Cardiff Studies in Archaeology Series
By Alasdair Whittle and Chris Fowler
()
About this series
Titles in the series (4)
- Places of Special Virtue: Megaliths in the Neolithic landscapes of Wales
16
This volume explores the landscape settings of megalithic chambered monuments in Wales. Set against a broader theoretical discussion on the significance of the landscape, the authors consider the role of visual landscapes in prehistory, meanings attached to the landscape, and the values and beliefs invested in it. Wales is rich in Neolithic monuments, but the general absence of certain classic monumental forms found in the rest of Britain and Ireland, such as causewayed enclosures, henges, and cursus monuments, seems to have marginalized the Welsh record from many wider discussions on the Neolithic. Instead of seeing Wales as an area which lacks many of these 'classic' components, Cummings and Whittle argue that Wales has its own unique and individual Neolithic which is simply different from the Neolithic found further to the east. It is suggested that this difference may relate to an essentially mobile existence, with strong links back to the Mesolithic period. The authors present three detailed case studies, examining the settings of sites in southwest, northwest and southeast Wales. They outline the history of research for each region, including the previous classification of the monuments and any excavations, and describe the specific landscape settings of the monuments. They assess the significance of a variety of landscape features which would have been visible from the monuments, in particular emphasizing the mythological and symbolic significance of the sea, rivers and mountains. An illustrated inventory of sites completes the volume.
- A Late Iron Age farmstead in the Outer Hebrides: Excavations at Mound 1, Bornais, South Uist
The settlement at Bornais consists of a complex of mounds which protrude from the relatively flat machair plain in the township of Bornais on the island of South Uist. This sandy plain has proved an attractive settlement from the Beaker period onwards; it appears to have been intensively occupied from the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Norse period. Mound 1 was the original location for settlement in this part of the machair plain; pre-Viking activity of some complexity is present and it is likely that the settlement activity started in the Middle Iron Age, if not earlier. The examination of the mound 1 deposits provides an important contribution to our understanding of the Iron Age sequence in the Atlantic province. The principal contribution comprises the large quantities of mammal, fish and bird bones, carbonised plant remains and pottery, which can be accurately dated to a fairly precise and narrow period in the 1st millennium AD. These are augmented by a substantial collection of small finds which included distinctive bone artefacts. The contextual significance of the site is based on the survival of floor deposits and a burnt-down roof; the floor deposits can be compared with abandonment and adjacent midden deposits providing contrasting contextual environments that help to clarify depositional processes. The burning down of the house and the excellent preservation of the deposits within it provide an unparalleled opportunity to examine the timber superstructure of the building and the layout of the material used by the inhabitants.
- The First Farmers of Central Europe: Diversity in LBK Lifeways
From about 5500 cal BC to soon after 5000 cal BC, the lifeways of the first farmers of central Europe, the LBK culture (Linearbandkeramik), are seen in distinctive practices of longhouse use, settlement forms, landscape choice, subsistence, material culture and mortuary rites. Within the five or more centuries of LBK existence a dynamic sequence of changes can be seen in, for instance, the expansion and increasing density of settlement, progressive regionalisation in pottery decoration, and at the end some signs of stress or even localised crisis. Although showing many features in common across its very broad distribution, however, the LBK phenomenon was not everywhere the same, and there is a complicated mixture of uniformity and diversity. This major study takes a strikingly large regional sample, from northern Hungary westwards along the Danube to Alsace in the upper Rhine valley, and addresses the question of the extent of diversity in the lifeways of developed and late LBK communities, through a wide-ranging study of diet, lifetime mobility, health and physical condition, the presentation of the bodies of the deceased in mortuary ritual. It uses an innovative combination of isotopic (principally carbon, nitrogen and strontium, with some oxygen), osteological and archaeological analysis to address difference and change across the LBK, and to reflect on cultural change in general.
- The Neolithic of the Irish Sea
This collection of 24 papers aims to reconsider the nature and significance of the Irish Sea as an area of cultural interaction during the Neolithic period. The traditional character of work across this region has emphasised the existence of prehistoric contact, with sea routes criss-crossing between Ireland, the Isle of Man, Anglesey and the British mainland. A parallel course of investigation, however, has demonstrated that the British and Irish Neolithics were in many ways different, with distinct indigenous patterns of activity and social practices. The recent emphasis on regional studies has further produced evidence for parallel yet different processes of cultural change taking place throughout the British Isles as a whole. This volume brings together some of these regional perspectives and compares them across the Irish Sea area. The authors consider new ways to explain regional patterning in the use of material objects and relate them to past practices and social strategies. Were there practices that were shared across the Irish Sea area linking different styles of monuments and material culture, or were the media intrinsic to the message? The volume is based on papers presented at a conference held at the University of Manchester in 2002.
Alasdair Whittle
Alasdair Whittle is an emeritus research professor in archaeology at Cardiff University. He has worked extensively across Britain and Europe, specialising in the study of the Neolithic.
Read more from Alasdair Whittle
Living Well Together? Settlement and Materiality in the Neolithic of South-East and Central Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Times of Their Lives: Hunting History in the Archaeology of Neolithic Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Cardiff Studies in Archaeology
Related ebooks
Batty: The Adventures of Boomer and Matilda Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChildren's Ten Commandments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIs God In Your Yard? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegend of Isis Gallery #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPolitical Power: Ted Kennedy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBreaking Down the Wall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrbit: Mikhail Prokhorov Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEye of the Beholder Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuth & Freddy #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree-Fold Cord: Creation Redemption Dominion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTales from William F. Nolan's Dark Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRock and Roll Comics: Elvis Presley Experience Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dell Junior Treasury: Wizard of Oz Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLet Me Tell You Some Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Rescued Two Dogs: Now Who Will Rescue Me? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTom Corbett: Space Cadet: Classic Edition #8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings20 Million Miles More Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Female Force: Carrie Fisher Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Orbit: The Cast of Doctor Who #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legend of Isis #6: Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinding Treasured Gold Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwiglet: The Little Christmas Tree Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOdyssey Presents: Anthology #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlying Saucers Vs. the Earth #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGood Jokes Bad Drawings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLogan's Run: Aftermath Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArt of Mouse Guard Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Forgotten Spoon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings360+ Sex Position - Now Enjoy New Position Every Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Ancient History For You
Sumerians: A History From Beginning to End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Survive in Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holy Bible: From the Ancient Eastern Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"America is the True Old World" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sex and Erotism in Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Secrets of the Freemasons: The Truth Behind the World's Most Mysterious Society Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hero Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gods of Eden: Egypt's Lost Legacy and the Genesis of Civilization Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Art of Living: The Classical Mannual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paul: A Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 1) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User's Manual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When God Had a Wife: The Fall and Rise of the Sacred Feminine in the Judeo-Christian Tradition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Phantom Atlas: The Greatest Myths, Lies and Blunders on Maps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mythos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Histories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Roman Guide to Slave Management: A Treatise by Nobleman Marcus Sidonius Falx Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The History of the Peloponnesian War: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When Jesus Became God: The Epic Fight over Christ's Divinity in the Last Days of Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Histories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Cardiff Studies in Archaeology
0 ratings0 reviews