Raised from the ashes: Geoarchaeological perspectives on house burning practices in an Iberian Iron Age village

Abstract

Burnt houses are a recurrent phenomenon in the prehistoric archaeological record, yet the specific processes behind their burning—likely varying across time and place—remain poorly understood. This study focuses on a thoroughly studied dwelling (House 1) from the Iberian Early Iron Age settlement of Cerro de San Vicente and investigates site formation processes associated with its burning. To achieve this, we applied a multi-proxy geoarchaeological approach, integrating archaeological soil micromorphology—including charcoal analysis on thin sections—, magnetic properties analyses, XRD, XRF, and GIS-based morphological and spatial analyses of mudbricks. Our results suggest that House 1 experienced a high temperature fire, reaching temperatures of up to ∼700 °C, which destroyed its roof, burnt its walls, and generated an ash deposit rich in combustion residues. Shortly thereafter, the house was deliberately infilled with burnt reused mudbricks, recycled both from its dismantled walls and potentially other buildings across the settlement. This practice likely served to raise the level of the house to compensate for midden accumulation in the surrounding transit areas while providing a foundation for new construction phases. These findings suggest that construction materials were reused over time according to context-specific cultural rationales, potentially reflecting elements of a prehistoric circular economy. This research enhances our understanding of settlement and socio-cultural dynamics at Cerro de San Vicente, while contributing to broader archaeological discussions on the roles of prehistoric house burning practices.