The end of Iron Age societies in northwestern Iberia. Egalitarianism, heterarchy and hierarchy in contexts of interaction

Abstract

This chapter deals with the archaeological record relating to the initial phase of Roman domination and considers how ancient societies constructed space throughout time. It shows why the heterarchical approach is highly inspiring for understanding the Late Iron Age record, which is marked by intercultural interactions with Romans under imperial expansion. Carole Crumley is one of the most influential researchers in the renewal of European Iron Age studies. Crumley’s work came at a moment of great dynamism in the study of the European Iron Age when social formations were first being analyzed using decentralization models. Heterarchical Atlantic Iron Age societies are then characterized by their existence in a highly changing environment, the flexible negotiation of power relations and democracy. The logic of the spatial model of earlier small castros in the Iron Age landscapes of Northwestern Iberia entails an equilibrium which makes control over production and over settlement growth possible.