Estructuras de fondo rehundido altomedievales en la Península Ibérica

Abstract

The presence of sunken featured buildings in early medieval contexts is well documented throughout Europe and has been the object of many studies.The urban expansion and further development of commercial archaeology in the Iberian Peninsula has allowed for the recording of a very significant amount of these structures, as almost five hundred samples have been excavated during the last twenty five years.Thanks to this we can now compare the Iberian case to the processes documented elsewhere in Europe.However, the data has not been properly systematized and analysed, something which has dragged the detection and documentation of similar structures and has also given place to interpretative excesses.The main aim of this paper is to carry out a comprehensive analysis of this type of structure building on all the evidence that is currently available, as well as to propose and interpretation of its appearance, and eventual disappearance, in the context of the Early Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula.It is divided in three parts.In the first one, some conceptual considerations regarding a critical review of the different names used for this type of structure will be made, proposing the use of the expression "sunken featured building".The taphonomical processes that might affect this type of structures, sometimes significantly distorting them, will also be considered.In the second part an analysis of all the available empirical evidence is made.For this, three complementary criteria have been chosen: typological, structural and spatial.The analysis demonstrates that the development of this type domestic architecture in the Iberian Peninsula during Early Middle Ages was very diverse.The evidence shows a very marked typological and structural variability in the chaînes opératoires that were followed in their construction.At the same time, it shows that there existed common patterns in their spatial location within the sites.In order to discern the peculiar characteristics of the Iberian case study, some comparisons in a European scale, mainly with study cases from England, France, Italy and Iceland, will be made.Finally, a discussion on the historical context of the appearance and disappearance of this structure will be made, proposing an interpretation related with the gradual development of a peasant mode of production materialized after the disarticulation of roman imperial economy in the fifth century.Some reflections on the interpretations that link the appearance of this type of buildings to the arrival of foreign ethnic groups in the sixth century will also be made. RESUMENLa presencia de estructuras de fondo rehundido en contextos arqueológicos altomedievales está ampliamente documentada en toda Europa y cuenta con una dilatada historiografía.En la Península Ibérica, asociado a la expansión urbanística, se ha podido detectar un conjunto muy significativo de estas estructuras.Sin embargo, la falta de sistematización y análisis ha llevado a algunos problemas en su detección y documentación, así como a excesos conceptuales y de interpretación.En este trabajo se realiza una recopilación analítica de las evidencias de estructuras de fondo rehundido de época altomedieval presentes en la Península Ibérica mostrando su alta complejidad y diversidad.Basado en un análisis de la evidencia disponible, y frente a las tesis etnicistas que las vinculan a la llegada de grupos alóctonos, se propone una interpretación relacionada con el desarrollo de un modo de producción campesino tras la desarticulación de la economía imperial romana.LABURPENA Goi Erdi Aroko testuinguru arkeologikoetan, hondo berrondoratuko egituren presentzia oso dokumentatuta dago Europa osoan eta historiografia zabala du.Iberiar penintsulan, hirigintzaren hedapenari lotuta, egitura horien oso multzo garrantzitsua detektatu ahal izan da.Hala ere, sistematizazioan eta analisietan izandako gabeziak direla-eta, hainbat arazo sortu dira egitura horiek detektatzeko eta dokumentatzeko.Gehiegikeria kontzeptualak eta interpretazioko gehiegikeriak ere egin izan dira.Lan honetan, Iberiar penintsulan presentzia duten Goi Erdi Aroko egituren ebidentzien bilketa analitikoa egin dugu, eta dituen konplexutasuna eta dibertsitatea erakutsi nahi izan ditugu.Eskuragarri dagoen ebidentziaren analisian oinarrituta eta aipatutako egitura horiek talde aloktonoen etorrerarekin lotzen dituzten tesi etnizisten aurka, erromatarren inperioko ekonomia desegin ondoren etorritako nekazaritzako ekoizpen moduaren garapenari lotutako interpretazio bat proposatuko dugu.

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