Wooden Technology During the Iron Age: The Aspio Cave (Ruesga, North Spain)

Summary Remains of perishable materials only survive at archaeological sites in extraordinary preservation conditions. This means that some technologies, such as woodworking, are clearly under‐represented in the archaeological record. Twelve wooden objects were found in the Aspio Cave (Ruesga, Cantabria). The application of an appropriate analytical methodology has allowed us to identify the processes of their selection, acquisition, fabrication and main morphological characteristics. In the case of the combs, morphological parallels have been established with artefacts at Iron Age sites in the British Isles. This singular archaeological assemblage, from a deposit dated in the second or first centuries cal BC, enables an exploration of the role of wood technology in Iron Age societies in Cantabrian Spain.