Fortificaciones de altura en el entorno de Santiago de Compostela. Hacia un primer análisis arqueológico comparativo

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a review, archaeological survey and joint analysis work on ten fortified sites in the area of Santiago de Compostela characterized by their high relative altitude. These sites, called «high fortified sites», are usually linked to the medieval period but the truth is that there are very little studies on this topic to date, and above all, they have never been addressed from a joint and comparative perspective. Specifically we will focus on the comparative review of four key factors in all of them: their location, morphology, building techniques and materials located. Although further studies are still needed to better understand the chronology and functionality of these fortifications, the present work can shed some light on their archaeological characterization, and the contexts in which they were built. The comparative analysis shows that at least some of these sites made part of a larger network and had their origin between 5th-10th centuries AD), although some of them could have been in use in later times.