CONSTRUCTION, USE AND MAINTENANCE OF HEARTHS IN IBERIAN CESETANIA (5TH-3RD CENT. BC): MICROCONTEXTUAL CASE STUDIES

Abstract

We present the study of 19 hearths located in six sites in the territory of ancient Iberian Cesetania, with chronologies between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC. All of them are analysed, firstly, from a macroscopic and morphological perspective (construction techniques, shape, location). Where possible, various methods of microcontextual analysis have also been applied (anthracology, phytoliths and calcitic microremains, micromorphology, FTIR and phosphate analysis). The joint interpretation of the results obtained through the different techniques allows us to study in depth aspects such as the selection of the material and the construction processes of the combustion structures, their use and function, their occasional or repeated use, the fuels burnt, the temperatures reached and the thermal changes they have undergone, and the maintenance and cleaning of their surfaces. This type of interdisciplinary approach with high-resolution analysis is needed to advance in the interpretation of the functioning and use of combustion structures, a fundamental element in the organisation of domestic and social life in protohistoric communities.