All together now (or not). Change, resistance and resilience in the NW Iberian Peninsula in the Bronze Age-Iron Age transition

Abstract

The interpretation of the archaeological record of the Later Prehistory in the North-west Iberian Peninsula in terms of social and political complexity has witnessed a significant leap in the recent years. As in many other parts of Western Europe, two particular topics have been at the centre of the discussion: The relevance of the notions of social resistance and resilience and the incorporation of a finer-grained view about the different historical trajectories within the region. As is common in archaeological research, the incorporation and/or critical review of the empirical evidence quite often force us to reconsider the existing ideas, and this case is no exception. In recent years, the hypothesis that the transition between the Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age in this region can be interpreted in terms of a reaction against trends towards social division has gained widespread popularity. At the same time, the archaeological record documented has increased exponentially, with contract archaeology having major responsibility for that. This chapter explores to what extent the results of these new forms of archaeological fieldwork are challenging our assumed knowledge. Our aim is to discuss and further refine the initial hypothesis, which will also help to get some insights into the subsequent trajectories of human communities in this region.