Landscape Archaeology in the surrounding of «Lauro»: A micro-regional approach to Roman territorial shaping in a north-eastern sector of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The link between the place-name Lauro and the ancient history of the eastern part of Vallès region (Barcelona) is a constant throughout historiography. In this paper, this ancient Lauro serves as a guide to present the results of a research conducted in a small area, which due to archaeological data complexity has been of great interest to study the dynamics of territorial structuration in one of the first rural areas conquered by Rome outside the Italian peninsula.From Landscape Archaeology conceptual and methodological tools, extensive and intensive archaeological surveys have been developed. The collected materials and the documented structural remains have allowed us to define settlement and human occupation in a chronology ranging from the development of indigenous (Iberian) societies to the consolidation of the Roman Empire –ivth bc-iith ad–.The results of these works set out the elements to analyse the impact of Roman conquest in settlement evolution at a micro-regional scale. The studied area may represent a model to contrast in other regions and to discuss in future works.

Keywords

• paisajes culturales
• prospecciones arqueológicas
• dinámica de poblamiento
• período ibérico final
• período romano
• vallès oriental