Mòlta i triturat d'aliments vegetals durant la protohistòria a la Catalunya Oriental, La

Résumé

This PhD research project deals on Grinding and pounding during the Iron Age on the Catalan Coast (NE Spain). The Thesis consists on the study of the typology and chronology of the grinding stones of Iron Age settlements on the Catalan Coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The aim of this study is establishing a general typology for the description of the lithic instruments for pounding and grinding vegetal foods. This typology allows a clear identification and datation of these instruments taking into account the regional diversity. In order to get a deeper knowledge on the possible uses of these grindstones we have carried out phytolith analyses taking into account the morphological types and the raw material from which they are made. The results obtained indicated that grinding stones were used both for processing different vegetal products, such as grasses and other dicotyledonous plants. Therefore grinding stones were used for similar purposes independently of their morphology and lithology. During this period, grinding processes were probably performed in communal buildings by specialists. These results are complemented with other paleobotanical analyses carried out in the same area during the Iron Age period. "