Reassembling the Iberians : rain, road, coins, crops and settlement in central Hispania Citerior, 206-27 B.C
This thesis investigates Iberian communities in central Hispania Citerior during the Roman Republic. I demonstrate the usefulness of an actor-network approach for understanding a topic characterised by scarce archaeological datasets. This approach is not intended to create a new narrative for Roman Provincial Studies but instead allows us to ask new questions: what was at stake for these communities? What was of interest to the Iberians? How did things happen? Iberians lived primarily in small, often fortified settlements in elevated locations, although some larger settlements are known and during the Republic many sites were abandoned for new locations on flatter ground. I find that throughout the period settlements were often clustered, creating communities distributed in small groups of sites. These Iberian groups grew versatile staple crops in a variety of locations but may have tailored additional crops to regional environmental conditions. I consider the potential for collaboration in the autumn ploughing and conclude that any such collaboration must have relied on dense and wide relationships given changing patterns of variability in rainfall. I show differences within coin circulation that suggest
Naylor, Benjamin Walden
Actor-network theory ; Roman Republic ; Roman provinces ; Hispania Citerior ; Settlement patterns ; Communities ; Agriculture ; Ploughing ; Numismatics ; Roads
Reassembling the Iberians : rain, road, coins, crops and settlement in central Hispania Citerior, 206-27 B.C. This thesis investigates Iberian communities in central Hispania Citerior during the Roman Republic. I demonstrate the usefulness of an actor-network approach for understanding a topic characterised by scarce archaeological datasets. This approach is not intended to create a new narrative for Roman Provincial Studies but instead allows us to ask new questions: what was at stake for these communities? What was of interest to the Iberians? How did things happen? Iberians lived primarily in small, often fortified settlements in elevated locations, although some larger settlements are known and during the Republic many sites were abandoned for new locations on flatter ground. I find that throughout the period settlements were often clustered, creating communities distributed in small groups of sites. These Iberian groups grew versatile staple crops in a variety of locations but may have tailored additional crops to regional environmental conditions. I consider the potential for collaboration in the autumn ploughing and conclude that any such collaboration must have relied on dense and wide relationships given changing patterns of variability in rainfall. I show differences within coin circulation that suggest
rain road coin crop settlement central investigate iberian community central roman_republic usefulness actor_network topic characterise scarce archaeological datasets intend create_new narrative roman provincial studies instead allow ask new question stake community interest thing happen live primarily small often fortified settlement elevate location although large settlement know republic many site abandon new location ground throughout_period settlement often cluster create community distribute small_group site iberian group grow versatile staple crop variety location may tailor additional crop regional environmental_condition consider potential collaboration plough conclude collaboration must rely dense wide relationship give change pattern variability rainfall show difference within coin circulation suggest