Women in the Monumental Catalogue of Spain: archaeological discourses on Prehistory and Iron Age for the provinces of Ávila, Soria and Burgos

Abstract

The first third of the twentieth-century was a golden age for Spanish Archaeology, characterised by the diversity of initiatives and its consolidation as a scientific discipline. In this context, the project of the Monumental Catalogue of Spain was developed with the aim to produce a compilation of the Spanish heritage in just one publication. In addition to collecting descriptions of archaeological sites, this work comprises interpretations of past societies in the early twentieth-century. Focusing on the volumes of the provinces of Avila, Soria and Burgos, this article analyses how women are represented in Prehistory and Iron Age contexts. To do this, we use Transkribus, a digital tool that uses Artificial Intelligence to produce semi-automatic transcripts of these volumes, and carried out a linguistic analysis of gender in Voyant Tools. The research results demonstrate the need to rethink stereotypes and create inclusive narratives.