Urban landscapes in Iron Age Iberia : New Approaches for a Comparative Anatomy

Urban Landscapes in Iron Age Iberia provides an up-to-date synthesis on the urbanism of Iron Age hillforts and oppida of Iberia. The emergence of large and complex fortified settlements is a characteristic phenomenon of the period between the Late Iron Age and the expansion of the Roman Empire (4th–1st centuries BC) in extensive areas of Central and Western Europe. In this geographical context the Iberian Peninsula has a key position between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. A vast Spanish and Portuguese scientific literature has revealed a very diverse scenario with different paths for the development of complex urbanism, in some cases presenting clear alternatives to the Mediterranean models introduced by Phoenician-Punic, Greek, and Roman influence. The book integrates a series of novel contributions from across Iberian archaeology, with an explicit examination of urban structures using a rigorous multidisciplinary approach. Together they demonstrate the potential value and relevance of archaeological data for Urbanization Studies.