The second major Beaker tradition, known as the Bell-Beaker or Maritime Beaker culture, emerges around 2500 BCE, developing from the local culture at Vila Nova de São Pedro (VNSP) in present-day Portugal. It is at this site that the Beaker people adopt copper metallurgy, marking a significant technological advancement.
Despite the culture being named after Vila Nova de São Pedro, its primary archaeological site is the fortified town of Zambujal, located north of modern Lisbon.
The defining feature of this culture is its urban stage, which lasts from approximately 2600 to 1300 BCE. During this period, it exists contemporaneously with the southeastern Spanish civilizations of Los Millares and El Argar, further reflecting the interconnected nature of Chalcolithic societies in the Iberian Peninsula.
