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JournalISSN: 1461-9571

European Journal of Archaeology 

Cambridge University Press
About: European Journal of Archaeology is an academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Bronze Age & Prehistory. It has an ISSN identifier of 1461-9571. Over the lifetime, 1219 publications have been published receiving 11151 citations. The journal is also known as: EJA.


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TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that many other societies do not distinguish ritual from secular action and that what anthropologists identify as ritual is generally considered practical and effective action by its practitioners.
Abstract: This paper argues that the conception of ritual employed in both archaeology and anthropology is a product of post-Enlightenment rationalism. Because it does not meet modern western criteria for practical action, ritual is frequently described as non-functional and irrational; furthermore, this designation is employed as the primary way of identifying ritual archaeologically. However, this evaluation of ritual action must be questioned. Contemporary modes of categorizing human practice are not untainted by socio-political interest but enable the reproduction of certain forms of power. It is argued that many other societies do not distinguish ritual from secular action. In fact, what anthropologists identify as ritual is generally considered practical and effective action by its practitioners. This is because different conceptions of instrumentality and causation inform such activities. For archaeologists, use of the concept of ritual has resulted in a serious misapprehension of prehistoric rationa...

313 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The first edition of Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook (Rice, 1987) sits within easy reach of my desk as mentioned in this paper and it has been used as a sourcebook for many years.
Abstract: My first edition of Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook (Rice, 1987) sits within easy reach of my desk. Tape on the binding is an indication that it has indeed been a ‘sourcebook’ for my work. I recall ...

207 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, Strontium isotope ratios were measured in bone and tooth enamel to determine if these individuals had changed geological residence during their lifetimes, and the analysis of 81 Bell Beaker individuals indicated that 51 had moved during their lifetime.
Abstract: Human skeletal remains from Bell Beaker graves in southern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary were analyzed for information on human migration. Strontium isotope ratios were measured in bone and tooth enamel to determine if these individuals had changed ‘geological’ residence during their lifetimes. Strontium isotopes vary among different types of rock. They enter the body through diet and are deposited in the skeleton. Tooth enamel forms during early childhood and does not change. Bone changes continually through life. Difference in the strontium isotope ratio between bone and enamel in the same individual indicates change in residence. Results from the analysis of 81 Bell Beaker individuals indicated that 51 had moved during their lifetime. Information on the geology of south-central Europe, the application of strontium isotope analysis, and the relevant Bell Beaker sites is provided along with discussion of the results of the study.

201 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, two pitch finds were discovered in a lignite open-mining pit in the northern foothills of the Harz Mountains, in a layer the geological age of which was dated as being older than 80,000 years.
Abstract: Any new knowledge that goes beyond the stone tools and techniques used in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic is most significant as it reveals the cultural and technical capabilities of the people living in these periods. In 1963, two pitch finds were discovered in a lignite open-mining pit in the northern foothills of the Harz Mountains, in a layer the geological age of which was dated as being older than 80,000 years. The great significance of these finds was therefore immediately apparent. One of the finds showed a fingerprint as well as the imprints of a flint stone tool and the structure of wood cells. This was indicative of the pitch piece having served as an adhesive to secure a wooden haft to a flint stone blade.Over 30 years later these finds were transferred to the Doerner Institut for investigation. The GC and GC/MS analyses revealed that, in both cases, birch pitches, well-known historical adhesives, had been used. These consist predominantly of pentacyclic triterpenoid components of the ...

181 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Duckworth Debates in Archaeology (DDE) series as mentioned in this paper was initiated by Robin Skeates and Colin Renfrew, who argued that the most significant cause of destruction of the archaeological heritage today is looting: the illicit, unrecorded and unpublished excavation of ancient sites to provide antiquities for commercial profit.
Abstract: most significant cause of destruction of the archaeological heritage today is looting: the illicit, unrecorded and unpublished excavation of ancient sites to provide antiquities for commercial profit’ (p. 15), and he goes on to quote a former UN Secretary General, who describes it as ‘an unmitigated and continuing catastrophe for the world’s archaeological heritage’ (Pérez de Cuéllar 1995:Chap. 7). He links looting with the traffic in drugs, since antiquities provide a convenient means of laundering the money derived from this despicable trade. Like Brian Fagan, Colin Renfrew does not mince his words: he singles out famous museums for their disregard of provenance when purchasing antiquities. Whilst by and large he exonerates archaeologists from blame, he none the less implicitly admonishes them for their reluctance to become involved in the struggle against illicit trade in antiquities. He says in his Envoi: ‘Ultimately it is a matter of public opinion at a world level . . . The professionals – the academics, the museum staff – could and should play their part. But in the last analysis this is a public matter, and the decision is yours’ (p. 92). Colin Renfrew’s clarion call is published in a new series of Duckworth Debates in Archaeology, an enterprising project under the editorship of Richard Hodges. The scope of this series is wide, covering both more academic matters and practical heritage concerns. The six chapters of Robin Skeates’s volume (Skeates 2000) cover defining, owning, protecting, managing, interpreting, and experiencing the archaeological heritage respectively. It is an impressive and provocative tour d’horizon with many critical insights, which declares itself in the preface: ‘I argue that archaeologists can no longer assume that the material remains of the past are theirs to control. Instead, they must learn more about the need for cultural sensitivity, consultation, collaboration and compromise in dealing with other interest groups’ (pp. 7–8). That must surely be the foundation of any archaeological code of ethics.

152 citations

Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Journal in previous years
YearPapers
202324
202264
202144
202057
201954
201852