Elite Burials on the Iberian Peninsula in the 4th to 7th Centuries ad

EARLY CHRISTIANITY in Portugal and Spain resulted in changes to the urban setting of graves and cemeteries. The arrival of a seasonal liturgy that embraced sacred locations and honoured the memory of illustrious figures of the Christian faith was an agent in the transformation of late antique and early medieval townscapes. The material versatility evidenced in the reframing and design of new funerary zones reflects Christianisation, but also the status and agency of local elites. This paper argues that these processes were influential in changing the urban landscape in Iberia, introducing new monumentalised and sacred spaces, but that these changes were felt in rural areas too.