Font size:
Print
A Sperm-Whale Tooth Unearthed in Copper-Age Spain
A whale tooth’s journey from the sea to a Copper Age pit
Context: In 2018, archaeologists excavating a new library site at Valencina de la Concepción in southwest Spain uncovered an extraordinary artefact: half of a large sperm-whale tooth buried in a 4,000-year-old pit. This discovery is unique—no other sperm-whale teeth have been found in Copper-Age Iberia before.
Copper-Age Iberia refers to the period between roughly 3250 and 2200 BCE on the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) when communities began using copper tools and ornaments alongside stone implements. This era, also known as the Chalcolithic or Eneolithic, marked a major cultural and technological shift from the Neolithic.
Unravelling the Tooth’s Journey
- The tooth was analysed extensively using advanced imaging techniques, including overlapping photography to build a 3D model and digital microscopy to examine surface scratches, drill holes, and tiny biological borings.
- Four types of small tunnels and grooves were identified, caused by sponges, marine worms, grazing snails, and burrowing barnacles.
- Bite marks from sharks were also mapped, indicating the tooth originated from a sperm whale carcass scavenged on the seabed.
- The tooth’s root shape and enamel characteristics matched those of contemporary adult sperm whales, estimated to be 20–25 cm in length.
Timeline and Environmental History
- Radiocarbon dating of animal bones and pottery from the pit indicated it was dug around 2500-2400 BC.
- After the whale’s death, the tooth rested on the seabed long enough to be colonised by marine organisms and scavenged by sharks.
- Ocean currents rolled and partially buried the tooth in sand before a storm or high tide eventually washed it ashore.
- While buried in beach sand, plant roots etched channels on the tooth, and a limestone crust formed on its surface.
Human Use and Cultural Significance
- Copper-Age humans likely collected the tooth due to its exotic nature and value.
- Evidence shows they pressed chisels or awls into its broken edge, possibly to fashion ornaments.
- The tooth was placed in a pit about one meter wide and deep, along with broken pottery, stone tools, and animal bones.
- The absence of human remains led archaeologists to interpret the pit as a “structured deposition”—a deliberate act of removing precious objects from daily use.
Broader Archaeological Importance
- This tooth is the only sperm-whale tooth found in Copper-Age Spain and just the second in the Western Mediterranean from this period.
- Its discovery broadens the known range of rare and prized materials at Valencina, which included elephant ivory, ostrich eggshells, and rock crystals.
- The burial demonstrates that coastal objects, even from massive sea creatures never seen alive by inland communities, held symbolic and cultural importance for predominantly farming societies.
