Farming practice, ecological temporality, and urban communities at a late Iron Age oppidum

Abstract

Agriculture is a vital component of social practice, yet it is often overlooked as a key aspect in the social organisation of the communities resident at urban settlements. This paper uses the example of late Iron Age oppida, a type of settlement at the intersection of the Iron Age and Roman worlds where research has focussed upon elites rather than community. Drawing upon studies of human–plant relationships, particularly that of ecological temporalities, this paper shows that considering the capacity of plants to affect people through ‘planty agency’ renders annual rhythms of human–plant relationships perceptible. The utilisation of archaeobotanical data in this novel way provides new insights into social practices and the formation of communities at late Iron Age oppida.