EL TEMPS DE LA MEMÒRIA

A SINGULAR TESTIMONY FROM THE MAGDALENIAN CULTURE OF NORTHEASTERN IBERIA: THE HARPOON WITH A ROW OF TEETH FROM LA BORA GRAN (SERINYÀ)

The Magdalenian was the final period and culmination of the Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer societies. They were on the threshold of one of humankind’s most transcendent periods of change: the transition from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, to animal husbandry and farming societies. It was one of the richest technological periods, with microliths, bone tools and portable and parietal art, a spectacular explosion that would give rise to a long process eventually leading to the development of the new urban societies.

The Archaeological Museum of Catalonia – Girona has prepared this publication to celebrate the 175th anniversary of its establishment and has asked me to describe the harpoon from Bora Gran (Serinyà) (MACGIr 004/4119 130) now in the Bosoms Collection. This object is a good choice for inclusion in this publication for several reasons: the harpoon is a tool that is very much identified with the Magdalenian period and this is one of the few in Catalonia that has been preserved whole. It is also one of the emblematic elements of the Magdalenian period, which are currently not very abundant in Catalonia. The only other examples we have of harpoons were found at El Parco Cave in Alòs de Balaguer and they are fragmented, making this one very significant. Also of note on the Mediterranean coast of Spain are the harpoons from Les Cendres in Alicante.

Harpoons with a row of teeth are typical of the Magdalenian IV and V and date from approximately 14,000 years ago. This example is made of horn, probably from a deer. I had already studied it for my degree thesis, but this time I used a different analytical method with 3D scanners viewed through the Sketchfab platform that allows closer observation. Thanks to this technique I was able to analyse the object in detail, in both normal and low light. The technology allowed me to see the different traces left by the manufacturing process that I had previously had to view through a binocular loupe. The cost of this new methodology is clearly affordable for analysing a small number of objects, as in this case.

Technologically, it corresponds to a habitual procedure: obtaining the implement using the groove technique applied with a burin bevel to achieve a horn tongue of a suitable size for making a harpoon. Once the tongue had been fashioned, the shaping of the object began. The technique involved scraping with the edge of a burin to sharpen the ends and create the overall form. The teeth were achieved by re-applying the converging grooving technique combined with a sawing action to make the teeth stand out from the shaft. The last step was to polish the object.

The harpoon has traditionally been considered a fishing implement, but it is also useful for hunting. The teeth are designed to prevent it becoming detached from the prey.