Among threads and looms. Maintenance activities in the Iberian societies: the case of El Cerro de la Plaza de Armas de Puente Tablas (Jaén)

Abstract

In this paper we revise and re-interpret some of the areas in the oppidum of Puente Tablas (Jaén) for the Iberian phase (late 5th-3rd century BC), focusing on the evidence of textile weaving. In this case, we aim to analyse this activity as a productive function, endowing it with the value it merits as part of the so-called maintenance activities, linking it not only to the social sphere, but also to those of the economy and culture. In particular, this article focuses on the analysis of hitherto unpublished complexes and contexts associated with this Iberian oppidum. This analysis is crucial since the empirical base is fundamental for inferring interpretations associated with these activities. The analysis of the various selected archaeological contexts provides us information about the wide-ranging economic and social dimensions this activity acquired during this period.