Bell Beaker vessels from Ciempozuelos

Bell Beaker pottery, so called because of the bell shape of its characteristic vessels, was a trend that developed in Central and Western Europe during the transition between Chalcolithic period and the Bronze Age. These objects are important because they are linked to the emergence of the first social hierarchies. These three vessels, in particular, come from excavations in one of the first known necropolises of this period and have given renown to a regional style of Bell Beaker pottery that frecuently appeared in groups made up of three different vessels, often richly decorated and highlighted using a white-coloured filler. Bell beakers did not just have a funerary use. They were also used in banquets, probably in a competitive way. The large vessels appear to have been used to hold alcoholic drinks, such as beer. The widest and shortest ones, called ‘pots’, would have been used to hold food, while bowls would be used for individual consumption of both food and drink.