1 Settlement Patterns in Roman Galicia
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Settlement Patterns in Roman Galicia: Late Iron Age – Second Century AD Jonathan Wynne Rees Thesis submitted in requirement of fulfilments for the degree of Ph.D. in Archaeology, at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London University of London 2012 1 I, Jonathan Wynne Rees confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 2 Abstract This thesis examines the changes which occurred in the cultural landscapes of northwest Iberia, between the end of the Iron Age and the consolidation of the region by both the native elite and imperial authorities during the early Roman empire. As a means to analyse the impact of Roman power on the native peoples of northwest Iberia five study areas in northern Portugal were chosen, which stretch from the mountainous region of Trás-os-Montes near the modern-day Spanish border, moving west to the Tâmega Valley and the Atlantic coastal area. The divergent physical environments, different social practices and political affinities which these diverse regions offer, coupled with differing levels of contact with the Roman world, form the basis for a comparative examination of the area. In seeking to analyse the transformations which took place between the Late pre-Roman Iron Age and the early Roman period historical, archaeological and anthropological approaches from within Iberian academia and beyond were analysed. From these debates, three key questions were formulated, focusing on the Late Iron Age settlement hierarchy, the impact of the administration of early Roman northwest Iberia on settlement patterns, and the relationship between the pre-Roman and Roman-period communication networks In addressing these issues primarily through the medium of landscape analyses, but also incorporating material evidence (from epigraphy sources, ceramic ware as well as other sources), historical and anthropological studies, it was established that the so-called ‘Castro Culture’ of northwest Iberia was not homogeneous, but structured according to diverse socio-political and environmental factors. In the early Roman period, a series of agricultural producers established themselves in fertile areas, resulting in settlement patterns which were located near communication routes and markets. Binding the landscape together were a series of central places, which were often adapted from pre-Roman settlements. Thus, the region’s pre-Roman traditions coupled with different customs introduced by Rome, created a fusion of multiple practices, but from an economic perspective northwest Iberia adopted many of the agricultural systems common in other parts of the Roman empire. 3 List of Contents Chapter One.......................................................................................................... 13 1.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 13 1.2. Outline of Chapters and Structural Development .......................................... 14 1.3. Historical Overview ....................................................................................... 15 1.4. The Study Area .............................................................................................. 18 1.5. Current State of Knowledge: Models and Approaches to the Cultural Sequence of Northwest Iberia ............................................................................... 21 1.5.1. Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age (Ninth Century – Sixth Century BC) ... 23 1.5.2. Early Iron Age - Late Iron Age (Sixth Century BC – Second Century BC) ............................................................................................................................... 25 1.5.3. The Late Iron Age / Roman Period (Second Century BC – First Century BC) ........................................................................................................................ 27 1.5.4. Surplus Production and the Reorganisation of Internal Space in LPRIA (Late Pre-Roman Iron Age) Northwest Iberia ...................................................... 29 1.5.5. Evidence for Settlement Hierarchies in LPRIA Northwest Iberia .............. 31 1.5.6. Republican Rome and the Citânias ............................................................. 35 1.5.7. The Conquest of Northwest Iberia and the Emergence of the Civitas ........ 41 1.5.8. The Roman State and the Conventus Capitals ............................................ 42 1.5.9. The Road Network and Roman Settlements ............................................... 44 1.5.10. The Demise of the Castro ......................................................................... 45 1.5.11. The Emergence of Villae in the Landscape of Northwest Iberia .............. 45 1.6. Aims ............................................................................................................... 46 Chapter Two. Theoretical Background of the Cultural Sequence of Northwest Iberia ..................................................................................................................... 49 2.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 49 2.2. Theoretical Background to Research Question One ...................................... 49 2.2.1. The Theoretical Standpoints Underpinning the Discussion of the Role of Surplus Production in LPRIA Northwest Iberia ................................................... 50 2.2.2. Critiques of the Models of Late Pre-Roman Society in Northwest Iberia Advanced by Parcero Oubiña and Sastre Prats ..................................................... 53 4 2.2.2.1. Sastre Prats’ Use of Clastre’s Theory of Egalitarian Societies ................ 54 2.2.2.2. Isolationism during the Late Iron Age? ................................................... 56 2.2.2.3. Surplus Production in Iron Age Northwest Iberia? .................................. 57 2.2.2.4. Evidence of a Warrior Elite and Social Inequality in Iron Age Northwest Iberia?.................................................................................................................... 59 2.2.2.5. Weaponry in Late Iron Age Northwest Iberia ......................................... 60 2.2.2.6. Summary and List of Objectives for Research Question One..................62 2.3. Theoretical Background to Research Question Two......................................64 2.3.1. The Demise of Castro Society and the Development of Roman Systems of Authority...............................................................................................................64 2.3.2. ‘Romanisation’. A Defunct Paradigm or a Valuable Contribution to Roman Studies? ................................................................................................................. 65 2.3.3. New Approaches to the Interaction of Rome and Peripheral Cultures ....... 68 2.3.4. The Emergence of Specialised Activities within Castro Settlements.........70 2.3.4.1. The Archaeological Evidence Underpinning the Development of Early Roman Centres of Power.......................................................................................72 2.3.4.2. Summary and List of Objectives for Research Question Two.................74 2.4. Theoretical Background to Question Three ................................................... 75 2.4.1. Problems and Limitations of Current Interpretations of the Communication Systems in Northwest Iberia during the Late Iron Age ........................................ 76 2.4.2. Connectivity and Change. Early Roman Communication Networks..........78 2.4.2.1. The Role of the Communications Network and the Importance of Trade in the Early Roman Empire ................................................................................... 79 2.4.2.2. Commerce, Communications and Connectivity in the Early Imperial Era.........................................................................................................................83 2.5. Summary ....................................................................................................... 86 Chapter Three. An Overview of the Five Study Areas ......................................... 88 3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 88 3.2. A General Analysis of Northern Portugal and the Study Areas Examined in this Thesis ............................................................................................................. 88 3.3. The Physical Environment of Northwest Iberia ............................................. 89 3.4. The Human Landscapes, Past and Present: Settlement Patterns, Movement and Communications............................................................................................. 91 3.5. The Derivation of the Dataset and its Application for Regional Survey Analysis ................................................................................................................. 93 3.5.1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 93 3.5.2. An Introduction to the Dataset .................................................................... 93 3.5.3. An Evaluation of the Dataset and Comparative Regional Settlement Analysis ................................................................................................................. 95 5 3.6. A