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Aerial view of the oppidum of San Cibrán de Las following the excavation campaign in 2011. The western sector is in the foreground and the enclosed acropolis in the centre (authors)
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Zusammenfassung
Neue Forschungen stellen die traditionelle Datierung der Oppida auf der nordwestlichen Iberischen Halbinsel während der römischen Zeit in Frage. Es zeigt sich, dass zahlreiche dieser Plätze schon im späten 2. und 1. Jh. v. Chr. entstanden. Das Oppidum von San Cibrán de Las kann für diese Diskussion eine Schlüsselrolle einnehmen. Die...
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... in the northwest Iberian Peninsula. The sys tematic excavation of nearly 14,000 square metres of the oppidum led to the discovery that the first elements built were the defences, the perfectly differentiated acropolis, and the radial streets. In other words, the urban layout complied with a preconceived design from the moment of its foundation (Fig. 4). The site is dominated by the large, walled area that rises on the highest point over the centre of the oppidum, the socalled acropolis or croa ("crown" in Galician)13. The acropolis covers approximately one hectare, which is equivalent in size to many of the smaller hillforts. Being surrounded by a rampart, the space is pro tected ...
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... The compartmentalisation of a set-tlement into neighbourhoods or districts may be due to a wide range of social and political factors (Marcus 2009;Blanton andFargher 2011), andSmith (2010: 144) has proposed a useful classification suggesting that the case of Elviña is less an organic aggregation resulting from gradual neighbourhood development than a 'top-down process' facilitated by targeted planning. The first terrace of occupation in Elviña (Figure 9) supports this interpretation particularly well; it may also be compared to similar features recorded in other large fortified settlements in northwest Iberia, such as San Cibrao de Lás (Álvarez González et al. 2018). ...
This paper presents a study of Iron Age (IA) societies through the analysis of architecture and built space. The approach is focused on a small area in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, and constructs a small-scale narrative that seeks to identify different social dynamics concerning the onset, development and decline of the fortified habitat (between the ninth and first centuries BC). Three main spheres of human habitation are assessed: the environment of the household, the construction of collective and non-domestic buildings and the development of settlement planning. The main characteristics of these spheres are discussed and summarised, and they are understood as part of the same dynamic that reflects how the IA communities of northwest Iberia were structured. The main objective of the paper is to employ this methodology to study social dynamics at different scales and thus build a multi-scale historical and archaeological narrative about the development of heterogeneous processes in IA societies.
... In this way, religion and ideological mechanisms could have spurred more complex forms of social organisation and provided elements of cohesion in the process of social aggregation, enabling the construction of collective identities and the strengthening of social ties (Fernández-Götz et al. 2014;Álvarez González et al. 2018;Fernández-Götz 2018). For instance, the inner acropolis enclosure of the oppidum of San Cibrán de Las (Ourense, Spain) seems to have been a place of special religious and symbolic significance, where several sculptures of deities and religious inscriptions have been recovered. ...
In the ancient region of southern Callaecia (mainly consisting of northern Portugal
and southern Galicia), early Roman-native contacts were established from the 2nd
century BC onwards, triggering the emergence of oppida. The increasing centralisation
of power in Iron Age society in the period between the campaign of Decimus Junius
Brutus (138–136 BC) and Augustus’ conquest of north-west Iberia (19 BC) resulted in
the creation of a ‘tribal zone’ in southern Callaecia, depending both on native and
on Roman agency. This laid the foundations for conquest and subsequent Roman
provincial administration.
Our understanding of the nature of these early cultural contacts between Romans
and indigenous communities in north-western Iberia is still very fragmented and
biased towards the information offered by Latin written sources. This paper aims
to review the main relevant archaeological and historical information from recent
research in the ancient region of southern Callaecia.
... San Cibrán presenta una arquitectura pétrea y se configura en dos recintos principales concéntricos, cada uno de ellos rodeado por una muralla (Fig. 1). El primero (R1 en adelante), situado en la parte más alta ("croa" en gallego) y sin evidencias de estructuras habitacionales, ha sido interpretado como un espacio de uso comunitario, simbólico y ritual (Bernardo y García-Quintela 2008;Álvarez et al. 2009;García-Quintela et al. 2014;Álvarez et al. 2017a, 2017b, argumento que descansa, entre otras evidencias (Álvarez et al. 2009), en la existencia de inscripciones dedicadas a deidades locales o restos de prácticas rituales ancestrales y anteriores a la construcción del poblado (Álvarez et al. 2017a, 2017b). El segundo recinto (R2 en adelante) tiene una gran densidad de estructuras habitacionales complejas, que incluyen viviendas, graneros y patios. ...
Este trabajo discute la simulación como estrategia de análisis espacial en Arqueología. A partir del uso combinado de tecnologías geoespaciales, se propone el estudio, a gran escala, de la estructura visual de un sitio arqueológico. La propuesta se desarrolla en el oppidum de San Cibrán de Las (Ourense), en donde se analiza la permeabilidad visual de su estructura en el paisaje. La metodología desarrollada usa distintos recursos para entender cómo la construcción del poblado pudo condicionar la percepción visual desde dentro y desde fuera. Mediante la manipulación de un modelo digital del terreno (MDT) se construyen distintos escenarios que son analizados a partir de cálculos sistemáticos de visibilidad. Los resultados se orientan a la interpretación de la visibilidad y ocultación de la acción social en los distintos espacios del poblado durante la Edad del Hierro.
... In this manner the streets defined insulae where the dwellings were located. As discussed below, sometimes one or more roads were especially wide, and these connected the gates to a central, upper enclosure where assemblies or religious practices were performed (Fig. 8.16A-C) (González Ruibal 20062008, 922-23;Parcero and others 2007, 224-31;Álvarez González and others 2017). In some cases, communal buildings have been discovered, which could constitute the seat of the assemblies, such as the 'Council House' -a large circular hut with a continuous bench -found in Briteiros (Guimarães, Braga, Portugal) (González Ruibal 2008, 923;Sande Lemos and others 2011, 193). ...
... The space in the first enclosure of Sanfins would also have been used for ritual purposes. Sculptures of divinities, votive inscriptions to indigenous and Roman gods, and architectural decorations (triskelia or severed heads) frequently appear in these places (González Ruibal 2004a;2008, 922-23;Álvarez González and others 2017). There is another type of ritual structure inside the oppida of the north-west: the saunas. ...
During the Late Iron Age two processes developed in Iberia: a process of growing demography and a trend towards nucleated settlements. Both processes ended in the appearance of large fortified settlements (oppida), well known through archaeology and written sources. As in other areas of Europe, there were probably substantial differences between settlements, in terms of geographical setting, size, form, and function. In the end, the first cases of urbanization at the end of the Iron Age are presented as changing and multi-faceted entities in space and time, with similarities and unique characteristics. We discuss this process and the insights we can glean from it. Two worlds, the Mediterranean in the east and south and the Atlantic in north and west, had contacts through inland territories and navigations. The exploration of the relationships between oppida, demography, social organization, and urbanization is considered in this paper
... También en la cerámica de producción local, que registra un importante incremento en la variabilidad y el desarrollo de algunas formas y decoraciones excepcionalmente ricas, complejas y visibles, en contraste con una mayoría de recipientes más simples (Seoane Novo 2018). Pero también en la metalurgia, con un nuevo progresivo desarrollo de la orfebrería, siempre en forma de objetos de uso personal (torques y pendientes son típicos y ampliamente distribuidos).Varias de las características del registro anterior se mantienen, o se hacen más generalizadas y visibles, pero también se documenta una importante novedad: el desarrollo de grandes asentamientos que, aunque a una escala menor que en otras partes de Europa, se han asimilado al modelo de oppidum(González-Ruibal 2006, Álvarez González et al. 2018. Estos conviven con un poblamiento que sigue siendo en gran medida el de pequeños castros semejantes a los anteriores. ...
Este trabajo trata sobre el desarrollo de la complejidad y la desigualdad social en la Prehistoria del Noroeste de la Península Ibérica (Galicia) entre el Neolítico medio y el fin de la Edad del Hierro, aproximadamente entre el entre 4500 BC y el cambio de era. En vez de entender la emergencia y extensión de las sociedades complejas como el resultado de una evolución lineal e inevitable, se centra en las resistencias, rechazos y en las estrategias comunitarias que procuraron abortar o reducir la explotación y la desigualdad. Basándonos en aproximaciones de la antropología anarquista (principalmente en el trabajo de Pierre Clastres), proponemos aplicar una visión alternativa que entiende el desarrollo de las sociedades complejas como el resultado de estrategias que adoptaron los grupos sociales para resistir la división social y su generalización facilitada por las transformaciones de las economías productoras (principalmente en la capacidad de producción de excedentes) o por la emulación de lo que ocurría a nivel global en las regiones Atlánticas de Europa. Nuestra narrativa alternativa se centra en las huellas materiales del registro arqueológico y, en particular, en cómo diferentes procesos de materialización, como el desarrollo de la monumentalidad o la amortización de metales, pueden tener un papel activo, al menos en ciertos contextos, para desarrollar estrategias contra la división social. Aunque nos basamos principalmente en evidencias del NW ibérico, el examen de las dinámicas de la prehistoria reciente entre el V y I milenios a.C. permite esbozar un modelo teórico que se puede aplicar a estudios de caso de otras partes del mundo y, de hecho, inspirar lecturas alternativas de la prehistoria.
The following paper presents an analysis of the term ‘ oppidum ’, discussing its value for understanding social complexity in Iron Age Europe. Throughout this paper, the most relevant debates regarding the oppida and their value are synthesized from a semiotic point of view. Key features such as urban planning, social hierarchies and political centralization are analysed to frame research in terms of Iron Age mentalities and cultural diversity. Accordingly, the ‘ oppidum ’ is assessed as a conceptual tool, weighing its appropriateness as a wide‐ranging concept in the European Iron Age. Several criteria, such as urban planning, the role of memory or religion, and the creation of large public and assembly places, among others, are explored as proxies of social legitimation. These key aspects aim to define some traits to set the oppidum as a useful and organic archaeological term without undermining cultural specificities.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of the metalworker in the northwest Iberian Iron Age. By adopting a holistic and diachronic perspective, a broad review of the influence of metalworking and its agents on the social structuring of the communities of the Atlantic seaboard is presented. With the aim of exploring the implications of metallurgy and the blacksmith's activity, a new perspective of metalworking is suggested. Thus, an exploration of perspectives beyond the technical aspects will be addressed, considering the ‘technological dimension’ as part of all the elements that define this activity. The objective of the work is to present a narrative that allows analysis of the role of the metalworker throughout different historical periods, focusing on the social, technical and symbolic dynamics that have shaped its development.
Food preservation is fundamental to the economy of ancient societies founded on seasonal agriculture. The aim of this paper is to analyse silo storage practices at settlements of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The reality of this type of storage throughout these periods varied from region to region. Furthermore, storage capacity, an aspect essential to this topic, underwent important changes over time. The current analysis specifically identifies, describes and compares silos from each chronological period. The collection of a wide range of data enabled carrying out an analysis of silo variables such as morphology, volumetric capacity, geological substrates and spatial distribution both at the level of settlements and throughout the study area in general. In addition, the wide timeframe allowed carrying out a diachronic assessment.
Storage of agricultural products is a key factor in understanding social and economic aspects of ancient communities. Hence this study focuses on the role of storage not only from the perspective of agricultural models, but from those of livestock. The current paper goes even further and explores the existing theories of storage in the framework of social and territorial organisation. The findings offer an important argument bolstering the notion of an increase of the capacity of agricultural productivity in the framework of an expanding land management with construction of the silos taking on shapes differing from those of previous periods. Both characteristics define the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age communities.
