The detection of rural activity patterns through intensive archaeological survey. Some experiences form south-west Iberia

Resumen del trabajo presentado al 19th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, celebrado en Pilsen (República Checa) del 4 al 8 de septiembre de 2013.The rural hinterland of complex archaeological sites present a challenging palimpsest of surface evidence, resulting from a long history of agrarian exploitation. These material entities correspond to a wide range of cultural and social practices, from the network of rural settlements to the more ephemeral evidence of small activity areas and land use. Nevertheless, the scale and rhythm of this evolution has not been homogeneous. In the most productive areas of the alluvial plains we find the aggregation of a continuous human presence from Prehistory. But far from these densely populated areas we find much more scarce and puzzling evidence. Here we detect only particular periods of more intensive farming activity. Within these dense carpets it is difficult to individualize particular processes and to define the real entity of specific episodes of agrarian history. Our aim in this paper is to explore this realm of the more subtle forms of rural life by testing different archaeological intensive survey methods. We are also concerned with the issue of how this archaeological heritage can be protected, considering the huge impact of present agricultural exploitation. We take as a case study the historical site of Medellin (Badajoz, Spain) and its surrounding territory.Peer Reviewe