All together now (or not): change, resistance, resilience in the NW Iberian Peninsula between the Bronze Age-Iron Age

The interpretation of the archaeological record of the Later Prehistory in the north-western Iberian Peninsula in terms of social and political complexity has witnessed a significant leap in the recent years. As has been the case in many other parts of Western Europe, two particular topics (among others) have been at the centre of the discussion: on the one hand, the relevance of the notions of social resistance and resilience as a key factor to understand the trajectories of the social groups in the area. On the other hand, the incorporation of a finer grained view about the different historical trajectories within the region.

In this paper we will explore these two issues together. Drawing on the hypothesis that the transition between the Later Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age can be interpreted in terms of a reaction against trends towards social division, we will explore to what extent this was a general process within the region. To do that, we will explore the extent to which the archaeological evidence used to propose that idea can be equally found in the whole area of the north-western Iberian Peninsula at the same, or similar, time. We will focus on temporal and regional variability in some dimensions of the archaeological record: circulation and deposition of metal objects, the emergence of settlement fortification, long-distance trade, and architectural structure of settlements. Our aim is to discuss and further refine the initial hypothesis and to possibly get some insights into the subsequent trajectories of human communities in this region.