For more than fifteen years, archaeological projects have been carried out in several late antique and early medieval Hispanic churches. These projects have been based, above all, upon an analysis of production cycles and a chronological revision of buildings traditionally considered to have been Visigothic (sixth-seventh century), but which have now been dated to the eighth-tenth century. As has already been argued in previously published academic papers, this re-dating does not merely represent a change of chronology, but a new comprehension of the building technology, its transmission within those periods and the context in which it emerged. With this in mind, our paper seeks to show how building technology in eighth-to-tenth-century Hispanic churches is the reflection of a new architectural culture that can only be understood by considering external factors (most notably, the Islamic conquest in 711) as its driving force and, thus, the factor responsible for innovation. In order to show this, we will first present a brief history of scholarship of the period, understood through the lens of technology including its transmission, identification and context.

Until recently, prevailing opinion has favoured the idea of continuity between the architecture and the decorative art of Hispania during the late antique and early medieval ages. This much suggests that a cul¬tural evolution took place without interruption from Late Roman His- pania (fourth to fifth centuries) through to the Visigothic period (sixth to seventh centuries) and on to the subsequent Asturian (late eighth to early tenth centuries) and Mozarabic (tenth century) eras. This “continuity” model defended the existence of a Visigothic architecture created in an environment owing much to Roman traditions and subject to strong Byzantine influence. After Roman decay and a short period of technological decline in the sixth century, characterized by the use of rough stone masonry, reused material, basilical plans and timber roofs, there was, it is argued, a “revival” in the second half of the seventh century, involving the recovery of previous “Roman” techniques, such as ashlar stone masonry and vaulted roofs. According to this model, external influences are seen as particular inputs quickly learned and assimilated by the local craftsmen, who incorporated new styles, forms and features into their own knowledge and put them into practice.