After the fire: the end of a house life-cycle at the Iron Age site of Nabás (North-western Iberia)

Abstract

The existence of a fire event at the Iron Age hillfort of Nabás, which is located on the southern bank of the Ría de Vigo (Galicia, NW of the Iberian Peninsula), favoured an extraordinary preservation of carbonised plant remains and offered an unusual opportunity to focus our research on the study of the final episode of a house life-cycle.The archaeobotanical approach focused on perishable materials combining charcoal, with carpology and pollen analysis, in tandem with a taphonomic assessment. The charcoal assemblage includes charcoal without signs of working, and wooden manufactures although the former group was probably related to the roof and timber of the roundhouse. This interpretation is based on the size and concentration of charcoal fragments, as well as the short taxonomic list (deciduous and evergreen Quercus sp., Fabaceae, Corylus avellana, Rosaceae/Maloideae, Salix/Populus, Alnus sp., Frangula alnus, Betula sp., Phragmites/Arundo and Ulmus sp.), and the recurrence of biological alterations such as xylophages' galleries and hyphae. Aggregated grains and chaff of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) were found in several samples suggesting their storage, probably inside an organic container. Finally, pollen analysis offered clues about the uses of plants such as Ericaceae during the occupation phase of the round-house.

Shared technologies for pottery and acorns processing? Multidisciplinary and functional approach to modular kilns

“…Only from the Roman period onwards did it frequently reach the northern regions and local production is likely (Teira-Brión 2022). We have documented pollen in a few archaeological sites (Martín-Seijo et al 2020) and natural deposits (Silva-Sánchez et al 2014), and the use of its wood and charred endocarps is, in the current state of art, limited to settlements located in the Sabor river basin (Portugal) from the 2nd century BCE onwards (Seabra et al 2020;Tereso et al 2018;Vaz et al 2016). The processing of olives (or any other fruit) together with a heat source such as ovens would have allowed the preservation of remains resulting from accidental charring or as part of waste disposal, as has been found in other sites in the Iberian Peninsula (e.g., Voropaeva and Stika 2018).…”

The High Potential of Micro-Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Identification of Archaeological Reeds: The Case Study of Tutankhamun

“…Unlike wood, whose diagnostic features are observed along three anatomical sections (transverse/cross, tangential, and radial), reed stem identification is performed by solely observing the cross-section [21]. This is typically performed via optical microscopy (e.g., [21]), although scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can also be used (e.g., [22]). Anatomical differences between Arundo donax and Phragmites australis stem anatomy are slight [22].…”

“…This is typically performed via optical microscopy (e.g., [21]), although scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can also be used (e.g., [22]). Anatomical differences between Arundo donax and Phragmites australis stem anatomy are slight [22]. For this reason, discerning between the two in archaeological contexts is problematic (e.g., [23,24]).…”

Destruido por el fuego, conservado a lo largo del tiempo: cultivos y madera de una estructura de la Edad del Bronce Final / Primera Edad del Hierro en Vila do Touro (Sabugal, Portugal)

“…Figueiral 1990) and to a lesser extent in the Medi-terranean areas in Eastern Portugal (Figueiral 2008;Figueiral and Sanches 2013). Efforts in these two regions have been reinforced recently (Tereso 2009;Martín-Seijo 2013;Vaz et al 2016Vaz et al , 2017Martín-Seijo et al 2017a, 2017b and the latest studies also include new approaches, by acquiring and interpreting dendrological and taphonomic data (Martín-Seijo et al 2020). Together with a large array of palynological studies (e.g.…”