13). A

Species H59 H118 H153 H155 H159 H169

Bos taurus Left radius X X - X - -

Left ulna X - X - -

Left scaphoide X - X - -

Left lunar X X - X - -

Left pyramidal X - X - -

Left pisiform X - X - -

Und carpal X - - - - -

Ovis/Capra Right radius X - - - X -

Right ulna X - - - - -

Right scaphoide X - - - - -

Midsized animal Radius - - - - - X

O. cuniculus Partial skeleton - - X - - -

Table 2. Association of faunal remains to the burials contained in hypogea.

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summary of the faunal associations can be found in tables

1 and 2.

Pits

Of the seven pits which contained primary burials, faunal

remains were only recovered in three: FE77, FE144 and

FE152. In the first two cases, the faunal remains were not

found directly associated with the burials, but in the case

of FE152, they seem to be associated with one of the

burials. The faunal assemblage contains 17 remains made

up of Ovis/Capra and an undetermined animal of medium

size, represented by the bones of its forepaws.

Because of this the case of FE152 is unusual, not just

because it contains the burial of 2 individuals, but also

because the faunal remains found in the stratigraphic unit

UE15207 have a stratigraphic position that suggests a

ritual association to the second burial (figure 14 and table

3). The levels UE15204 and UE15205, which underlies

the first burial level, both contained faunal remains.

However the majority of the finds from UE15204 was

composed of unclassifiable fragments. The same also

goes for UE15205, which is another heterogeneous

deposit whose faunal contents should not be regarded as

part of the funeral ritual. However, the deposit UE15207,

is related to the burial of an non adult individual who was

deposited in a fetal position in the niche and the group of

artifacts present was composed of elements of

Ovis/Capra, of at least three young animals, constituted

by elements of the upper apendicular skeleton and some

vertebrae of an unidentified animal of similar size to

Ovis/Capra, grouped and deposited near the abdominal

area of the human skeleton.

Final remarks

“In other words, identity is not something that people

have, an unchanging set of qualities; rather, it is an

ongoing act of production – an inherently fluid set of

properties under continual construction and revision”

(Bruck 2004, 311).

The presence of fauna within burial contexts, principally

in hypogea, make up part of a series of items, like

ceramics or metal, that compose the different scenarios of

burial. Although the sample in Montinhos 6 is small, of

the 6 cases in which fauna is associated with primary

burials (two cases of Bos taurus, two of Ovis/Capra, one

rabbit and an undetermined medium sized animal), 5 are

associated with female adults. The Bos taurus remains are

limbs from the left side, and from the Ovis/Capra the

Figure 8. Hypogeum 59 - Two votive sets with faunal remains: Bos Taurus associated with an ossuary (on the left);

Ovis/Capra associated with a female skeleton (on the right).

41

Figure 9 - Hypogeum 118 – Radius, ulna and carpals, with cut marks, associated to a female skeleton.

Figure 10 - Hypogeum 153 - Partial skeleton of a rabbit among bones from a female skeleton, mostly disarticulated.

42

Figure 11 - Hypogeum 155 – Bos, with cut marks, associated to a female skeleton.

Figure 12 - Hypogeum 159 – Ovis/Capra radius, with cut marks. Associated with a female skeleton.

43

Figure 13 - Hypogeum 169 –Radius diaphysis (of a mid-size animal) associated with a human skeleton of

undetermined sex, probably a male.

Figure 14 - Pit FE152 – Burial of a sub-adult individual placed in lateral left decubitus, inside a small wall niche

(age at death 10 years old). With faunal remains.

44

limbs correspond to the right side of the body. The

intentional choosing of these parts of specific (and

preferentially young) animals, many of them deposited

with soft tissue intact, reveals an action that clearly had a

pattern. Bearing in mind the limits of the sample, we

hope that more work of this kind are undertaken that

allows a larger analysis at a regional level.

A pattern of association with the same characteristics has

been identified in other archaeological sites of the same

region from the Bronze Age. Belmeque (Oliveira 1994;

Soares 1994) and more recently, Torre Velha 3 (Alves et

alli 2010; Porfírio & Serra 2010), Outeiro Alto 2 (Costa

& Cabaço 2012; Valera & Filipe 2010) and Torre Velha

12 (Rodrigues et alli in press), in which the study of

faunal material is still ongoing. Nevertheless, more than a

dozen of these types of site where hypogea have been

identified have been located in the county of Serpa. The

disclosure of these sites would contribute immensely to

the study of the Bronze Age population in the south east

of the Iberian Peninsula.

The similarities between the funerary traditions present in

this region, seen as part of the Argaric world, with regard

to “funerary fauna” in hypogea apparently show a

standardization of practices which were seen by most

Iberian authors as the result of rituals of commensality

which were in one way an animal sacrifice, in another, a

way to consume meat, the faunal deposit being a

representation of the participation of the deceased in the

ritual meal (Alves et alli 2010, Aranda Jimenez &

Esquivel Guerrero 2006, 2007; Porfírio & Serra 2010;

Sanchéz Romero et alli 2007; Soares et alli 2009).

Associated with this practice of feasting was the

production of ceramic vessels especially for the occasion,

with specific shapes, namely open formed vessels for

solid food, closed form vessels for liquids, and cups, well

made, and of higher quality, specifically in terms of

decoration (which included the intense burnishing of

surfaces). The different items, ceramics, metal artifacts,

and faunal remains made part of a ritual which worked as

a symbolic expression of social cohesion in an

asymmetrical and unequal society. Feasting rituals are

seen to have been one the practices related to the exercise

of power in the Argaric world (Aranda Jimenez 2008,

2011).

However, neither Belmeque, Torre Velha 3 nor Outeiro

Alto 2 or Montinhos 6 (sites which have hypogea that fit

into the same chronological period and have information

about faunal remains available) have provided bio-

anthropological or archaeological evidence which permits

us to support the hypotheses that different faunal

associations can effectively show us social

differentiation. However, we should not forget that of all

the hypogea excavated in Montinhos 6, a total of 14, just

6 (around 40%) gave evidence for the association of

faunal remains.

Regarding the pit burials, of the 7 registered, just one

showed us evidence of an indubitable association of

faunal remains, of Ovis/Capra, disarticulated and from a

minimum of 3 different animals.

The pit burials have parallels in sites of the same county

(Torre Velha 3, Outeiro Alto 2 e Torre Velha 12) as in

other areas in Alentejo (Antunes et alli 2012), like Horta

do Albardão 3, Monte da Cabida 3, Casarão da Mesquita

3, Casarão da Mesquita 4, Pedreira de Trigaches 2 and

Horta de Jacinto. Of the sites listed, only in pit 53 of

Outerio Alto 2 (Costa & Cabaço 2012) were faunal

remains identified of the species Sus sp. and Bos sp. on

the lower back of a human skeleton. However, the

chronology of this structure was not determined. In Horta

de Jacinto, in Beringel (Baptista et alli 2012) we also see

the association of an almost complete animal (Sus sp.)

and a human burial, but this context also has several

peculiarities, which so far, make it exceptional.

The growth in the amount of fieldwork in the area has

shown that the funeral practices attributed to the 2nd

millennium BC are very diverse, both architecturally and

in the treatment of the human skeleton itself and the

artifacts and animal bones that accompany it.

Recently, several essays have been addressed to this

theme (Baptista 2013; Baptista et alli 2012; Valera &

Costa 2013), following lines of research that value the

idea of fragmentation/segmentation as social practice,

based on the numerous empirical contexts in which

humans and/or animals, and other materialities, can arise

in an archaeological context in a complete state or in

fragments.

The site of Montinhos 6 (Baptista 2013; Baptista et alli

2012), stresses that the influences on the Argaric “world”

had been as a result of the contact between different

supra-regional groups in a network of

circulation/manipulation of things (goods, people, ideas)

and were not just a direct importation of social

organizational models. And, that these influences

reflected the web of actions in which they themselves

shared and organized similarities and produced rituals in

which to negotiate them. Furthermore, the differences in

the funerary deposits revealed the fluidity and

adaptability of the funeral ritual, which although being

standardized, cannot be disassociated from its

participants. A fluidity and adaptability which makes us

return to the quote with which we began this section,

looking at the different relations between the items which

show the funerary contexts of Montinhos 6 as invocations

of the relational character of the identity of all the

participants.

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