Abstract:

We present here the first results of an ongoing research project aimed at improving our knowledge of the urban settlements of the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula during the Iron Age. In the 4th-3rd centuries BC, and probably as early as the 6th-5th centuries BC, we detect a strongly hierarchical settlement pattern in this area. It was composed of settlement types that were differentiated by their size and function. The urban sites at the top of the hierarchy are the least known, as their excavation and study present several difficulties, such as the large areas they cover (around 10 hectares) and the fact that most of them lie under dense forest cover that obscures the archaeological remains. This last factor makes it difficult to apply certain non-invasive methods, including geophysical prospection. They are, however, suitable for study by remote sensing techniques. In this paper we discuss the efficiency of those techniques, more specifically the use of lidar data as a method of detecting architectural features in these settlements.