Pit-digging and grain storage in south-western Iberian Chalcolithic ditched enclosures: a non-reductionist approach

In the prehistoric and historical archaeology of Western Europe there are plenty of examples of underground features, pits, interpreted as subterranean or underground granaries. In the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula, the idea of pits as storage spaces for grain has been very widespread since the end of the 19th century, allowing for the interpretation of the countless underground features known, both within enclosed areas and in unenclosed pit sites, dating from the IV and III millennia BC (Neolithic and Copper Age), as silos. Some observers have gone beyond that: the notion of pit as silo has often been the starting point for scientific postulates arguing an intensification of agricultural activities and cultural complexity in the southern Iberian Copper Age. Therefore, the way archaeologists position themselves as regards this issue has considerable implications at the level of historical interpretation, beyond the simple attribution of functions to archaeological structures. In this paper we will challenge some of these ideas by reviewing the south-western Iberian Neolithic and Chalcolithic evidence and critically discussing the potential of south-western Iberian pits to be used for grain storage, as well as the scale of this activity