Geophysical survey at the frontier of medieval Iberia: the castles of Molina de Aragón and Atienza (Guadalajara, Spain)

García-Contreras Ruiz, G., Fry, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9711-1131, Banerjea, R. Y. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1786-357X and Pluskowski, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4494-7664 (2023) Geophysical survey at the frontier of medieval Iberia: the castles of Molina de Aragón and Atienza (Guadalajara, Spain). Archaeological Prospection, 30 (3). pp. 391-405. ISSN 1099-0763 doi: 10.1002/arp.1899

Abstract/Summary

This paper presents the results of geophysical surveys conducted within two castles in central Iberia; the fortifications of Molina de Aragón and Atienza, both located within the modern province of Guadalajara in Spain. They represent essential case studies for understanding the transformations of the frontier societies of medieval south-western Europe, since both were founded during the Andalusi period, both played a fundamental role at the time of the military confrontations between opposing Islamic and Christian states, and both became capitals within the feudal dependencies of the Crown of Castile during the Late Middle Ages. At present these castles are uninhabited and protected archaeological sites, with no modern developments within their wards; the adjacent towns have developed on the outskirts of their outer walls. Although both castles have been the focus of uneven amounts of archaeological research, geophysical surveys, the first conducted at these sites, have proved to be a fundamental tool not only for planning future archaeological investigations, but also for the data that they have provided on the potential roles of these castle wards.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/111316
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science > Department of Archaeology
Publisher	Wiley
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