This paper presents a method for the merging of lidar-derived point clouds of the same area taken at different moments, even when these are not co-registered. The workflow also incorporates the filtering of vegetation allowing the classification of unclassified point clouds using the ground points of reliable coverages. The objective is to produce a digital terrain model by joining all ground points to generate a higher resolution model than would have been possible using a single coverage. The workflow is supplemented by a multi-scale relief visualisation tool that allows for better detection of archaeological micro-reliefs of variable size even in areas of complex topography. The workflow is tested in six Iberian Iron Age sites, all of them located in mountain areas with dense Mediterranean perennial forests and shrub vegetation.

Recent research has demonstrated the importance of rural settlement in the Iberian culture, although there are still few rural sites explored in depth. ‘Rural settlement’ is the term we use to designate the small habitation sites or agricultural structures that became common from the Middle Iberian Period (450–200 bc) onward; such sites constituted the basis of a hierarchical settlement system characteristic of societies developing towards archaic states. These settlements consist of one or two buildings together with silos and/or artisanal features. The main difficulty in studying such sites is their poor preservation. They are usually located on flat areas suitable for cultivation, and research has traditionally prioritised the study of larger sites. In this study, we revise the data from previous investigations in the territory of ancient Iberian Cessetania and present the results of recent research, paying particular attention to the Rabassats site. We compare these rural settlements to those in other nearby territories in the Iberian area as well as in the wider Mediterranean context. Detailed analyses of the remains of rural sites show a greater complexity than is often assumed and suggest that a variety of small settlements, from an economic and probably also from a social point of view, should be included under the generic heading of ‘fourth order’.

RESUMENSe presenta el estudio de los materiales recuperados en el silo de El Pontarró, en La Secuita (Tarragona), amortizado a finales del siglo V o inicios del IV a.C. Entre ellos destacan un conjunto de elementos de ornamentación de bronce y unas 6.000 cuentas de collar de vidrio, junto a vasijas cerámicas, fusayolas, molinos, restos de fauna terrestre y malacológica (en su mayoría de Cypraea) y otros arqueobotánicos. Algunos de estos objetos son muy poco frecuentes y, en su mayoría, se vinculan con el mundo funerario o ritual. Ello sugiere que el silo se colmató en un acto ritual, tal vez tras la destrucción de una necrópolis. El carácter fortuito del hallazgo y el estado de arrasamiento del terreno donde, además, es difícil continuar la intervención arqueológica impiden obtener más información sobre el contexto y condiciones del depósito. No obstante este es el mayor conjunto de cuentas de vidrio, descubierto hasta la fecha, lo que le convierte en un unicum en la Protohistoria de la Península Ibérica. ABSTRACT