Geography of Offerings

Deposits of Valuables in the Landscapes of Ancient Europe

AvRichard Bradley

Häftad, Engelska, 2016

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Beskrivning

More than quarter of a century ago Richard Bradley published The Passage of Arms. It was conceived as An Archaeological Analysis of Prehistoric Hoards and Votive Deposits, but, as the author concedes, these terms were too narrowly focused for the complex subject of deliberate deposition and the period covered too short. A Geography of Offerings has been written to provoke a reaction from archaeologists and has two main aims. The first is to move this kind of archaeology away from the minute study of ancient objects to a more ambitious analysis of ancient places and landscapes. The second is to recognise that problems of interpretation are not restricted to the pre-Roman period. Mesolithic finds have a place in this discussion, and so do those of the 1st millennium AD. Archaeologists studying individual periods confront with similar problems and the same debates are repeated within separate groups of scholars – but they arrive at different conclusions. Here, the author presents a review that brings these discussions together and extends across the entire sequence. Rather than offer a comprehensive survey, this is an extended essay about the strengths and weaknesses of current thinking regarding specialised deposits, which encompass both sacrificial deposits characterised by large quantities of animal and human bones and other collections which are dominated by finds of stone or metal artefacts. It considers current approaches and theory, the histories of individual artefacts and the landscape and physical context of the of places where they were deposited, the character of materials, the importance of animism and the character of ancient cosmologies.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2016-12-31
Mått:128 x 197 x 13 mm
Vikt:356 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Oxbow Insights in Archaeology
Antal sidor:160
Förlag:Oxbow Books
ISBN:9781785704772

Utforska kategorier

Arkeologiska perioder och områden inom Historia och arkeologi

Mer om författaren

Richard Bradley is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Reading University and an Honorary Research Associate in the School of Archaeology at Oxford. Recent publications include: Maritime Archaeology on Dry Land (2022), Temporary Palaces (2021), A Comparative Study of Rock Art in Later Prehistoric Europe (2020), The Prehistory of Britain and Europe (revised edition 2019), and A Geography of Offerings (2016).

Recensioner i media

Building upon, but greatly expanding, his earlier influential work, this small book will be widely read and much appreciated for the way in which it demonstrates that ‘big data’ also require big ideas.

Innehållsförteckning

Chapter One Beginning again Chapter Two A chapter of accidentsThe Broadward hoardThe Mästermyr hoardReassessmentsBridges and troubled watersIron Age deposits at La TèneRoman artefacts from the Rhine near MainzReassessmentsLiterary sourcesRitual and non-ritual, religious and secular depositsThe ubiquity of waterHidden in plain sight Chapter Three Faultlines in contemporary researchChronological faultlinesControversy and uncertaintyThe sources of confusionUnfinished businessThe next stage Chapter Four Proportional representationThe variety of depositsExcavations at two spring depositsExcavations at other wetland depositsExcavations at dryland depositsA question of scaleA question of timeSummary Chapter five The hoard as a still lifePronkstillevensAccumulationsDisplaySummary and conclusions Chapter Six The nature of thingsTechnologies and mythsStone and metalMetals Chapter Seven A kind of regenerationThe final actWhole and undamaged artefactsIncomplete or damaged artefactsFriendly fireFragmentationWeightsNumbersthe last act Chapter 8 Vanishing pointSinking treasuresGiving and takingArtefacts with attitudeProfiting from lossExquisite corpses Chapter Nine A guide to strange placesNaming placesGoing underGoing forwardNorthern lightsSouthern comfortsA note of caution Chapter 10 Thresholds and transitionsIntroductionBridges, fords and causewaysOther kinds of boundariesRiver names and their associationsThe character of waterThe character of mountainsThe earth compelsA final reflection