- University of Santiago de Compostela, Historia I, Department Memberadd
- History, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological GIS, Early Medieval And Medieval Settlement (Archaeology), Church Archaeology, Rural Settlement, and 21 moreEarly Medieval History, Late Antiquity, Visigothic Spain, Medieval Iberian History, Power and Authority in the Middle Ages, Early Medieval Monasticism, Medieval Archaeology, EMCHAHE, Late Antique Archaeology, Early Christian Archaeology, Archeologia medievale, Galician Studies, Early Medieval Archaeology, Arqueología De La Arquitectura, Late Roman Archaeology, Archaeology of Architecture, Medieval History, Early Christianity, Castles, Medieval Studies, and Archaeologyedit
- My educational background is History , specifically Medieval History ("licenciado" at University of Santiago, Spain, ... moreMy educational background is History , specifically Medieval History ("licenciado" at University of Santiago, Spain, 2002). But I was soon interested in Archaeology (MA in Medieval Archaeology, University of Siena, Italy, 2004 and 2 years as a predoctoral fellow at the Spanish School of History and Archaeology at Rome), and in integrated approaches between material and textual sources in order to understand social dynamics in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages.
This is the perspective that I set up for my PhD thesis (University of Santiago, 2008), which focused on settlements and territorial organization in Galicia (Northwest Spain) between Antiquity and Central Middle Ages, bringing together archaeological, documentary and place-names sources through a wide and diachronical perspective.
Between 2009 and 2014 I have been a post-doc researcher in the Institute of Archaeology (UCL, London), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Galician Regional Gobernment, working on rural churches and their social and political meanings in Early Medieval landscapes, under the supervision of Prof. Andrew Reynolds.
Between 2013 and 2017 I led a 4 years Marie Curie Career Integration Grant project entitled "Early Medieval Churches: History, Archaeology and Heritage" (EMCHAHE) at the University of Santiago de Compostela. This project aimed to study the archaeological and documentary evidence of early medieval ecclesiastical builidings in NW Spain.
From April 2015 I am Ramon y Cajal Tenure Track Researcher at the Area of Archaeology of the University of Santiago de Compostela.
From 2016 I am leading a research project funded by Galician Regional Gobernment on monastic landscapes in South Europe, which explores the impact of monasteries in their surrounding spaces combining paleoenvironmental, archaeological and historical approaches.
I am interested in setting up comparative approaches on the relations created between elites and church foundations. I am also interested in early medieval relationships in West Atlantic Europe and the degrees of political articulation by means of the study of fortifications in medieval landscapes.edit
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RESUMEN Este artículo tiene como objetivo profundizar en el conocimiento arqueológico de las técnicas constructivas altomedievales del noroeste peninsular, y la dimensión social en las que éstas se enmarcan, a través del estudio... more
RESUMEN Este artículo tiene como objetivo profundizar en el conocimiento arqueológico de las técnicas constructivas altomedievales del noroeste peninsular, y la dimensión social en las que éstas se enmarcan, a través del estudio comparativo de tres iglesias de la actual provincia de Ourense: Santa Eufemia de Ambía, San Xés de Francelos y San Martiño de Pazó. Para ello, partimos de un trabajo extensivo previo en el que se realizó una prospección arqueológica para documentar posibles restos de iglesias altomedievales. Se seleccionaron, entre otras, estas tres iglesias y se hizo una lectura veloz de sus paramentos combinada con la datación absoluta de los morteros de tierra de las fases altomedievales mediante Luminiscencia Ópticamente Estimulada y radiocarbono. Esta metodología, completada con una revisión historiográfica d e c ada edificio, no s pe rmitirá observar de cerca las transformaciones en las técnicas constructivas que tienen lugar en esta zona entre los siglos IX y X y contextualizarlas en el marco más amplio de los estudios sobre arquitectura altomedieval en la península ibérica. ABSTRACT In Val d'Aran there is a group of Romanesque churches built between the 11th and the first t hird o f t he 13th This paper aims to explore from an archaeological point of view, the constructive techniques and their social implications in northwest Iberia during the early middle ages by means of the comparative study of three standing churches in the current province of Ourense: Santa Eufemia de Ambía, San Xés de Francelos and San Martiño de Pazó. Our departure point is a previous extensive architectural survey focused to identify early medieval church remains in the area, in which these three churches were selected for further study. Then we applied a speedy stratigraphical analysis of their walls combined with the absolute dating of the earth mortars from the early medieval phases through Optically Stimulated Luminescence and Radiocarbon. This methodology, complemented by a historiographical review of each building, will allow us to discuss the transformations in the construction techniques that took place in this area between the 9th and 10th centuries and to contextualize them in the broader framework of the studies on early medieval architecture in the Iberian Peninsula.
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López-Costas O, and Sánchez Pardo JC. 2016. Antropología física, arqueología y desigualdad social en las necrópolis medievales de Galicia: hacia una visión de conjunto. In: Quirós Castillo JA, editor. Demografía, paleopatologías y... more
López-Costas O, and Sánchez Pardo JC. 2016. Antropología física, arqueología y desigualdad social en las necrópolis medievales de Galicia: hacia una visión de conjunto. In: Quirós Castillo JA, editor. Demografía, paleopatologías y desigualdad social en el Noroeste Peninsular en época medieval: Documentos de arqueología medieval n10. Universidad del País Vasco. p 43-62.
Durante la Edad Media se constata en el Noroeste peninsular una progresiva vertebración de la vida de las comunidades en torno a las iglesias. Los restos óseos humanos depositados en el entorno de dichos templos nos ofrecen la posibilidad de acercarnos a cómo era la vida en el pasado mediante su estudio antropológico. En este trabajo realizamos un resumen crítico de las necrópolis medievales gallegas estudiadas desde la antropología física (22 yacimientos), y una valoración de algunos indicios de desigualdad social presentes en ellas. El número de individuos analizados por yacimiento es escaso y los subadultos y seniles están probablemente infrarrepresentados, cuestiones que se relacionan con las alteraciones tafonómicas. No obstante, se han encontrado similitudes es cuanto al ritual de enterramiento. Finalmente, el análisis antropológico revela singularidades relacionadas con el estado de salud, como la llegada de enfermedades infecciosas tales como las treponematosis o la práctica de operaciones quirúrgicas como trepanaciones
Durante la Edad Media se constata en el Noroeste peninsular una progresiva vertebración de la vida de las comunidades en torno a las iglesias. Los restos óseos humanos depositados en el entorno de dichos templos nos ofrecen la posibilidad de acercarnos a cómo era la vida en el pasado mediante su estudio antropológico. En este trabajo realizamos un resumen crítico de las necrópolis medievales gallegas estudiadas desde la antropología física (22 yacimientos), y una valoración de algunos indicios de desigualdad social presentes en ellas. El número de individuos analizados por yacimiento es escaso y los subadultos y seniles están probablemente infrarrepresentados, cuestiones que se relacionan con las alteraciones tafonómicas. No obstante, se han encontrado similitudes es cuanto al ritual de enterramiento. Finalmente, el análisis antropológico revela singularidades relacionadas con el estado de salud, como la llegada de enfermedades infecciosas tales como las treponematosis o la práctica de operaciones quirúrgicas como trepanaciones
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[ES] Se presentan los resultados del estudio llevado a cabo en el yacimiento de A Cidadela (Sobrado dos Monxes, A Coruña) en el marco del proyecto Marie Curie Early Medieval Churches: History, Archaeology and Heritage (EMCHAHE). Este... more
[ES] Se presentan los resultados del estudio llevado a cabo en el yacimiento de A Cidadela (Sobrado dos Monxes, A Coruña) en el marco del proyecto Marie Curie Early Medieval Churches: History, Archaeology and Heritage (EMCHAHE). Este yacimiento comprende los restos de un recinto militar romano de los siglos II-III d.C. y sucesivas ocupaciones de épocas tardoantigua y altomedieval, todavía poco conocidas. El estudio presentado se basa en un enfoque interdisciplinar que combina por primera vez una revisión de todo el material generado a partir de las distintas excavaciones arqueológicas pre-estratigráficas y estratigráficas llevadas a cabo en el yacimiento, con la lectura estratigráfica de paramentos. En esta revisión se ha hecho especial hincapié en la reocupación del fuerte en época tardoantigua y especialmente en una serie de estructuras identificadas como posible iglesia. Pese a que se trata de resultados preliminares, los datos obtenidos permiten hablar de una fase de reocupación mucho más importante en todo este recinto de lo pensado hasta el momento. En base a estos resultados, se realiza una valoración del papel de este yacimiento en el contexto del conocimiento actual sobre la Tardoantigüedad en Galicia.
[EN] This paper presents the research carried out at the archaeological site of A Cidadela (Sobrado dos Monxes, A Coruña) in the framework of the Marie Curie Early Medieval Churches: History, Archaeology and Heritage (EMCHAHE) project. This site, excavated through several campaigns since 1934 comprises the remains of a Roman Camp of the 2nd-3rd centuries AD as well as a series of further late antique and early medieval reoccupations. The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines a review, for the first time, of all the excavations at the site with the stratigraphical analyisis of the standing walls. Special emphasis has been placed on the late antique phases and, mainly, on some structures interpreted as a possible church. Although these are preliminary results, the data already available indicates a more intense reoccupation of the whole site in this period than traditionally considered. Basing on these results, a global assessment of the role of this site in the context of Late Antique Galicia is presented in the final section.
[EN] This paper presents the research carried out at the archaeological site of A Cidadela (Sobrado dos Monxes, A Coruña) in the framework of the Marie Curie Early Medieval Churches: History, Archaeology and Heritage (EMCHAHE) project. This site, excavated through several campaigns since 1934 comprises the remains of a Roman Camp of the 2nd-3rd centuries AD as well as a series of further late antique and early medieval reoccupations. The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines a review, for the first time, of all the excavations at the site with the stratigraphical analyisis of the standing walls. Special emphasis has been placed on the late antique phases and, mainly, on some structures interpreted as a possible church. Although these are preliminary results, the data already available indicates a more intense reoccupation of the whole site in this period than traditionally considered. Basing on these results, a global assessment of the role of this site in the context of Late Antique Galicia is presented in the final section.
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Resumen Partiendo del debate sobre los "faros de interior" en la alta edad media hispana, se recopilan y analizan espacialmente por primera vez una serie de topónimos que podrían referirse a sistemas de señales a larga distancia en el... more
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Partiendo del debate sobre los "faros de interior" en la alta edad media hispana, se recopilan y analizan espacialmente por primera vez una serie de topónimos que podrían referirse a sistemas de señales a larga distancia en el Noroeste peninsular, con especial atención al caso de Galicia. Los resultados poseen un carácter meramente hipotético, pero dada la alta densidad y el estratégico control visual de estos lugares, ponen de relieve la necesidad de nuevos y más profundos estudios que podrían tener amplias implicaciones históricas.
Abstract
Basing on the debate on the existence of beacons and smoke-signal systems in early medieval Spain, a number of related northwest iberian places names ("faro", "facho" and "meda") are compilled and spatially analyzed for the first time, paying special attention to the case of Galicia. The obtained results are hypothetical but, given the high density and strategic visual control of these places, clearly show the necessity of new and more detailed studies on this topic, which could have deep historical implications.
Partiendo del debate sobre los "faros de interior" en la alta edad media hispana, se recopilan y analizan espacialmente por primera vez una serie de topónimos que podrían referirse a sistemas de señales a larga distancia en el Noroeste peninsular, con especial atención al caso de Galicia. Los resultados poseen un carácter meramente hipotético, pero dada la alta densidad y el estratégico control visual de estos lugares, ponen de relieve la necesidad de nuevos y más profundos estudios que podrían tener amplias implicaciones históricas.
Abstract
Basing on the debate on the existence of beacons and smoke-signal systems in early medieval Spain, a number of related northwest iberian places names ("faro", "facho" and "meda") are compilled and spatially analyzed for the first time, paying special attention to the case of Galicia. The obtained results are hypothetical but, given the high density and strategic visual control of these places, clearly show the necessity of new and more detailed studies on this topic, which could have deep historical implications.
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A partir de la recopilación y análisis previo de las evidencias arqueológicas conocidas sobre edificios eclesiásticos en Galicia entre el fin del Imperio romano y la consolidación del Reino Astur y de su papel en el paisaje, se reflexiona... more
A partir de la recopilación y análisis previo de las evidencias arqueológicas conocidas sobre edificios eclesiásticos en Galicia entre el fin del Imperio romano y la consolidación del Reino Astur y de su papel en el paisaje, se reflexiona aquí sobre los procesos sociales que estas fundaciones parecen reflejar en cada momento. El objetivo principal no es tanto el de ofrecer un estudio exhaustivo de la sociedad ni la vida eclesiástica de este período, sino el de reflexionar desde una perspectiva amplia y comparativa sobre el significado e importancia de las fundaciones de iglesias entre los siglos V y VIII en esta zona «periférica» del mundo tardoantiguo y altomedieval. Desde esta perspectiva podemos distinguir dos grandes etapas que corresponden, aproximadamente, a dos grandes procesos y contextos históricos. En primer lugar, el apogeo de los poderes supralocales, especialmente episcopales, en relación con la pervivencia de las estructuras socioeconómicas tardorromanas, y su control de la construcción de iglesias hasta aproximadamente la mitad del siglo VII. Posteriormente, el definitivo fin del paisaje tardorromano y la fragmentación política que lo acompaña sacarán a la luz un mayor protagonismo de las élites locales en la creación de iglesias. Este cambio se representa principalmente en la figura de los monasterios, como focos de estabilización en esta etapa de transición sociopolítica.
"RESUMEN En este trabajo pretendemos realizar una revisión crítica de las principales cuestiones a debate en la geografía del poblamiento rural tradicional gallego y aportar algunas vías de trabajo a partir de la necesaria combinación de... more
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En este trabajo pretendemos realizar una revisión crítica de las principales cuestiones a debate en la geografía del poblamiento rural tradicional gallego y aportar algunas vías de trabajo a partir de la necesaria combinación de historia y geografía. Para ello planteamos una serie de reflexiones conceptuales y metodológicas sobre las posibilidades y límites de los enfoques geohistóricos en el caso del complejo poblamiento rural gallego. Concretamente, la combinación de múltiples y complementarios niveles y escalas de estudio, junto con la distinción entre elementos y lazos físicos o inmateriales, se muestran indispensables a la hora de articular este tipo de fructíferos trabajos.
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This paper aims to carry out a critical review of the main discussed issues related to the Geography of the traditional rural settlement in Galicia, and to contribute with some ways of working from the neccesary combination of History and Geography. For doing this, a series of conceptual and methodological reflections are raised on the case of the complex galician rural settlement. In specific, the combination of multiple and complementary study scales and levels, together with the distintion between physical and inmaterial elements and bonds seem vital in order to set out this fruitful kind of studies."
En este trabajo pretendemos realizar una revisión crítica de las principales cuestiones a debate en la geografía del poblamiento rural tradicional gallego y aportar algunas vías de trabajo a partir de la necesaria combinación de historia y geografía. Para ello planteamos una serie de reflexiones conceptuales y metodológicas sobre las posibilidades y límites de los enfoques geohistóricos en el caso del complejo poblamiento rural gallego. Concretamente, la combinación de múltiples y complementarios niveles y escalas de estudio, junto con la distinción entre elementos y lazos físicos o inmateriales, se muestran indispensables a la hora de articular este tipo de fructíferos trabajos.
ABSTRACT
This paper aims to carry out a critical review of the main discussed issues related to the Geography of the traditional rural settlement in Galicia, and to contribute with some ways of working from the neccesary combination of History and Geography. For doing this, a series of conceptual and methodological reflections are raised on the case of the complex galician rural settlement. In specific, the combination of multiple and complementary study scales and levels, together with the distintion between physical and inmaterial elements and bonds seem vital in order to set out this fruitful kind of studies."
This paper aims to bring together hitherto neglected archaeological data about the early medieval landscapes of Galicia (north-west Spain), in order to understand the social transformations this ‘peripheral’ region underwent between the... more
This paper aims to bring together hitherto neglected archaeological data about the early medieval landscapes of Galicia (north-west Spain), in order to understand the social transformations this ‘peripheral’ region underwent between the fifth and the ninth centuries and to frame them in the context of wider European debates. Despite its many limitations, the archaeology reveals that until the middle of the seventh century, the late antique society of Gallaecia experienced a previously unsuspected vitality. At this point a socio-political fragmentation occurred, which was characterized by the strengthening of local power, until a further change took place with the progressive incorporation of Galicia into the Asturian kingdom in the ninth century.
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Resumen Este trabajo pretende reflexionar sobre las posibilidades y límites que ofrecen los nombres de las parroquias rurales gallegas (compuestos por un topónimo y una dedicación eclesiástica) para los estudios históricos de territorio.... more
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Este trabajo pretende reflexionar sobre las posibilidades y límites que ofrecen los nombres de las parroquias rurales gallegas (compuestos por un topónimo y una dedicación eclesiástica) para los estudios históricos de territorio. Trataremos de mostrar cómo es fundamental su análisis conjunto, comparativo e interrelacionado, en consonancia con el carácter de red o sistema que caracteriza a las parroquias, y siempre como complemento de otras fuentes históricas. Para ello recurriremos al ejemplo del estudio comparativo del territorio de Nendos (entorno de A Coruña), y Terra de Celanova (suroeste de Ourense). Se analizarán conjuntamente los sustratos lingüísticos y significados de los topónimos, sus secuencias relativas y los siglos de origen de difusión de los cultos parroquiales y se proponen algunas vías de interpretación histórica.
This work aims to reflect on the possibilities and limitations offered by the names of Galician rural parishes (formed by a place name and church dedication) for historical territorial studies. We will try to show how crucial is to set up a joint, comparative and interrelated analysis, consistent with the character of network (or system) that characterizes the parishes, and always as a complement to other historical sources. For doing this, the example of the comparative study of the parishes of Nendos territory (near A Coruña) and Terra de Celanova (southwest of Ourense) will be considered. Specifically, place names substrates and meanings, temporal relative sequences and dating of the beginings of different saints dedications will be analyzed. Finally, some avenues of historical interpretation will be discussed.
Este trabajo pretende reflexionar sobre las posibilidades y límites que ofrecen los nombres de las parroquias rurales gallegas (compuestos por un topónimo y una dedicación eclesiástica) para los estudios históricos de territorio. Trataremos de mostrar cómo es fundamental su análisis conjunto, comparativo e interrelacionado, en consonancia con el carácter de red o sistema que caracteriza a las parroquias, y siempre como complemento de otras fuentes históricas. Para ello recurriremos al ejemplo del estudio comparativo del territorio de Nendos (entorno de A Coruña), y Terra de Celanova (suroeste de Ourense). Se analizarán conjuntamente los sustratos lingüísticos y significados de los topónimos, sus secuencias relativas y los siglos de origen de difusión de los cultos parroquiales y se proponen algunas vías de interpretación histórica.
This work aims to reflect on the possibilities and limitations offered by the names of Galician rural parishes (formed by a place name and church dedication) for historical territorial studies. We will try to show how crucial is to set up a joint, comparative and interrelated analysis, consistent with the character of network (or system) that characterizes the parishes, and always as a complement to other historical sources. For doing this, the example of the comparative study of the parishes of Nendos territory (near A Coruña) and Terra de Celanova (southwest of Ourense) will be considered. Specifically, place names substrates and meanings, temporal relative sequences and dating of the beginings of different saints dedications will be analyzed. Finally, some avenues of historical interpretation will be discussed.
This paper aims to analyze and discuss the different spatial contexts in which churches were founded in Galicia (Northwest Spain) between the 5th and the 8th century. This is a topic with great potential, but scarcely studied so far by... more
This paper aims to analyze and discuss the different spatial contexts in which churches were founded in Galicia
(Northwest Spain) between the 5th and the 8th century. This is a topic with great potential, but scarcely studied so far by
Spanish historians, since texts offer very little evidences about the specific contexts of foundation, and material data have
almost only been approached from perspectives of traditional archaeology or history of art. The present work aims to
explore these spatial context of Galician churches foundation from a catalogue of 50 possible late antique ecclesiastical
buildings, based both on archaological works and stilistic-typological approaches. Although some of the data are still
problematic, interesting ideas relating distribution and archaeological substrates can be observed in the general corpus.
Following these premises, in the first part it is discussed the wider geographical frame of church foundation, mainly the
distribution of evidences in relation to different Galician environments and late antique territorial articulation. So, it is
observed an important relationship between evidences of churches and Roman-Late Roman dynamic axis and areas in
Galicia. The second part analyzes the relation of the evidences with their archaeological substrates and discusses different
evolutions from roman to medieval uses, which are not always lineal. This means dealing with the concepts of continuitybreak
and pragmatical-simbolical reuse, and it will be discussed here whether material techniques are reliable indicators
of socioeconomical development. In the third part some proposals regarding different historical and geographical contexts
for church foundation in Late Antique and Early Medieval Galicia are presented. Complexity and variety in cases are
likely to be bigger than usually thought and approaches such as the study of building techniques can be, in the future,
a powerful indicator to solve some problems. In general, although many limits, late antique foundation of churches in
Galicia, show similar characteristics to other western European regions.
(Northwest Spain) between the 5th and the 8th century. This is a topic with great potential, but scarcely studied so far by
Spanish historians, since texts offer very little evidences about the specific contexts of foundation, and material data have
almost only been approached from perspectives of traditional archaeology or history of art. The present work aims to
explore these spatial context of Galician churches foundation from a catalogue of 50 possible late antique ecclesiastical
buildings, based both on archaological works and stilistic-typological approaches. Although some of the data are still
problematic, interesting ideas relating distribution and archaeological substrates can be observed in the general corpus.
Following these premises, in the first part it is discussed the wider geographical frame of church foundation, mainly the
distribution of evidences in relation to different Galician environments and late antique territorial articulation. So, it is
observed an important relationship between evidences of churches and Roman-Late Roman dynamic axis and areas in
Galicia. The second part analyzes the relation of the evidences with their archaeological substrates and discusses different
evolutions from roman to medieval uses, which are not always lineal. This means dealing with the concepts of continuitybreak
and pragmatical-simbolical reuse, and it will be discussed here whether material techniques are reliable indicators
of socioeconomical development. In the third part some proposals regarding different historical and geographical contexts
for church foundation in Late Antique and Early Medieval Galicia are presented. Complexity and variety in cases are
likely to be bigger than usually thought and approaches such as the study of building techniques can be, in the future,
a powerful indicator to solve some problems. In general, although many limits, late antique foundation of churches in
Galicia, show similar characteristics to other western European regions.
La arqueología de las fortificaciones altomedievales ha recibido muy escasa atención en Galicia y se haya dispersa en pequeños trabajos parciales e inconexos. Aunque se trata de datos todavía muy problemáticos que requieren más trabajo de... more
La arqueología de las fortificaciones altomedievales ha recibido muy escasa atención en Galicia y se haya dispersa en pequeños trabajos parciales e inconexos. Aunque se trata de datos todavía muy problemáticos que requieren más trabajo de campo, se pueden apreciar ya algunas tendencias significativas. Por ello en este trabajo pretendemos reunir las evidencias arqueológicas hasta ahora conocidas sobre estos recintos fortificados y articularlas dentro de un primer cuadro general explicativo de su evolución. Consideramos especialmente importante integrar su estudio dentro de los diferentes contextos sociopolíticos y en interrelación con otros elementos del paisaje altomedieval. Desde esta perspectiva, las fortificaciones reflejan una serie de transformaciones en las dinámicas de poder de Galicia entre finales del imperio romano y la Plena Edad Media. A nivel material se observa un enorme y prolongado protagonismo de los castros como base de reocupaciones o fortificaciones hasta la aparición y rápida extensión de nuevos castillos en los siglos X-XI.
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Archaeology of churches can be a powerful and interesting platform to study Late Antique and Early Medieval societies. However, in Northwest Spain this topic remains limited to stylistic and typological studies, despite being a very... more
Archaeology of churches can be a powerful and interesting platform to study Late Antique and Early Medieval societies. However, in Northwest Spain this topic remains limited to stylistic and typological studies, despite being a very promising area of study, given the high density of ecclesiastical foundations that reflect Late Antique texts. The first step in order to begin this kind of research is to collect and analyze the features and problems of the available material data. According this idea, the first part of this work intends to carry out a brief but complete recompilation and critical review (in some extent, for the first time) of the available but scattered material information on ecclesiastical structures in Late Antique Galicia, this is, between 5th and 8th centuries. This catalogue, of 50 cases, will be based both in previous archaeological works and stylistic-typological approaches from the History of Art. These two areas have initiated in the last years interesting and intense debates about the chronologies and characteristics of the Late Antique and Early Medieval churches, but they remain usually separated to each other. In this work we will discuss the main problems and possibilities for a common approach. Further, in the last part, it is aimed to discuss the coherence of all these data in the historical context that the recent advances of the research on these centuries in Northwest Spain is showing: relation with textual evidences, spatial distribution of evidences in relation to late Roman territorial articulation in Galicia, new findings on the aristocratical economies... The result is not a complete picture of late antique churches in Galicia, something which needs further case-studies, but a first framework that can help to this future development.
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Resumen: El estudio de los ataques vikingos a Galicia durante los siglos IX-XI es un tema complejo debido a la falta de datos sobre el mismo y que ha sido abordado tradicionalmente desde un punto meramente descriptivo e incluso subjetivo... more
Resumen: El estudio de los ataques vikingos a Galicia durante los siglos IX-XI es un tema complejo debido a la falta de datos sobre el mismo y que ha sido abordado tradicionalmente desde un punto meramente descriptivo e incluso subjetivo o poco riguroso. En este trabajo se pretende recopilar, confrontar y revisar los datos disponibles sobre estas incursiones para tratar de depurar visiones no fundadas y sobre todo, para intentar integrar y poner en relación este tema con el contexto más amplio del mundo galaico y en general, europeo, de dichos siglos, permitiéndonos así calibrar algo mejor su verdadera influencia histórica.
Abstract: The study of viking attacks to Galicia between 9th and 11th centuries is a complex issue due to lack of data and has been traditionally approached from a purely descriptive and even subjective or unsound perspective. This paper aims to collect, compare and review the available data about these attacks in order to correct unfounded views and, overall, to try to integrate and to relate this topic within the broader context of Galicia and Europe during these centuries. Doing this can help us to better gauge its true historical influence.
Abstract: The study of viking attacks to Galicia between 9th and 11th centuries is a complex issue due to lack of data and has been traditionally approached from a purely descriptive and even subjective or unsound perspective. This paper aims to collect, compare and review the available data about these attacks in order to correct unfounded views and, overall, to try to integrate and to relate this topic within the broader context of Galicia and Europe during these centuries. Doing this can help us to better gauge its true historical influence.
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RESUMEN: Se pretende afrontar un tema tradicional en la historiografía medieval española, como son los dominios monásticos, desde la perspectiva menos explorada de las estrategias espaciales que la reciente expansión del uso de los... more
RESUMEN: Se pretende afrontar un tema tradicional en la historiografía medieval española, como son los dominios monásticos, desde la perspectiva menos explorada de las estrategias espaciales que la reciente expansión del uso de los Sistemas de Información Geográfica ha facilitado. De esta manera, a través del caso gallego del monasterio de Celanova entre los siglos X y XII, observamos la complejidad que se esconde tras la planificación de la ubicación de uno de estos centros de poder así como la variedad y flexibilidad de tácticas empleadas en su proceso de crecimiento. Todo ello no solo enfatiza el conocido alto grado de conocimiento del entorno de los poderes señoriales entre finales de la Alta y Plena Edad Media, sino que también revela la importancia que dichos grupos daban a las estrategias espaciales en relación con la estructura preexistente de poblamiento y el papel que éstas jugaron en el proceso de feudalización del noroeste peninsular.
ABSTRACT: In this paper we will try to study a traditional topic in spanish medieval historiography, as monastic domains are, from the less-known perspective of spatial strategies, facilitated by the Geographic Information Systems recent expansion. In this way, through the case of the Galician Monastery of Celanova between X and XII centuries, we can see the complexity existing behind the location planning of such a power center and the variety and flexibility of tactics used in its growing process. All this not only emphasizes the well-known high degree of spatial knowledge of the aristocratic powers between Early and Central Middle Ages, but also reveals the importance that those groups gave to the territorial strategies related to the previous settlement structure and the role that these strategies played in the Northwest of Iberian Peninsula feudalization process.
ABSTRACT: In this paper we will try to study a traditional topic in spanish medieval historiography, as monastic domains are, from the less-known perspective of spatial strategies, facilitated by the Geographic Information Systems recent expansion. In this way, through the case of the Galician Monastery of Celanova between X and XII centuries, we can see the complexity existing behind the location planning of such a power center and the variety and flexibility of tactics used in its growing process. All this not only emphasizes the well-known high degree of spatial knowledge of the aristocratic powers between Early and Central Middle Ages, but also reveals the importance that those groups gave to the territorial strategies related to the previous settlement structure and the role that these strategies played in the Northwest of Iberian Peninsula feudalization process.
Abstract: This paper intends to perform for the first time a critical review of the archaeological evidence on rural settlements in Galicia, in northwest Spain, between 5th and 10th centuries, with special attention to the transition and... more
Abstract: This paper intends to perform for the first time a critical review of the archaeological evidence on rural settlements in Galicia, in northwest Spain, between 5th and 10th centuries, with special attention to the transition and relationships between the traditionally considered Late Roman materials and those classified as early medieval, with the consequences that this has at an historical level. For doing this, we will colect and analyse the location of a large volume of cases from different areas of Galicia. After studying its main characteristics and problems, we will propose a series of interpretive keys in the light of other better known areas of Spain and Europe. The result of this review is an heterogeneus picture that still needs many future studies. Anyway general trends seem to be similar to other areas, although particularized by a higher rate of stability and continuity.
Research Interests:
Resumen: En este trabajo plantearemos una serie de reflexiones y propuestas interpretativas acerca del llamado proceso de abandono de los castros como lugares principales de poblamiento y la formación de habitats abiertos en época romana... more
Resumen: En este trabajo plantearemos una serie de reflexiones y propuestas interpretativas acerca del llamado proceso de abandono de los castros como lugares principales de poblamiento y la formación de habitats abiertos en época romana en Galicia. Para ello partiremos de la revisión de la información arqueológica disponible y, sobre todo, de los conceptos y escalas de análisis que podemos usar, tratando de superar frecuentes compartimentaciones historiográficas y visiones monumentalistas. Esta perspectiva amplia y diacrónica nos permitirá distinguir dos grandes fases o tendencias en este proceso y nos ayudará a enmarcarlo en unas coordenadas histórico-sociales más variadas y complejas.
Abstract: This paper raises some interpretative ideas and proposals about the so-called process of abandonment of hillforts, as main settlement sites, and the open-hamlets formation during the Roman period in Galicia. For doing this, we will base on the review of the available archaeological information and, overall, of the concepts and scales of analysis that we can use, trying to overcome frequent historiographical separations and only-monumental perspectives. This comprehensive and diachronic perspective will allow us to distinguish two major phases or tendencies in this process and will help us to frame it in a more heteregeneous and complex socio-historical coordinates.
Abstract: This paper raises some interpretative ideas and proposals about the so-called process of abandonment of hillforts, as main settlement sites, and the open-hamlets formation during the Roman period in Galicia. For doing this, we will base on the review of the available archaeological information and, overall, of the concepts and scales of analysis that we can use, trying to overcome frequent historiographical separations and only-monumental perspectives. This comprehensive and diachronic perspective will allow us to distinguish two major phases or tendencies in this process and will help us to frame it in a more heteregeneous and complex socio-historical coordinates.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Resumen: La arqueología se perfila cada vez más claramente como la gran y necesaria pieza clave para avanzar en el estancado conocimiento del poblamiento rural altomedieval en Galicia, y desde él, en el de las comunidades que le dieron... more
Resumen: La arqueología se perfila cada vez más claramente como la gran y necesaria pieza clave para avanzar en el estancado conocimiento del poblamiento rural altomedieval en Galicia, y desde él, en el de las comunidades que le dieron forma y en los orígenes del paisaje rural tradicional. En esta comunicación pretendemos plantear un pequeño marco de trabajo en el que hacer balance de los datos existentes y proponer algunas vías de futuro desarrollo. En primer lugar realizaremos una sucinta revisión de los datos materiales disponibles para después plantear algunas reflexiones sobre el origen y la evolución de los asentamientos altomedievales, aprovechando para ello la potencialidad del estudio de la morfología del paisaje rural tradicional gallego. En este sentido consideramos fundamental no limitarnos únicamente al período altomedieval, sino enlazar con la etapa galaicorromana y con los siglos siguientes tratando de encajar nuestro conocimiento en una historia del poblamiento rural en Galicia.
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Research Interests:
En este poster se sintetizan los resultados de dos proyectos que tienen en común el estudio de los paisajes cristianos altomedievales de Galicia. Por un lado se ofrece una visión global de la territorialidad de Galicia en el siglo VI a... more
En este poster se sintetizan los resultados de dos proyectos que tienen en común el estudio de los paisajes cristianos altomedievales de Galicia. Por un lado se ofrece una visión global de la territorialidad de Galicia en el siglo VI a partir del documento conocido como "Parroquial Suevo", redactado en torno al 570 d.C. Por otro lado se aborda el análisis interdisciplinar del territorio de la parroquia de Santa Mariña de Augas Santas (Allariz) y se rastrean los orígenes de la leyenda fuertemente enraizada en este lugar. Ambos proyectos coinciden en mostrar que en el siglo VI importantes cambios ocurrieron en el paisaje del Noroeste peninsular, en los cuales tuvo también un importante papel el desarrollo y organización del cristianismo y las estructuras eclesiásticas.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests: Medieval History, Medieval Studies, Medieval Iberian History, Early Medieval Archaeology, Early Medieval History, and 9 moreDiplomatics (Medieval), Al-Andalus, Early Medieval And Medieval Settlement (Archaeology), Early Medieval Studies, Charters and Paleography, Early Medieval Economy, Early Medieval Monasticism, Medieval Economic History, and Monastic charters and cartularies
Churches and monasteries are one of the most commonly studied structures in Medieval Archaeology and thousands of excavations have provide architecture and material culture across Europe. However it has been much less explored how this... more
Churches and monasteries are one of the most commonly studied structures in Medieval Archaeology and thousands of excavations have provide architecture and material culture across Europe. However it has been much less explored how this wide variety of Christian buildings (chapels, local churches, monasteries, oratories...) influenced (or were influenced by) their surroun political or symbolic terms. There has been a reluctance to look up from the site plans and to consider the wider context in which the site was founded and functioned. This session will explore this topic by means of highlight and discuss the variety of relations and contexts between ecclesiastical buildings and their surrounding medieval landscapes. Topics to be covered include (but are not limited to): the interrelation between different groups of churches, the archaeology of dependences outside the monastic walls, the physical transformation of the landscapes by ecclesiastical institutions (new crops, marshland drainage, bridges, the setting up of new eco salt production), strategies of Christianisation of the landscapes and the adaptation of pre
Research Interests:
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (SPAIN) 14-16 / 06 / 2017 A three-day event on the history and archaeology of early medieval churches. The first 1.5 days are organised by the Marie Curie-funded Project 'Early Medieval Churches: History,... more
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (SPAIN) 14-16 / 06 / 2017
A three-day event on the history and archaeology of early medieval churches.
The first 1.5 days are organised by the Marie Curie-funded Project 'Early Medieval Churches: History, Archaeology and Heritage' and will focus on the archaeology of early medieval churches in Galicia and North West Iberia.
The second 1.5 days are organised by the PEICTE Project 'Redes Monásticas y Complejidad Social en el Condado de Castilla' and it consists in an international workshop on the topic 'What is the Point of Founding a Local Church in the Early Middle Ages?'
PARTICIPANTS:
ARCHAEOLOGY OF EARLY MEDIEVAL CHURCHES IN GALICIA AND NW IBERIA
- Victor Barrientos Rodríguez
- Rebeca Blanco Rotea (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- José M. Costa García (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- Julio Escalona (IH-CSIC)
- Margarita Fernández Mier (U- Oviedo)
- Luis Fontes (U. do Minho)
- Francisco Moreno Martín (U. Complutense de Madrid)
- Juan Antonio Quirós (U. País Vasco)
- José C. Sánchez Pardo (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- Jorge Sanjurjo Sánchez
- María Jesús de la Torre (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- María de los Ángeles Utrero Agudo (U. de Durham)
- Alejandro Villa Castillo (IH-CSIC)
WORKSHOP 'WHAT IS THE POINT OF FOUNDING A LOCAL CHURCH IN THE EARLY MIDLE AGES?'
- Álvaro Carvajal (U. País Vasco)
- Wendy Davies (UCL / U. Oxford)
- Julio Escalona (IH-CSIC)
- Guillermo Tomás Faci (U. País Vasco)
- Lluís To Figueras (U. Girona)
- Charles Insley (U. Manchester)
- Thomas Kohl (U. Tübingen)
- Juan José Larrea (U. País Vasco)
- Iñaki Martín Viso (U. Salamanca)
- José C. Sánchez Pardo (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- Orri Vésteinsson (U. Iceland)
A three-day event on the history and archaeology of early medieval churches.
The first 1.5 days are organised by the Marie Curie-funded Project 'Early Medieval Churches: History, Archaeology and Heritage' and will focus on the archaeology of early medieval churches in Galicia and North West Iberia.
The second 1.5 days are organised by the PEICTE Project 'Redes Monásticas y Complejidad Social en el Condado de Castilla' and it consists in an international workshop on the topic 'What is the Point of Founding a Local Church in the Early Middle Ages?'
PARTICIPANTS:
ARCHAEOLOGY OF EARLY MEDIEVAL CHURCHES IN GALICIA AND NW IBERIA
- Victor Barrientos Rodríguez
- Rebeca Blanco Rotea (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- José M. Costa García (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- Julio Escalona (IH-CSIC)
- Margarita Fernández Mier (U- Oviedo)
- Luis Fontes (U. do Minho)
- Francisco Moreno Martín (U. Complutense de Madrid)
- Juan Antonio Quirós (U. País Vasco)
- José C. Sánchez Pardo (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- Jorge Sanjurjo Sánchez
- María Jesús de la Torre (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- María de los Ángeles Utrero Agudo (U. de Durham)
- Alejandro Villa Castillo (IH-CSIC)
WORKSHOP 'WHAT IS THE POINT OF FOUNDING A LOCAL CHURCH IN THE EARLY MIDLE AGES?'
- Álvaro Carvajal (U. País Vasco)
- Wendy Davies (UCL / U. Oxford)
- Julio Escalona (IH-CSIC)
- Guillermo Tomás Faci (U. País Vasco)
- Lluís To Figueras (U. Girona)
- Charles Insley (U. Manchester)
- Thomas Kohl (U. Tübingen)
- Juan José Larrea (U. País Vasco)
- Iñaki Martín Viso (U. Salamanca)
- José C. Sánchez Pardo (U. Santiago de Compostela)
- Orri Vésteinsson (U. Iceland)