Your house is not my house: defining two forms of social organization in Northwest Iberia Late Iron Age, Spain (4th-1st centuries BC). An approach from the domestic record

The following paper presents an approach to the social aspects of the Iron Age in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula through the study of their households. An archaeological review of strategies for structuring the domestic space is proposed, to analyze the social dynamics in which it is embedded. An analysis of different characteristics of domestic spaces is proposed, exploring a social analysis based on the study of household and kinship relations, studying their internal structure, morphology, the archaeological record, or integration in the constructive planning of the settlement. According to the current state of NW Iberia Iron Age research, these data were used to assess the existence of two apparently different social dynamics identified in the study area. Therefore, results are presented according to these two areas, to verify the extent to which they are reflected in the structuring of the domestic space. Finally, the results are synthesized, to define some of the main characteristics of each domestic space, as well as to assess its value as a representative element of the social dynamics of the territory.

Automated summary

The paper focuses on the social aspects of the Iron Age in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula through the study of households. It proposes an archaeological review of strategies for structuring domestic spaces to analyze the social dynamics within them. By analyzing different characteristics of domestic spaces, it explores a social analysis based on household and kinship relations, examining their internal structure, morphology, archaeological record, and integration in settlement planning. The research uses these data to evaluate two distinct social dynamics in the study area and presents results accordingly to assess their reflection in the structuring of domestic spaces. Finally, the paper synthesizes the results to define key characteristics of each domestic space and assess their significance as representative elements of territorial social dynamics.