Agrarian Archaeology in Northwestern Iberia: Local Societies: The Off-Site Record

Abstract

Agrarian Archaeology in Northwestern Iberia is devoted to the archaeological study of the societies and agrarian landscapes of Northwestern Iberia in the longue durée. The book brings together, for the first time, the results of some of the main projects carried out in recent decades from off-site records providing a fresh perspective for the understanding of historical landscapes. The papers evaluate the ‘manure hypothesis’ and other variables that have influenced the formation of pottery carpets in several territories of the Ebro and Douro basins. The record is interpreted through critical integration with other historical, ethnographic and archaeological evidence. In thematic terms, the processes of early medieval colonization, the transformation of rural societies between the Roman and medieval periods, the agency of subaltern groups, the transformations of agrarian practices from a social perspective, and the morphology of agrarian landscapes from prehistory to the contemporary age are analysed. In addition, singularities in off-site records in non-Mediterranean spaces are considered. In summary, this volume introduces new topics, concepts and case studies useful for developing a multiproxy agrarian archaeology.