Abstract:

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.