Alfares, hornos y producción de cerámica en la Cataluña Medieval y Moderna: una reflexión para su estudio

Abstract

[spa] A lo largo de la última década, numerosas excavaciones arqueológicas -preventivas en su mayoría-han permitido la recuperación y el estudio de algunasestructuras de cocción de cerámica de cronologías medievalesy postmedievales que se añaden al panorama conocido afinales del siglo XX. Sin embargo, se constata la ausencia enel ámbito catalán de visiones de síntesis que aúnen esfuerzospor superar el localismo propio e inevitable de las memoriasde excavación en favor de una interpretación más ampliaacerca de la ocupación del territorio y de las estrategias deproducción.En este trabajo, que no pretende ser exhaustivo, presentamosun somero estado de la cuestión en relación con el estudiode las estructuras de cocción y los talleres de producción decerámica en la Cataluña de época medieval y moderna quenos permita ahondar en los problemas de fondo que dichasactividades plantean. Nuestro objetivo, pues, es poner sobrela mesa una reflexión acerca de la actividad alfarera y delmodelo de implantación de centros de producción en unterritorio determinado, así como a la propia evolución de loshornos durante los siglos medievales y modernos en aras deuna mayor adecuación técnica.

[eng] During the last ten years, archaeological -mainly preventive- fieldwork allowed finding out some kilns from medieval and modern times that complete the panorama known until the end of 20th Century. Even though, it should be pointed out that a global state of the art about firing structures lacked for medieval and modern Catalonia. There is a strong need for some synthesis views making an effort to join results and exchange data in order to overcome the unavoidable localisms of emergency fieldwork for a better understanding of landscape occupation and craftsmanship strategies. Therefore, this paper aims to present a global -although non exhaustive- view on this matter in order to highlight some items concerning pottering activities, firing structures and workshops in Medieval and Modern Catalonia in order to deep into the main issues of such activities. Accordingly, our main goal is to propose some questions and reflexions for debate concerning pottery craftsmanship and its model of layout throughout the landscape; as well as the evolution of kilns during medieval and modern periods so as to achieve a better technical improvement. Within this piece of research, the location of this kind of manufacturing sites is discussed in order to detect some patterns of setting and developing throughout medieval and modern times, bearing in mind their rooting in the roman period. What we can observe is that there seems to be a continued process, with no interruption, that leads from the roman pottery producing centres, mainly specialized in amphorae production and settled on the Coastal Catalonian Plane, to the medieval cave-dwelling workshops specialized in reduced cooking wares. These inland settlements, deal with the production of specialized wares according to the new demand of these Centuries until social changes during the end of Middle Ages, gradually forced their disappearance in favour of new ways of pottery-making related to the new enhancement of cities and the improvement of urban world. To sum up, pottery production can be considered quite a good reflect of social changes and it points towards the way in what societies occupy the landscape and interact with the natural environment. From the archaeological standpoint, scholars are given a boost to approaching to this subject in a deep insight that globally considers this kind of sites as a whole. Furthermore, we spotlight the strong need of detailed excavation field-works in order to gather as much information as possible from these sites in order to understand the entire productive process, focusing in the excavation of kilns, but as well in workshops and annexe areas, which frequently are much complex.