The footprint of the stone: Identification and GIS-based analysis of Iron Age hillforts in the Upper Ebro region

29th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA)

Belfast. Irlanda
Congreso. 2023

This proposal steams from my current Ph.D. project, which aims to study the historical sequence of the Iron Age (8th - 2nd c. BC) in the Upper Ebro from a Landscape Archaeology perspective.

Large areas within the study zone -province of La Rioja and part of the provinces of Soria, Burgos, Navarre, Araba and Zaragoza- are characterized by the fragmentation and scarcity of archaeological information, as well as the absence of studies that relate the sites to each other and to their surroundings. Being conscious the biased archaeological record, I argue that an approach from the perspective of Landscape Archaeology and the use of non-invasive methods, is promising to produce a broad-scale temporal and spatial interpretation of the social dynamics of this period.

The work I will display will include showing how the use of remote sensing products (LiDAR), has been instrumental in the identification of defensive structures of the sites catalogued as Iron Age hillforts. In addition, and based on the scholarship of Parcero-Oubiña and Nión-Álvarez (2021), this work aims to establish quantitative variables through GIS-based methods to identify spatial dynamics reflected in their construction: extension of settlement area, percentage of total area occupied by defensive structures, and the amount of effort invested.

Results from the present study will illustrate the potential that non-invasive methodologies and GIS have for the reconstruction and modelling of past landscapes, as well as the importance of Landscape Archaeology for the interpretation of social and cultural patterns. Besides, this study will show how the use of remote sensing data is essential for proposing new perspectives on the study and management of the archaeological record in the area.

Bibliography:

Parcero-Oubiña, C., Nión-Álvarez, S. (2021). Forms of settlement inequality over space. A GIS-based method for measuring differences among settlements. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 35.

Hillforts. Landscape Archaeology. Iron Age. Upper Ebro. GIS.