A socioeconomic approach to storage pits in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula 

between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age (1250 – 575/550 ANE) 
 
The silo storage in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages. Do different realities 
coexist in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula? 
 
The storage pits in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age: approach to different 
realities that coexist in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. 
 
The silo storage in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age: approach to different 
realities that coexist in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. 
 
Keywords: ​silos; storage; economy; Bronze Age; Iron Age 
 
The study of the conservation and storage of agricultural products is a
fundamental aspect for the sustainability of any agricultural economy wherein
resources are seasonal. Their preservation has to be ensured, at least, until the
next harvest.

The aim of this work is the revision and the analysis of silo storage practices in
the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. The geographical framework of the
study corresponds to the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The analysis has
been focused on an specific type of structures: the silos. For that purpose we
have been committed to define and identify the silos in each period and
compare them. In addition, this chronological frame allows us to observe the
changes that occur in storage among different social systems over time from a
diachronic perspective.

The reality of silo storage during these periods in the northeast of the Iberian
Peninsula is quite diverse. During this time silo storage lives some very different
realities depending on the area of the NE that is analysed. The storage capacity
undergoes important changes, as well. The wide range of collected information
has enabled an in-depth analysis, from a morphological point of view, of these
data variables: the capacity, the substrates, and their distribution on settlements
and in the studied territory. It will be interesting to observe these changes and to
enquire about the reasons that caused them, as well as the consequences they
produce.

Storage of agricultural products is a key and a fundamental element to

approach the social and economic functioning of these communities. For this
reason we have also reviewed the state of affairs in areas such as agriculture,
livestock, agricultural models, along with existing theories about storage, social
and territorial organization, etc. The results have enabled significant progress in
the knowledge of both the storage practices, and the agricultural and productive
practices in these periods.