Con ocasión de una obra de reforma parcial en la iglesia de Santa María la Mayor de Ronda para la adecuación de la vivienda del párroco, se pudo desarrollar una mínima investigación arqueológica sobre un edificio singular adosado a la torre de la citada iglesia. La construcción de la iglesia sobre la mezquita aljama de la medina andalusí tras su conquista castellana, y la conservación de algunos elementos de esta, como el mihrab en el templo cristiano, hizo que se propusiera un origen similar al pequeño edificio identificándolo como una qubba. Lo que presentamos en este trabajo es el análisis arqueológico realizado sobre sus paramentos internos, a partir del cual realizamos una propuesta del origen y de la evolución de este elemento.
Systemic networks, as a set of dispersed, isolated, or independent architectures that are thematically interconnected, gain greater significance when considered as a whole. Therefore, by using the systemic network of the Spanish optical telegraph, composed of isolated towers scattered across the territory, this article presents a methodological example of how to approach the analysis of both the individual units and the collective to develop common intervention strategies and enhance their value. Additionally, the aim of this article is to update the available information on the telegraph towers of the Madrid-Valencia line with a new comprehensive perspective. By considering first the related bibliography, new research has been later conducted on historical graphic documentation, and recent data has been corroborated in situ. As a result, a descriptive analysis of the towers in their current state, studies on the systemic network, and a methodological example for future research are presented.
This study documents a cluster of six quarries situated close to the church of San Rom & aacute;n de Tobillas, which served as the source of stone for its construction. The extraction method employed was an ascending benching system, exploiting artificial notches within the rock strata. The analysis of quarry intersection relationships indicates the lower the level, the more modern the quarrying activities. The morphological analysis of the quarries suggests that five correspond to the Pre-Romanesque II construction phase (c. 939), while one dates to the Romanesque period (12th century). The Paleocene dolomitic megabed, within which the quarries are located, provides a unique stratigraphic marker for tracing the evolution of stone use in medieval construction systems. The megabed was initially exploited in Late Antiquity for the creation of hermitages. Later on, during the Pre-Romanesque period, stone was extracted for the production of ashlar masonry. Finally, in the Romanesque period, the resource was utilized for both ashlar and decorative carving.
Within the field of protohistoric architecture studies, roofing systems represent one of the most challenging elements to be defined. Over the past 30 years, an interpretative model has been consolidated for the architectures of protohistoric communities in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, based on the assumption that flat roofs with an earthen covering constituted the predominant construction system. In this study, it is critically reassed this established model by examining its origins and theoretical and methodological foundations. Based on this review, a new interpretative framework is proposed, includings a critical analysis of the arguments put forward to date, along with the comparison with ethnographic and archaeological references. To conclude, it is argued that these roofs would have had a substantially different configuration, characterised by a medium or steep pitch, a construction with plant-based materials, and laking an earthen covering.
En el marco de los estudios sobre arquitectura protohistórica, los sistemas de cubierta de los edificios constituyen uno de los elementos más difíciles de definir. Durante los últimos 30 años, se ha consolidado un modelo interpretativo para las arquitecturas de las comunidades protohistóricas del nordeste de la península ibérica basado en la aceptación de cubiertas horizontales con una capa de tierra como sistema constructivo básico. En este trabajo, revisamos críticamente este modelo, analizando sus orígenes y fundamentos teóricos y metodológicos. A partir de esta revisión, presentamos una nueva propuesta interpretativa que incluye un análisis crítico de los argumentos empleados hasta ahora, así como la comparación con referentes etnográficos y arqueológicos. Finalmente, defendemos que estas cubiertas habrían adoptado una configuración sustancialmente diferente, caracterizada por una inclinación media o elevada, una construcción con materiales vegetales y sin recurrir a un revestimiento de tierra.
Although Archaeology has shown great interest in signs, symbols, the meaning of an artwork from the past or the interpretation of material culture, the development of methodologies to understand the significance of this production is still scarce. Through a detailed review of poststructuralist semiotic theory, which explicitly admits its encounter with the theory of interpretation. In this paper a Hermeneutical semiotic model of material culture is developed through interdisciplinary work with Architecture, Design and Urbanism, obtaining as a result a solid approach to the meaning and interpretation of the material production of culture applicable to the objects of the past that helps to resolve the concerns of Archeological traditional theoretical approaches.
The relationship between Archaeology of Architecture and Restoration dates back to the 1980s, a time of profound change for both disciplines. Archaeologists have often reconstructed the events that date back to those years, architects have done so less. Reconstructing the birth of this relationship and the context in which it occurred highlights the strong similarities between the events that led Architectural Archaeology to become autonomous from the disciplinary tradition and the one that, in the field of Restoration, gave rise to a movement that promoted a harsh criticism of its tradition based on the historical-aesthetic judgment of a historicist, positivist and neoidealist nature. This criticism brought out the interest in architecture as material testimony and pushed towards new tools of knowledge, among which the stratigraphy of elevations found its place. To trace a critical path, the term palimpsest will be used, following its changes in meaning and operational implications.
The building known as "Casa de la Exedra" is one of the most singular and well-known buildings of the Castro de Elvi & ntilde;a (A Coru & ntilde;a). Its architectural complexity and the succession of walls, constructive phases and archaeological contexts have been a real problem for archaeological research. The following work proposes a new approach to this complex, facing an archaeological and architectural analysis of its occupational sequence. An architectural study of the visible structures is carried out, based on the data obtained in a recent archaeological campaign with reliable stratigraphic contexts and radiocarbon dating. The results allow us to review previous proposals and to establish a new approach to the site which relates the building dynamics of the Exedra with the main occupation trends of Elvi & ntilde;a and its hinterland.
The Direccion General de Regiones Devastadas y Reparaciones was the organization in charge of post-war reconstruction under Franco's dictatorship. Several Basque towns were adopted for reconstruction: Gernika, Amorebieta, Eibar, etc. However, in this case we present a comparative analysis of two lesser-known but equally significant cases: Legutio (Araba) and Elgeta (Gipuzkoa). Both towns were adopted by the dictator, but from different approaches and with different perspectives. The hypothesis guiding this work is that their disparate political significance motivated different actions at the architectural, urban and territorial levels: Legutio was the "martyr village" of Franco's army, while Elgeta represented the "Basque resistance" against the rebels. A rigorous analysis of the material remains of the present-buildings, monuments, impacts, etc. - is revels relevant information about reconstructive work of Franco's New State, as well as its impact on the built landscapes of the Basque Country.
This article investigates the phenomenon of the building site in ancient Rome, drawing on ancient literary sources, legal texts, as well as epigraphic, iconographic, and archaeological evidence. It conceptualises the construction site as a series of sequential activities carried out by construction workers both on-site and off-site, all aimed at building completion. The focus is on the initial stages of the process, commencing with the commissioning party (private, public, or imperial) and identifying corresponding construction site types, which differed in scale, specialisation, and resources. The paper describes the operational dynamics associated with design, material procurement, logistics, and labour management culminating in the actual construction phase. The analysis continues by examining the construction site as both a workplace and a physical space, concluding with a reconstruction of the daily work routine.
La relación entre la Arqueología de la Arquitectura y la Restauración se remonta a la década de 1980, un momento de profundos cambios para ambas disciplinas. Si bien los arqueólogos han reconstruido a menudo los acontecimientos que se remontan a aquellos años, los arquitectos apenas lo han hecho. Reconstruir el nacimiento de esta relación y el contexto en el que se produjo pone de manifiesto las fuertes similitudes entre la historia que llevó a la Arqueología de la Arquitectura a autonomizarse de la tradición disciplinar y la que, en el campo de la Restauración, dio origen a un movimiento que impulsó una fuerte crítica a su tradición basada en un juicio histórico-estético de corte historicista, positivista y neoidealista. Esta crítica sacó a relucir el interés por la arquitectura como testimonio material y empujó hacia nuevas herramientas de conocimiento, entre las que encontró su lugar la estratigrafía de los alzados. Para trazar un camino crítico, se utilizará el término palimpsesto, siguiendo sus cambios de significado e implicaciones operativas. [it] Il rapporto tra l’Archeologia dell’architettura e il Restauro risale agli anni Ottanta del XX secolo, periodo caratterizzato da profondi cambiamenti per entrambe le discipline. Gli archeologi hanno spesso riflettuto sulle vicende che risalgono a quegli anni, gli architetti lo hanno fatto meno. Ricostruire la nascita di questo rapporto e il contesto in cui si produsse mette in luce le profonde analogie tra il percorso che portò l’Archeologia dell’architettura a rendersi autonoma dalla propria tradizione disciplinare e quello che, nel Restauro, diede vita alla formulazione di una visione critica nei confronti del giudizio storico-estetico di stampo storicista, positivista e neo-idealista. Questa critica fece emergere l’interesse per l’architettura come testimonianza materiale e spinse verso nuovi strumenti di conoscenza tra i quali la stratigrafia degli elevati. Per tracciare un percorso critico si utilizzerà come chiave di lettura il termine palinsesto seguendone i cambiamenti di significato e le ricadute operative.
Si bien la Arqueología ha mostrado gran interés por los signos, símbolos, el sentido de una obra del pasado o la interpretación de la cultura material, el desarrollo de metodologías para comprender la significación de esta producción es aún escaso. A través de una revisión detallada de la teoría semiótica posestructuralista, aquella que admite explícitamente su encuentro con la teoría de la interpretación, en este documento se desarrolla un modelo semiótico hermenéutico de la cultura material a través del trabajo interdisciplinario con la Arquitectura, el Diseño y el Urbanismo, obteniendo como resultado una sólida aproximación a la significación e interpretación de la producción material de la cultura aplicable a los objetos del pasado que coadyuve a resolver las inquietudes de enfoques teóricos tradicionales de la Arqueología.
QH36 is a tomb located in Qubbet el-Hawa necropolis (Aswan, Egypt). The tomb belonged to Sarenputi I, governor of Elephantine during the reign of Senusret I. This hypogeum, systematically excavated by the Qubbet el-Hawa Project (University of Jaén) since 2017, was built by royal craftsmen, according to epigraphic sources. This is corroborated by the tomb’s architectural features. But new archaeological evidence supporting this claim emerged in 2022, when excavations in the secondary burial chamber of the main shaft uncovered an unusual stone slab pavement with black ink signs. They are identical to those documented in the mastaba of Imhotep at el-Lisht. This article analyzes the assemblage system used by the work gangs of the royal court at these two different locations, which also archaeologically reinforces the epigraphic sources on royal craftsmen from the north during the construction of QH36. Besides, it shows the possible constructive strategies developed.
La Casa de la Exedra es una de las edificaciones más singulares del Castro de Elviña (A Coruña). Excavada por primera vez en 1947, su complejidad arquitectónica y la sucesión de paramentos, fases constructivas y contextos arqueológicos ha supuesto todo un quebradero de cabeza para la investigación. En el presente trabajo, se propone una nueva aproximación a este conjunto desde un análisis arqueológico y arquitectónico de su secuencia ocupacional. Partiendo de los datos obtenidos en una reciente campaña de excavación, que proporciona una secuencia estratigráfica fiable y varias dataciones radiocarbónicas, se realiza un estudio arquitectónico de las estructuras visibles a través de las relaciones de sus paramentos. Los datos obtenidos permiten revisar anteriores propuestas y establecer una nueva aproximación al yacimiento, relacionando las dinámicas constructivas de este sector con el contexto general de la ocupación del castro y de la región.
La Dirección General de Regiones Devastadas y Reparaciones era la entidad encargada de la reconstrucción de posguerra en el seno de la dictadura de Franco. Varias localidades vascas fueron adoptadas para su reconstrucción: Gernika, Amorebieta, Eibar, etc. Sin embargo, en este caso presentamos un análisis comparativo de dos casos menos conocidos, pero igualmente significativos: Legutio (Araba) y Elgeta (Gipuzkoa). Los dos pueblos fueron adoptados, pero desde enfoques diferentes y con perspectivas distintas. La hipótesis que guía este trabajo es que su significación política dispar motivó actuaciones distintas a nivel arquitectónico, urbanístico y territorial: Legutio era la “villa mártir” del ejército franquista, mientras Elgeta representaba a la “resistencia vasca” frente a los sublevados. Un análisis riguroso de los restos materiales del presente –edificios, monumentos, impactos, etc.– resulta revelador a la hora de comprender y caracterizar la obra reconstructora del Nuevo Estado franquista, así como su impacto en los paisajes construidos del País Vasco.
In 1927, Giuseppe Lugli published an innovative study on the structures belonging to the Republican Villa "fossilised" in the residence of Emperor Hadrian at the foot of the Tiburtine Mountains. In this sense, and within the framework of the doctoral thesis project that partly took up these earlier studies, the paramental study of the different masonries that make up the so-called Republican Villa was undertaken. After carrying out a meticulous analysis around the area of the Hospitalia, it was possible to document a series of buildings related to a monumental front dating from the late Republican-Augustean period. These structures preceded the Hadrianic modifications and have gone hitherto unnoticed.
Architect, archaeologist, restorer, F & eacute;lix Hern & aacute;ndez Gim & eacute;nez played a fundamental role in research on architecture and urban planning in al-Andalus between the 20s and 70s of the last century. He has also been one of the few specialists in this field who has approached the medieval monumental complexes of Morocco with comparative views, personally or through his art historian colleague and friend Henri Terrasse. A notebook of sketches and notes, taken throughout his journey to the south of the Strait of Gibraltar, today guarded by the Provincial Archaeological Museum of Cordoba, gives an account of his observations on some of the main Almohad and Marinid buildings of the "imperial cities" of Morocco (Rabat, Marrakesh and Fez).
The existence of quadrangular defensive enclosures with flanking towers is attested since Roman times, as a fossilisation of the less durable military camps. In the Byzantine period, they remained in use and were conquered during the spread of Islam. Around Marmolejo (Ja & eacute;n), there were three medieval fortified enclosures close to the Guadalquivir River. They would have had a quadrilateral perimeter even before the Castilian conquest, when they began to be remodeled both materially and formally, with the incorporation in at least two of them of circular towers at the corners and a four-sided keep. Some of them were Christianised through the erection of a hermitage, a fact that ultimately contributed to their disappearance once the religious building ceased to be a place of worship. This work analyses the constructive and wall study of the only one that has been preserved on the route that linked the three enclosures, and in which the existence of several farmhouses in the surrounding area is confirmed.
Military architecture is a key element in the construction of the modern state, with a function of articulating power and territorial control. This is particularly evident in frontier areas such as the Pyrenees, where the Spanish and French monarchies often reused pre-existing structures and dynamics to consolidate their authority from the 16th century onwards. This paper proposes the archaeological analysis of a small coastal fortress, the castle of Higer (Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa), as material evidence of these processes. The work is based on an exhaustive documentation and archaeological analysis of elevations, which enables identifying four major phases in the history of the building: (1) a series of structures of medieval origin, built at least in two sub-phases; (2) the reconstruction of the castle at the end of the 16th century by the project of the military engineer Tiburzio Spannocchi; (3) a new reform designed by Felipe Crame in the mid-18th century; and (4) the 19th and 20th centuries, marked by the loss of the military function. The results obtained show that this type of building is a material record of the action of different agents, and especially of the state powers throughout the Modern Age. This opens up an avenue of research with great potential for future development.
La Batida caves constitutes a heritage space resulting from the extraction of stone material on the slope of a site that forms a historical quarry in proximity to the city of Carmona (Seville). The interpretation of these excavated spaces, many of which are subterranean, is always difficult due to their unique configuration and seemingly organic character. To interpret their spatiality and morphology as a consequence of human activity requires an acknowledgment of the origins and logic behind the excavation process. This contribution presents the findings of a chronological, morphological, and stratigraphic analysis of these spaces, contextualised within the historical framework in which they were created. Furthermore, a methodological approach is proposed, supported by photogrammetric surveys and 3D printing techniques, which facilitate the generation of a series of interpretative graphic models that contribute to their knowledge and dissemination.
