IBEARTH · Architectures of earth during the transition to the Iron Age in Iberia (2nd–1st Millennium BC): Technologies, Traditions and Knowledge Transmission

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Project objective

IBEARTH explores how earthen architecture, particularly mudbrick construction, became a powerful marker of social transformation during the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age (c. 1200–400 BC) in inland Iberia. This pivotal moment witnessed the emergence of new architectural forms, the spread of technological innovations, and the consolidation of peasant communities in the Western Mediterranean. By focusing on the Douro and Mid–Upper Ebro basins, the project investigates how the introduction of mould-shaped mudbricks, the appearance of painted walls, and the persistence of earlier techniques reveal intertwined processes of innovation, adaptation, and cultural interaction.Through a multi-scalar and interdisciplinary approach, IBEARTH integrates cutting-edge archaeometric analyses—ceramic petrography, micromorphology, phytolith analysis, and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA)—with archaeological and ethnographic perspectives to illuminate how construction knowledge circulated, how labour was organised, and how architecture embodied social choices, framed within the chaîne opératoire theoretical approach. Rather than treating buildings as mere shelters, the project conceives them as cultural artefacts with biographies of their own, encoding memory, identity, and collective practices.By delivering the first comprehensive study of earthen architecture in inland Iberia, IBEARTH will establish a transferable analytical framework for prehistoric and protohistoric buildings. Its outcomes will advance key debates on technological transfer, hybridisation, and resilience, while also promoting inclusive narratives that challenge conventional assumptions about gender roles and labour in ancient building practices.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• OESTERREICHISCHE AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN · WienCoordinatorAustria
• AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridSpain

Links

• View on CORDIS
• DOI: 10.3030/101269726