Building Death: Readings on French and Iberian Prehistoric Hypogea

Building Death analyses the role of hypogea within the diversity of funerary constructions employed in the Western Mediterranean since the Neolithic. Their underground nature, entirely or partially carved out rock, and their architecture, sometimes hybrid, elevates them to the status of complex tombs exhibiting a wide variety of forms and functions.

The book derives from an international conference held on 23 November 2023 at the University of Alcalá (UAH), in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain), which brought together French, Portuguese, and Spanish specialists on the subject. It offers a novel overview of the rich assemblage of hypogea in Southwestern Europe. Papers address specific studies of necropolises, regional syntheses, and broader perspectives applied to the entire Mediterranean. The range of topics covers spatial distribution, chronology, construction typologies, funerary practices and grave goods, and even the contribution that can be made by analyses of other underground features such as flint mines.