Maria Ruiz del Arbol Moro

RESUMEN Se presenta una visión de síntesis sobre las reformas de Augusto en el Noroeste hispano y el impacto que supusieron sobre la organización social y territorial. Esta reorganización fue la base sobre la que se asentó la puesta en marcha de la minería de oro, que debe considerarse un elemento más dentro de la explotación integral de los recursos provinciales, no como una actividad económica sectorial. La síntesis se apoya en los resultados de intervenciones recientes en diversas zonas mineras del Noroeste peninsular, entre los que se destacan aquellos que responden a medidas tomadas en época de Augusto o que son consecuencia directa de ellas. ABSTRACT An overall picture about the reforms of Augustus in the Hispanic Northwest and assumed impact on social and territorial organization is presented. This reorganization was the basis for the implementation of gold mining, to be considered as one element in the comprehensive exploitation of provincial resources , not as a sectoral economic activity. The synthesis is based on the results of recent interventions in

The water networks of Roman gold mines are fundamental to the understanding of the exploitation of the territory by Rome in Western and Northwestern Iberian Peninsula. Apart from the technological and quantitative data relating these hydraulic systems, qualitative considerations are extremely important to understand their role in the social construction of landscape. Thus, water networks of Roman mines need to be approached from several points of view, including the technical, administrative, juridical and social aspects of the Roman dominion.
This paper aims to present a synthesis of the research work done by our research group in the mining areas of the Northwestern area of the Iberian Peninsula, for which the study and analysis of hydraulic systems related to mining exploitation has been a fundamental part. The purpose of this paper is thus to present both the geo-historical context of these water systems and the methodology and approach of our work. We will do this by using the example of the Roman gold mines of Las Cavenes, in the Sierra de Francia region, where an extensive and very well preserved hydraulic system has been recorded and analysed.

Research on salt exploitation and production in Poland, in particular in Małopolska (Lesser Poland), has offered in the past a big amount of information and very interesting data for understanding of the role of salt in the articulation
of  the  territory  in  prehistoric  times.  However,  since  the  middle  of  the  1980s, Polish archaeology has not been very active and the research has not joined the recent renovations experienced in this field. Nevertheless, the very recent relevant
findings related to salt exploitation and production in Polish lowlands – such as the important site 100/101 at Inowrocław – point to a renewal of this panorama. This  paper  aims  to  present  an  overview  of  the  present  state  of  the  art  on  pre-medieval  salt  exploitation  in  the  Polish  lowlands,  with  a  focus  on  Kujawy  and Wielkopolska (Kujavia and Greater Poland) and to summarize the most relevant data integrated in their geo-historical context. The results of the excavations carried out at Inowrocław will be used as a paradigmatic example of the relevance of these new data to the explorations of salt exploitation in Central-Eastern Europe. The paper concludes with several considerations about future directions for research in this region.

This paper presents a synthesis of the work done by the research group Social Structure and Territory – Landscape Archaeology (Institute of History, CSIC) in North Western Spain, for which the study and analysis of hydraulic networks related to Roman mining exploitation has been a fundamental part. The gold-bearing areas of the Iberian Peninsula’s North West had a great importance for the Roman Empire, which integrates their exploitation in the overall control of the territory from the very beginning of the 1st century AD. To ensure the essential supply of water for the whole of the mining process was one of the main axes of the reorganization of the provincial territories.
The aim of this paper is to present both the historical context of these water networks and the methodology and approach of our work, in which the fieldwork and network analysis is an important research aim. We will do this by using the example of the Roman gold mines of the Sierra de Francia region where an extensive and very well preserved hydraulic system has been recorded and analysed. Our team has gathered archaeological evidence for the study of water networks and mining exploitation and their incidence on the revaluation of natural resources in the region.

This work illustrates the results of a geoarchaeological study carried out at two medieval deserted villages in the Basque Country. These were investigated during large-scale excavations, which exposed inhabited areas alongside production spaces. At Zaballa (Iruña de Oca, Álava), a terrace system from the 10th century AD was studied. At Zornoztegi (Salvatierra, Álava), thick backfill units deposited for agricultural
purposes between the late 11th and the early 12th century AD were analyzed. Traces of vegetation clearance, possibly by means of fire, were observed in both sites. Soil micromorphological and physicochemical analyses allowed for the reconstruction of the formation processes of these agricultural spaces, and demonstrated the human impact on the local soilscapes. A multi-proxy approach was applied
in order to determine the chronology and to identify the crops that were grown in these agricultural contexts. At Zaballa, terraces were probably used to grow vines, whereas the backfill units of Zornoztegi were linked to cereal growth and to horticulture. Results are discussed in comparison to other sites in the Basque Country and northern Iberia, highlighting a generalized transformation of rural settlements
between the 6th and the 12th century AD.

The present practice in Spanish cultural heritage protection and management is marked by the high
presence of historical and archaeological landscapes in research and theoretical formulations and by the
fragmentary presence of these conceptions in territorial strategies of protection and development. This
situation that, in general terms, can be presented as paradigmatic of Mediterranean countries, contrasts
with the situation in the Netherlands and in northern Europe in general, where the transformation of the
present-day landscape has opened the opportunity of establishing closer links with sustainable management
of the archaeological-historical elements and structures of the cultural landscape.
In this paper we propose to explore the possibilities and perspectives of applying PDL/BBO and Belvedere
concepts such as “conservation through development” to the Spanish context and we analyse to
what extent Spanish practices can take advantage of the PDL/BBO experience. After presenting an overview
of the treatment of archaeological-historical resources in current Spanish cultural heritage management
policies, we take into consideration the PDL/BBO research programme’s aims and structure
with the aim of developing new ways of thinking about the sustainable development of archaeologicalhistorical
landscapes in Spain following the successes of the PDL/BBO programme.