The evolution of House Architecture in the Portuguese Estremadura from Copper- to Iron Age. The evolution of Architecture, Function and Social Significance

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The investigation of the chalcolithic settlements of the Iberian Peninsula (3rd mil. BC) since 1887, when the brothers Siret for the first time published a map of such a site, has concentrated on the fortification walls, small finds and chronology, whereas the question concerning the dwelling houses in the interior still maintain largely a desideratum of research. An exception is the unpublished dissertation of Ph. Kalb from 1969, where the author dealt with the question of the influence of the ancient mediterranian roundhouses on the Iberian Peninsula. As in the meanwhile increased the sources, in the applied project it is intended to take up again this question within the frame work of a detailed case study. The Estremadura in Western Central Portugal is ideally suited to such an inestigation. There is with the site of Zambujal, studied by the German Archaeological Institute for 52 years, one of the best preserved chalcolithic settlements. Further more there are also other important such sites like Vila Nova de S. Pedro, Penedo do Lexim und Leceia. In addition that region offers with several examples of Bronze- and Iron Age houses the opportunity to study the further development of the building of houses after the Copper Age. In the applied project it shall be investigated how to reconstruct the houses according to the preserved remains, for example through archaeobontanical analysis of the organic building material preserved in the fragments of burnt daub. Besides there is the question, if there are obeservable functional differences among simultaneously existing houses, for example with regard to economic aspects. Also the location and size of the houses in a settlement will be considered as well as the question , if there is a correlation between certain types of houses and certain types of settlements. Might it be possible to prove social differentiations by these analysis? The results could make an important contribution to the solution of the lately much discussed problem of the formation of complex societies in the Copper Age of the Iberian Peninsula. Beyond that it will be important to discribe characters which may reveal buildings for representative or storage purposes, which could indicate state functions, because several researches do believe in the formation of early forms of states in the 3rd Mil. BC on the Iberian Peninsula. Another important question is why the round houses of the Copper- and Bronze Ages had been replaced by rectangular houses in the Iron Age. It seems that this change could be a consequence of Phoenician influences, but there remains the question why the local population adopted the rectangular building. Does perhaps exist a necessity of rectangular buildings for certain types of organisation, and would it be possible to draw conclusions from such a result on the previous epochs?