As a raw material, ivory has been used to manufacture a wide range of objects, normally associated with sumptuous material culture. In this article we explore the role played by ivory and ivory artefacts among early complex societies, and particularly its importance in the definition of identities among emergent elites. To this end, we make a thorough examination of the evidence from Copper Age Iberia, focusing on the mega-site of Valencina, in southern Spain. This site has provided what to date is the largest assemblage of prehistoric ivory in western Europe, with an estimated total of 8.8 kg, including finely crafted artefacts of unrivalled beauty and sophistication. Our study looks carefully at the technological, morphological and contextual dimensions of Copper Age ivory. As a result, we contend that the broad morphological variability together with the technological uniformity of this assemblage suggest that, while belonging to a common technological tradition, objects were deliberately crafted as unique and unrepeatable so that they could be used to create and maintain socio-cultural idiosyncrasies and ideological legitimation.

中文翻译：

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制作异能。铜器时代伊比利亚的早期社会复杂性、象牙和身份塑造

作为原材料，象牙已被用于制造各种物品，通常与奢华的物质文化有关。在本文中，我们探讨了象牙和象牙制品在早期复杂社会中所起的作用，特别是它在新兴精英身份定义中的重要性。为此，我们对来自伊比利亚铜器时代的证据进行了全面检查，重点关注西班牙南部瓦伦西纳的巨型遗址。该网站提供了迄今为止西欧最大的史前象牙组合，估计总量为 8.8 公斤，其中包括精美绝伦的精美工艺品。我们的研究仔细研究了铜器时代象牙的技术、形态和背景维度。因此，