The Penumbra of Castro Archaeology: Evidence and Questions

Summary

The archaeology and socio-cultural practices of Iron Age hilltop fortified settlements (castros) in Northwest Portugal and Galicia present usual and unusual specific problems. From the recognition of the uniqueness of castro cultural practices in the late nineteenth century to the last decades of the twentieth century, castro archaeology has suffered from the inadequate methodologies of earlier excavations, poor temporal controls, a parochial stance toward entertaining unanswered questions, and from the overall absence of burial contexts. These factors have often resulted in broad-stroke analyses that normalize castro cultural practices. This paper will discuss what is actually known about castro practices in littoral Portugal on the basis of recent evidence, and examine issues and evidence the archaeological excavations at the Cividade de Bagunte have uncovered.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20068