The 3rd millennium BC in Occidental Europe and Northern Africa is marked by the appearance of a very specific type of ceramic: the bell beaker. As its name indicates, these beakers have the shape of inverted bells, and were decorated with various geometric patterns. They are found in well-defined natural and cultural contexts. Archaeologists, however, know from previous studies that there is no centralized production site for these ceramics. They do not reflect an economic network or a single group of people.