This paper presents the results of a multisystem survey using magnetometry and dual frequency ground-penetrating radar (GPR) carried out at the Iron Age Iberian site of El Molí d'Espígol, Tornabous, Catalonia, dated from the seventh to third centuries bce. The surroundings of the current urban area were explored with magnetometry in order to describe possible features related to the settlement. In the non-excavated part of the urban area was surveyed by GPR in order to describe the urban mesh. The interpretation of the data has allowed not only the identification of new areas of archaeological interest and priority action, but also the proposal of a new hypotheses on the evolution of the town planning and the defensive system of the site.
Landscape plays a vital role in the development of military campaigns through the definition of geostrategic landmarks that structure the control of the territory, the imposition of constraints to the movement of armies and the identification of features that facilitate defence against attackers. These factors are linked to the study of past spatial mobility which is typically done by finding optimal pathways between pairs of points using Least-Cost Path analysis. This emphasis on optimality may not be ideal for case studies that need a general approach to spatial connectivity such as the study of conflict-related dynamics. Connectivity modelling based on Circuit Theory (CT) is an alternative approach to spatial mobility that captures the connectivity of an entire region identifying not only optimal paths but also bottlenecks, dead-ends and any other spatial feature that may impact movement. We present here a framework to study landscapes of conflict using connectivity modelling; the framework combines CT, visibility analysis and statistical hypothesis testing to understand the reasons behind the assault and destruction of Puig Ciutat (NE Iberian Peninsula) during Julius Caesar’s civil war. Results suggest that the site exerted decisive control over a highly connected area linking two possible logistical bases (Emporion and Massalia) to the armies fighting at Ilerda (49 BC).
his paper presents the results of the investigations carried out from 2009 to 2013 in the multi-period archaeological site of La Dou (Sant Esteve d'en Bas, Girona, Catalonia). he authors expose the strategy applied to create the surveys and results of the excavations conducted to verify and date the detected features. he site was discovered in 2005 in a rescue excavation due to the building of a road, revealing a group of iring pits and other stratigraphic remains of a rare Neolithic, open-air settlement, dated from the 5 th millennium BC. In 2009, a team of archaeologists from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) created a project to expand the investigations to the cultivation ields surrounding the irst indings. A magnetic survey was used to locate new archaeological remains and delimit the possible extents of the site. he results revealed a complex magnetic map that included several groups of anomalies interpreted as possible archaeological remains in an area of circa 2.4 ha. he attention of the team was then focused on a possible ditch detected in the survey and that was partially excavated. he excavation results and the C14 analysis expanded the chronology of the site until the Bronze Age, revealing an uncommon settlement that is still the object of investigations.
Résumé : Cet article présente les résultats de la recherche menée entre 2009 et 2013 sur le site archéologique multi-période de La Dou (Sant Esteve d'en Bas, Girona, Catalogne). Les auteurs exposent la stratégie d'exploration appliquée et les résultats des fouilles menées pour vériier et dater les structures détectées. Le site a été découvert en 2005 lors de fouilles préventives réalisées en raison de la construction d'une route. Elles ont révélé un groupe de structures de combustion et d'autres vestiges stratigraphiques d'un siteNéolithique daté du 5 e millénaire avant notre ère. En 2009, une équipe d'archéologues de l'Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) a créé un projet visant à étendre la recherche aux champs entourant les premières structures découvertes. Une prospection magnétique a été réalisée ain de localiser de nouveaux vestiges archéologiques et de délimiter l'étendue du site. Les résultats ont révélé une carte magnétique complexe qui comprend plusieurs groupes d'anomalies interprétées comme de possibles vestiges archéologiques dispersés sur une étendue d'environ 2,4 ha hectares. L'attention de l'équipe a été portée sur une structure interprétée comme un possible fossé et partiellement fouillée. Les résultats des fouilles et des datations au carbone 14 ont permis d'élargir la chronologie du site à l'Âge du bronze et de révéler un établissement humain rare faisant toujours l'objet de recherches.
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