Decoding the hearth: micromorphology and experiment in iron age domestic fire structures (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Abstract

Combustion structures documented in protohistoric settlements are considered to be defining elements of domestic spaces, and are usually associated with a culinary function. In the case of the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula during the Iron Age, the hearth is often used to identify which room within a house served as the cooking space. Different types of hearths are known; in particular we can differentiate between hearths with or without a preparation layer. The presence of more than one hearth in some cases may indicate that these were multifunctional spaces, where one of them would have been used for cooking, and other(s) could be used for lighting or heating, or even for craft activities. The fact that the hearths correspond to different morphologies seems to confirm this hypothesis. Using an interdisciplinary methodology that combines thin sections micromorphology and experimental archaeology, we present a study of a selection of case-studies that show differences in their morphology and constructions, with a view to confirming the groups observed macroscopically as well as defining their different uses and functions.