Showing papers in "European Journal of Archaeology in 2002"
TL;DR: The palaeodietary information, while limited, strongly suggests a very rapid and complete change in the subsistence economy coincident with the earliest manifestations of the Neolithic on the west coast of Scotland early in the fourth millennium cal.
Abstract: Models of the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in Britain in recent years have tended to downplay the role of changes in the subsistence economy, emphasizing a very gradual adoption of new domesticated resources. This view has been particularly pervasive for the west coast of Scotland, which in the context of Britain presents a relatively marginal environment for farming. In this article, we challenge this too-quickly emerging orthodoxy through the presentation and discussion of both new and previously published stable isotope data and AMS dates. The palaeodietary information, while limited, strongly suggests a very rapid and complete change in the subsistence economy coincident with the earliest manifestations of the Neolithic on the west coast of Scotland early in the fourth millennium cal. BC. Whatever explanation is invoked to account for the transition needs to engage with the isotopic data. The possibility of colonization at some level needs to be seriously reconsidered. La transition du meso...
135 citations
TL;DR: Farming can be shown to have spread very rapidly across the British Isles and southern Scandinavia around 6000 years ago, following a long period of stasis when the agricultural 'frontier' lay further south on the North European Plain between northern France and northern Poland as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Farming can be shown to have spread very rapidly across the British Isles and southern Scandinavia around 6000 years ago, following a long period of stasis when the agricultural 'frontier' lay further south on the North European Plain between northern France and northern Poland. The reasons for the delay in the adoption of agriculture on the north-west fringe of Europe have been debated by archaeologists for decades. Here, we present fresh evidence that this renewed phase of agricultural expansion was triggered by a significant change in climate. This finding may also have implications for understanding the timing of the expansion of farming into some upland areas of southern and mid-latitude Europe. Changement climatique et adoption de l'agriculture dans le nord-ouest de l'Europe On peut demontrer que, il y a 6000 ans, l'agriculture s'est repandue tres rapidement dans les iles Britanniques et dans la Scandinavie meridionale. Cette expansion survenait apres une longue periode de stagnation ou la "...
98 citations
TL;DR: The role of the Archaeology Data Service is explored and some of the issues raised by the collection of digital data and their dissemination online and the implications for the future of archaeological publication are examined.
Abstract: There is a crisis in the publication and archiving of archaeological field data in Europe. Computerized data are more fragile than paper archives but also more accessible via the Internet. This article explores the role of the Archaeology Data Service and examines some of the issues raised by the collection of digital data and their dissemination online and the implications for the future of archaeological publication. It discusses approaches to digital data preservation, the development of archival standards and ways of encouraging reuse. It explores the development of distributed online catalogues and archives and the need for metadata standards for cataloguing resources. Finally, it considers the role of XML as an emergent technology and introduces the European ARENA project which is developing a digital preservation and access infrastructure.
45 citations
TL;DR: Ritual and ritual specialists have often been dissociated from power in the writings of prehistorians and archaeologists as discussed by the authors, and from ethnographic and ethnohistoric accounts, however, ritual specialists o...
Abstract: Ritual and ritual specialists have often been dissociated from power in the writings of prehistorians and archaeologists. From ethnographic and ethnohistoric accounts, however, ritual specialists o...
44 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that the dramatic transformative effect of the tides on the shallow waters of this archipelago will have enhanced the liminality of the setting and may have endowed the islands with special mythological or symbolic associations that may explain the density of the monuments.
Abstract: Coastal distributions such as that of the Neolithic chambered tombs of Brittany raise important questions about prehistoric beliefs and understandings relating to sea and shoreline. Concepts of liminality come particularly to the fore where headlands and islands are selected as places for the disposal of human remains. The density of chambered tombs recorded by Du Châtellier on the islands of the Molene archipelago, with its rocks, inlets and small islands exposed and covered by the tides, provides a prominent example of this coastal emphasis. The analysis presented here includes assessment of the reliability of the Du Châtellier inventory and of the topographic changes resulting from sea-level rise. It is argued that the dramatic transformative effect of the tides on the shallow waters of this archipelago will have enhanced the liminality of the setting and may have endowed the islands with special mythological or symbolic associations that may explain the density of the monuments. Ethnographic a...
26 citations
TL;DR: A new theoretical model is proposed for the definition of social structure and processes of change of the Castro Culture societies as mentioned in this paper, based on current anthropological approaches to 'agrarian segmentary societies' and implies the revision of the aristocratic models that now dominate research on the European Iron Age.
Abstract: A new theoretical model is proposed for the definition of social structure and processes of change of the Castro Culture societies. It is based on current anthropological approaches to 'agrarian segmentary societies' and implies the revision of the aristocratic models that now dominate research on the European Iron Age. Las formas de desigualdad social en la cultura castrena del noroeste de la Peninsula Iberica Se propone un nuevo modelo teorico para la definicion de la estructura social y los procesos de cambio de las sociedades castrenas. Este modelo se basa en los actuales estudios antropologicos sobre las 'sociedades agrarias segmentarias' e implica una revision de los modelos aristocraticos que actualmente imperan en la investigacion sobre la Edad del Hierro europea. Formes d'inegalite sociale dans la culture de Castro dans le nord-ouest de l'Iberie Un nouveau modele theorique est propose pour la definition des structures sociales et des processus de changement dans les societes de la culture...
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a century-long history of research into a particular set of archaeological finds is explored, including the "princely graves" from the early Iron Age (seventh to fifth centuries BC).
Abstract: This article critically explores the century-long history of research into a particular set of archaeological finds. The 'princely graves' – funerary assemblages dated to the early Iron Age (seventh to fifth centuries BC) containing, among other things, luxurious objects produced in Archaic Greek workshops – are known from various parts of temperate Europe, and were first recorded in the central Balkans region by the end of the nineteenth century. By their very nature, these finds pose several important theoretical and methodological problems, one of them being the need to bridge the divide between the procedures of prehistoric and classical archaeologies. The first attempts to account for these exceptional finds, in Europe as well as in the Balkans, were guided by the culture-historical procedure, typical of the archaeological investigation of the time. During the 1960s New Archaeology brought about the notion of chiefdom as a tool to account for the Iron Age societies. The concept was introduced...
21 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the use of context in relation to the articulation and understanding of gender in the early Bronze Age of the Upper Thames Valley, examining ways that people took gender into account in complex decisions involved in burial and the construction of difference.
Abstract: This article explores the use of context in relation to the articulation and understanding of gender. Context can be regarded as gendered practice. Focusing on mortuary settings in the early Bronze Age of the Upper Thames Valley, it examines ways that people took gender into account in complex decisions involved in burial and the construction of difference. Here, men and women were conceptualized in distinct ways that were not necessarily equivalent. Difference was expressed in terms of degrees of complexity of intersections between sex and other social categories. Beaker burial contexts were active and engendered material media for social relations.
17 citations
TL;DR: Investigating the spatial relationships and depositional patterns of different find categories, with a special focus on human remains, including DNA analysis and the ornamentation of pottery from one of the larger excavation units from the Jettböle site finds the character and meaning seem to be more complex than previously considered.
Abstract: The article focuses on problems in making generalizations about the character of Stone Age sites and the difficulties of separating sacred and secular remains. Like many other Pitted Ware sites, the middle Neolithic site of Jettbole on the Aland Islands has been characterized as a settlement site despite finds of a ritual character. This study investigates the spatial relationships and depositional patterns of different find categories, with a special focus on human remains, including DNA analysis and the ornamentation of pottery from one of the larger excavation units from the site. The character and meaning of the site seem to be more complex than previously considered. The results of the study stress the need for careful investigation of the contextual circumstances of finds before making general interpretations. Le site du neolithique moyen de Jettbole sur les Iles de Aland – restes humains, DNA ancienne et poterie Cet article met en evidence d'un cote les problemes survenant lorsqu'on veut ge...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a study of power and space within the Archbishop's Palace in Trondheim is presented, in particular how the structure and organization of the precinct in the late medieval period formed a medium through which the archbishop's powers were exercised.
Abstract: This article concerns the study of power and space within the Archbishop's Palace in Trondheim and, in particular, how the structure and organization of the precinct in the late medieval period formed a medium through which the archbishop's powers were exercised. Its aim is to explore the ways in which the spatial patterning of occupation, as revealed by the recent excavations in the palace, can cast light on the articulation of the archbishop's wealth, status and authority during the turbulent period prior to the Reformation.The theoretical starting point is a reformulation of Michael Mann's theory of social power and Anthony Giddens's concept of 'locale' within a Marxist framework. It is suggested that, in the historical context of the crisis of Scandinavian feudalism, the palace at Trondheim became the focus for overlapping networks of ideological, economic, military and political power. These developments were expressed through the reorganization of the architectural space and the construction...
6 citations
TL;DR: Perles et al. as discussed by the authors, The Early Neolithic in Greece, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 373-373, were the first to describe the early Neolithic period in Greece.
Abstract: (2002). Catherine Perles, The Early Neolithic in Greece.. European Journal of Archaeology: Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 373-373.
TL;DR: Kilns are classified on the basis of their structure, building technique and firing technology and these characteristics are examined using archaeological evidence, ethnographical sources and also technological and pyrotechnical analysis.
Abstract: This article discusses tenth–sixteenth-century pottery kilns in the Carpathian Basin in the territory of medieval Hungary. Kilns are classified on the basis of their structure, building technique and firing technology and these characteristics are examined using archaeological evidence, ethnographical sources and also technological and pyrotechnical analysis. The archaeological and stratigraphical features and some methodological problems of medieval pottery kiln study are also discussed and a topographical analysis of the pottery kilns in relation to the workshops and settlements on the basis of archaeological and historical evidence is presented. The history of the development, origin and distribution of the types of medieval pottery kilns in the Carpathian Basin is also presented. There is a brief discussion of the contribution that pottery kiln studies can make to the understanding of workshop organization. Fours a poterie medievaux dans le bassin des Carpates Cet article porte sur les fours a...
TL;DR: The development of biomarkers for the detection of ancient TB will provide a reliable means of diagnosis and provide archaeology with a useful tool for the investigation of the disease in archaeological populations.
Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB), the disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has afflicted mankind for millennia. Currently, the diagnosis of TB from archaeological specimens relies on the identification of bone changes. This method is problematic, since the bone changes seen in TB are not exclusive to the disease. Here, we examine the state-of-the-art of ancient TB diagnosis using the biomarker approach. The development of biomarkers for the detection of ancient TB will provide a reliable means of diagnosis and provide archaeology with a useful tool for the investigation of the disease in archaeological populations. Tuberculose ancienne et chimie des lipides – un drole de couple! La tuberculose (TB), maladie causee par le myobacterium tuberculosis, afflige l'humanite depuis des millenaires. Actuellement, la diagnose de TB en archeologie repose sur l'identification de changements osseux des squelettes. Cette methode est douteuse, car ces modifications accompagnant la TB ne sont pas exclusivement liees a c...
TL;DR: The remaining articles by Rowlands in this volume deal with ethnographic themes, and while they make better reading than most of the archaeological articles, I lack the competence to judge their veracity.
Abstract: ‘Heuneburg’ to the ‘Hohenasperg in late Hallstatt D domain’, and then to the middle Rhine in early La Tène, which is discussed briefly at the article’s close (with ‘true paramounts’ trading on the Rhine), can also be read in a completely different fashion. If we see ostentatious burials as a symptom of regal power display, then the geographic peripheralization of the phenomenon could be a sign of deeper ideological ties with the Mediterranean world, where funerary luxury was increasingly banned by societies freeing themselves from regal institutions. It may be no chance that the fantastically luxurious early La Tène internment at the foot of Hessia’s Glauberg hillfort lies on the northern rim of Celtic central Europe. The remaining articles by Rowlands in this volume deal with ethnographic themes, and while they make better reading than most of the archaeological articles, I lack the competence to judge their veracity. Kristian Kristiansen’s work is based on a deep-seated knowledge of European archaeology and is especially strong when dealing with the Bronze Age of his native Scandinavia. The articles collected here include ‘The consumption of wealth in Bronze Age Denmark: a study in the dynamic of economic processes in tribal societies’, Chapter 7, first published in 1978; ‘The formation of tribal systems in northern Europe, 4000–500 BC’, Chapter 4, from 1982; ‘From stone to bronze: the evolution of social complexity in northern Europe, 2300–1200 BC’, Chapter 5, 1987; ‘Centre and periphery in Bronze Age Scandinavia’, Chapter 10, which also saw print in 1987; and ‘The emergence of the European world system in the Bronze Age: divergence, convergence and social evolution during the first and second millennia BC in Europe’, Chapter 11, first published in 1994. Kristiansen’s theoretical standpoints are close to Rowlands’ and have the same formalistic air about them. What makes the articles more enjoyable is the obvious command the author has of the evidence he deals with. As an American archaeologist living and working in central Europe, it galls me when English-speaking colleagues combine social history, random ethnographic information and very poorly-researched continental archaeological evidence and claim to achieve sophisticated levels of explanation. Rowlands is an obvious example of this, but he is certainly not alone. Surely, it is not too much to ask that a basic degree of serious research accompany any inquiry into prehistory, in or outside an author’s linguistic limits. Another problem is a general phenomenon of theoretical archaeology papers in the 1970s and 1980s: a combination of difficult language and formalized, often stale thought. The articles are, as a result, usually boring. Considering how remarkably close postprocessual archaeology can be to humanist interpretations of traditional archaeology which, in Germany, involves Gero v. Merhart, Georg Kossack, Rolf Hachmann and Joachim Werner, it should be admissible that when central Europeans are accused of missing the theoretical archaeological boat during the 1970s and 1980s they can answer that it was sailing the wrong way. Louis D. Nebelsick Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte Sachsen, Dresden, Germany
TL;DR: The Archaeology of Fire in the Bronze Age of Romania provides more than surface information, but does not delve particularly deep into the phenomena discussed, so a non-reader of the Romanian language might find it difficult to seek more information.
Abstract: between then and now. In some ways, The Archaeology of Fire in the Bronze Age of Romania can be classified as a sort of catalogue. The text provides more than surface information, but does not delve particularly deep into the phenomena discussed. A non-reader of the Romanian language might find it difficult to seek more information as all except one of the many references are in Romanian. Despite these shortcomings, the book has many advantages. I truly feel that I know much more about the Romanian Bronze Age than I did before. The book also stirred my curiosity and pushed me to continue my reading. Still, I wish it were a more thorough text that put problems into perspective. The vast number of figures, tables and lists could have been reduced and the complexity of the contents increased. There is the old saying that an image says more than a thousand words. In this case, I would disagree. I would gladly have exchanged some figures for text. The book has its shortcomings, but Schuster, Comşa and Popa are nonetheless to be congratulated for their publication. Their thematic stance is unique for Romanian archaeology and therefore the book adds to the literature. The next book on fire certainly will be better, or as the authors write: ‘Further on, some new steps can be made’.
TL;DR: The case studies do not perhaps in the end bear the weight of the theoretical framework, and I see little point in treating survey and excavation data separately, and why is the Neolithic different in the surveys? Perhaps the generalizing tone of the interpretive framework applies the assumption of residential permanence too uniformly across the time spans under consideration as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: be both a strength and a weakness. It is surely unhealthy for everyone to agree with one another, or to trade anonymous interpretations. One could wish for more distinctive schools of approach, to support and widen recognition of the inescapability of theory which Neustupný rightly stresses from the outset. Yet there is also at times here a sense of reinventing the wheel, in that a whole host of ideas, to be found in the wider international literatures, and to do with such an array of themes and problems as agency and structure, individuals, households, gender, networks, phenomenology, and landscape and land use in general, has been overlooked or deliberately set aside. What could be most exciting of all would be the Czech response to this broader set of ideas. The case studies do not perhaps in the end bear the weight of the theoretical framework, and I see little point in treating survey and excavation data separately. The Loděnice study area was chosen in the first place principally because of evidence of specialized La Tène production (p. 84), and the Říčany study area was virtually devoid of known finds before the mid-1980s (p. 116). The case studies are none the worse for those backgrounds, but it could be illuminating to see this stimulating range of ideas and techniques applied to landscapes from which there is also excavated evidence, whatever its limitations, biases and constraints. And why is the Neolithic different in the surveys? Perhaps the generalizing tone of the interpretive framework applies the assumption of residential permanence too uniformly across the time spans under consideration. However, seen on the one hand as an unfinished project, and on the other as full of implications for landscape study in much wider areas of Europe, this report promises much for the future. Alasdair Whittle School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
TL;DR: Hodder et al. as mentioned in this paper described the example at Catalhoyuk as a "reflexive method in archaeology" and used it in their Towards Reflexive Method in Archaeology (NFM) project.
Abstract: (2002). Ian Hodder, ed., Towards Reflexive Method in Archaeology: The Example at Catalhoyuk.. European Journal of Archaeology: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 251-251.
TL;DR: Härke as mentioned in this paper presents a study of the role of German archaeology in German society, which he calls an "historical sociology of German archaeological research." This distinction might not be obvious at first, since such historical studies as Trigger or Bahn do tend to place developments within a social context, but should be evident from the section headings in the table of contents.
Abstract: As the title indicates, this book was not intended to serve as a history or theoretical overview of German archaeology (although both themes are discussed), but rather a study of the role archaeology has historically played in German society; what Härke calls an ‘historical sociology of German archaeology.’ This distinction might not be obvious at first – since such historical studies as Trigger or Bahn do tend to place developments within a social context – but should be evident from the section headings in the table of contents:
TL;DR: Jensen as discussed by the authors studied the perception of pre-history during the period studied and concluded that the Bible was the determining factor for how Swedish prehistory was perceived, but he left political aspects out, with the notentirely convincing excuse that so many others have studied these.
Abstract: perception of prehistory during the period studied. He chooses to leave political aspects out, with the not-entirely convincing excuse that so many others have studied these. When he then finally reaches the conclusion that Christian historiography was the determining factor for how Swedish prehistory was perceived, one can’t help wondering if other conclusions would have been equally possible. Jensen also excludes the political aspects of Christianity, which I believe obstructs deeper understanding. How are we, for example, to understand variation and change in religious beliefs – which, according to Jensen, different views of the past follow – if we do not consider their relation to contemporary society? Jensen identifies two different attitudes toward prehistory during the period studied: those who perceived it as a time of greatness – a Golden Age – and those who on the contrary perceived it as a barbarian period. He also identifies two profound changes in perspectives in Swedish prehistory. The first coincides with the beginning of medieval times and occurred when the Bible became a central point of reference and Christian values determined the perception of the past. The second change took place at the end of the seventeenth century and involved a marginalization of God within the frame of history. Even if the image of prehistory still was primarily based on written sources, there was now an increased interest in empirical observations, finds, inventories, and excavations. For the earlier part of the period in Jensen’s study there are only a few written sources that tell us about how prehistory and antiquities were perceived. It is not until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that the number of texts became more substantial. But the antiquarians were still a small and esoteric group in the uppermost class of society and written information about more popular views was rare. It would be interesting to analyse what conclusions could be reached about this using archaeological sources. There are a large number of finds from excavations of ancient monuments that are considered ‘recent’, and therefore often are left unexplored. These finds may, in fact, be an important testimony to popular actions and views on antiquities and prehistory within historical times. These views are not documented in texts. There are many indications that the potential of archaeological sources in writing the history of ideas about the past still has to be tapped. Notwithstanding that the theses discussed are about the history of archaeology and not the prehistoric past, they provide the same benefit as all good archaeology: they give glimpses into human realities that arouse thoughts about one’s own existence. Mats Burström National Heritage Board Stockholm, Sweden
TL;DR: This chapter discusses Southeastern Europe in the transition to agriculture in Europe: bridge, buffer, or mosaic, and notes on hybridity and writing.
Abstract: References FINK, JENNIFER NATALYA, 1999. Conclusion. Pushing through the surface: notes on hybridity and writing. In May Joseph and Jennifer Natalya Fink (eds) Performing Hybridity: 247–252. Minneapolis and London: Minnesota University Press. FOUCAULT, MICHEL, 1980. Language, CounterMemory, Practice. Selected Essays and Interviews. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. THEOCHARIS, D.R., 1967. H Aυγη′ της Θεσσαλικης Προϊστορι′ας. Volos. TRINGHAM, RUTH, 2000. Southeastern Europe in the transition to agriculture in Europe: bridge, buffer, or mosaic. In T. Douglas Price (ed.) Europe’s First Farmers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kostas Kotsakis Department of Archaeology Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
TL;DR: The Monumental Past is an important and interesting contribution to the methodological turn occurring within postprocessualism as mentioned in this paper, and it can be viewed as a forum for a flexible, reflexive and open-ended discussion.
Abstract: meanings. 2. It opens up a completely new way of presenting archaeological text and discussions. The thesis works on various levels to present connections, including those between past and present, interpreter and interpreted, reader and text, single page and whole text. When it explores these themes it approaches important methodological dimensions. Personally, I view these dimensions as the most valuable contribution of Holtorf’s hypermedia thesis. Since the readers are allowed to add their interpretations and comments to the thesis, it can, in a sense, be viewed as a forum for a flexible, reflexive and ‘open-ended’ discussion. As such, Holtorf’s Monumental Past is an important and interesting contribution to the methodological turn occurring within postprocessualism. It develops post-processual theory while at the same time puts the theory into practice.