A peaceful society? A preliminary approach to the Archaeology of conflict of the NW Iberian Iron Age

Conflict archaeology is an increasingly popular field of study within Roman archaeology, but not all regions have developed it to the same extent. This paper analyses the archaeological evidence of conflict from the region of the Galaics (NW Iberian Iron Age society), whose existence has been usually overlooked or even denied. We will review the ideological, historiographical and archaeological reasons for this absence; then, a review of archaeological evidence is proposed. The first section explores evidence of the structural role of warfare and conflict as a ‘negative imprint’ in society and culture. Subsequently, several contexts of Iron Age intergroup violence are analysed, with a focus on the crisis of the 400 BC. Finally, three case studies showcasing the conflict between Iron Age communities and the Roman Empire are explored. Our aim is to provide a preliminary approach to conflict in the Galaic Iron Age, proposing new, unpublished contexts and suggesting different research paths.