Christopher Prescott – författare

Scandinavia is a multiethnic zone of cultural contact on Europe's northwestern margins. This fact, when considered in the context of the region’s very diverse environmental conditions, has established Scandinavia as an exceptional anthropological and historical laboratory for the study of general issues in human history. Indeed, Scandinavian archaeology was a pioneer in and remains a force in scientific archaeology. This is naturally a function of the region's rich prehistory and archaeological record, characterised by iconic sites and monuments, finds, and artefacts. The creation of a platform for exploring the past is linked to strong public support for the creation of exceptional museums, strong heritage legislation and management organisations, and dedicated academic institutions and training programmes. At an early stage, prehistoric archaeology instituted multidisciplinary practices, collaborating with the ecological and natural sciences, as well as anthropological and historical disciplines. The chapters that make up The Oxford Handbook of Scandinavian Archaeology to 1050 CE are written by a range of contemporary Scandinavian and international experts and explore the region's prehistory and archaeological practices. Authors have been selected not only for their expertise in the subject matter, but also to demonstrate the variability in theoretical and methodological approaches found in contemporary Scandinavian archaeology. The 83 chapters endeavour to present an up-to-date and comprehensive prehistory of the region from the Palaeolithic to the Viking Age, as well as discussion of the discipline's history and institutions, the region’s diverse environmental conditions, important elements of interdisciplinary collaboration, and significant themes of research. Focusing on Norway, Sweden and Denmark, the book also contains chapters from Finland and the eastern Baltic, Iceland and Anglo-Saxon Ireland, Scotland, and Ireland. The Handbook provides a detailed, holistic overview of this astonishingly diverse field, and its chapters will be required reading for anyone interested in the history and heritage of the Nordic countries.

​This brief is the proceedings of two roundtables and forums organized by Eszter Bánffy, Peter Biehl, Douglas Comer, and Christopher Prescott and sponsored by the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) and the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) held at the 76th SAA annual conference in Sacramento in April 2011, and the 17th EAA annual conference in Oslo in September 2011. The book is organized around five main issues with the goal to stimulate discussion, research and practices within the field:Traditions and legal regulations of heritage and its management The teaching of cultural heritage; public outreach and university trainingHeritage and national identity The future of cultural heritage in a globalized and digitized world  This book is thus be an exploration of the various experiences in Europe and the Americas to better understand, in the vast field of archaeology and cultural heritage management, where we are today, where we might be, and where we hope to be in the near future.

​This brief is the proceedings of two roundtables and forums organized by Eszter Bánffy, Peter Biehl, Douglas Comer, and Christopher Prescott and sponsored by the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) and the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) held at the 76th SAA annual conference in Sacramento in April 2011, and the 17th EAA annual conference in Oslo in September 2011. The book is organized around five main issues with the goal to stimulate discussion, research and practices within the field: Traditions and legal regulations of heritage and its management The teaching of cultural heritage; public outreach and university training Heritage and national identity The future of cultural heritage in a globalized and digitized world  This book is thus be an exploration of the various experiences in Europe and the Americas to better understand, in the vast field of archaeology and cultural heritage management, where we are today, where we might be, and where we hope to be in the near future.

It can be argued that elements of European heritage can be identified not only as a national strategy of the present but also as a process in prehistory - the cultural and political transformations of the third millennium BC in European prehistory sparking off this process. These transformations initiated the processes and mechanisms that led up to the complex political, social and cultural institutions of the first half of the second millennium BC. From this time on, an authentic historical continuum leading towards present-day society can be identified. The papers in this anthology provide an up-to-date survey of trends in Bell Beaker research, with a focus on western and northern Europe, as well as developments in the northern and eastern Scandinavian and Baltic regions. The geographical focus, along with the interpretative perspective, hopefully demonstrates some of the progress in understanding the histories of third millennium Europe.

This book will suggest new agendas for identity and heritage studies by means of presenting contentious issues facing archaeology and heritage management in a globalized world. The book is not only present the variability of heritage objectives and experiences in the New and Old World, and opens a discussion, in a shrinking world, to look beyond national and regional contexts. If the heritage sector and archaeology are to remain relevant in our contemporary world and the near future, there are a number of questions concerning the politics, practices and narratives related to heritage and identity that must be addressed. Questions of relevance in an affluent, cosmopolitan setting are at odds with those relevant for a region emerging from civil war or ethnic strife, or a national minority battling oppression or ethnic cleansing. A premise is that heritage represents a broad scope of empirically and theoretically sound interpretations – that heritage is a response to contemporary forces, as much as data. It is therefore necessary constantly to evaluate what is scientifically accurate as well as what is valid and relevant and what can have a contemporary impact.