Close to the Edge: A Chronometric Approach to Early-Late Iron Age Transition (450-350 BCE) in the Iberian Peninsula

The transition around 400 BCE represents one of the most significant yet least understood transformations of the Iron Age. During this period, most European communities experienced a paradigm shift in their way of life, a socially abstract and heterogeneous transformation about which we still know little. This study aims to establish a chronological framework for this phenomenon by exploring when these changes occurred and when their consequences became apparent.To this end, a multivariable chronometric approach is formulated to clarify the duration and regional variability of processes associated with the end of the Early Iron Age and the emergence of the Late Iron Age. Drawing on a large dataset of radiocarbon dates from 107 archaeological sites located in the Iberian Peninsula, the study is focused on identifying the abandonment of fortified settlements and their subsequent transformation.For this purpose, a chronometric approach combining multiple analytical scales and techniques was formulated. This procedure is specifically designed to provide a robust strategy for investigating and integrating short-term archaeological processes with a geospatial perspective. It provides valuable insights into the timing of the abandonment of Early Iron Age settlements, the emergence of new forms of occupation during the Late Iron Age, and their regional distribution.