Reconstructing Iron Age Societies

An enormous collection of new studies on the British Iron Age arising from a 1994 Durham conference. The contributions are marked by innovative approaches and a willingness to cross conceptual boundaries. The papers are: Approaching the Iron Age (Adam Gwilt and Colin Haselgrove); the symbolic meaning of metalworking (Richard Hingley); studying Iron Age production (C D De Roche); an alternative study of I.A. pottery from southern Europe (Ann Woodward); Danebury ware (Elaine L Morris); the Wareham/Poole harbour pottery industry (Lisa Brown); copper metallurgy (David Dungworth); brooch deposition and chronology (Colin Haselgrove); everyday life in Wessex (A P Fitzpatrick); practical and mystic concerns in the orientation of roundhouse doorways (Alastair Oswald); toilet instrumentation and 'Romanization' (J D Hill); hoarding in Scotland and northern England (Fraser Hunter); 'Celtic' ritual wells and shafts (Jane Webster); the shrine at South Cadbury Castle (Jane Downes); popular practices from material culture - the settlement at Wakerley (Adam Gwilt); the ritual framework of excarnation by exposure (Gillian Carr and Christopher Knusel); the structure of late I.A. mortuary ritual (John Pearce); bounding the landscape in the Yorkshire wolds (Bill Bevan); settlement, materiality and landscape in the east midlands (Steven Willis); enclosure in the East Anglian fenlands (Christopher Evans); space and society in north-east England (Gill Ferrel); pollen analysis and the impact of Rome (Richard Tipping);cultural landscapes and identities in Scotland (Ian Armit); why were brochs built (Niall Sharples and Mike Parker Pearson); architecture and the household (Ian Armit); the late I. A. in Hertforshire and the North Chilterns (S R Bryant and R Niblett); Verlamion reconsidered (Colin Haselgrove and Martin Millett); views of a ageing revolutionary (John Collis); I. A. landscapes and cultural biographies (Chris Gosden); ironies (Mathew Johnson).

Alternative Iron Ages examines Iron Age social formations that sit outside traditional paradigms, developing methods for archaeological characterisation of alternative models of society. In so doing it contributes to the debates concerning the construction and resistance of inequality taking place in archaeology, anthropology and sociology. In recent years, Iron Age research on Western Europe has moved towards new forms of understanding social structures. Yet these alternative social organisations continue to be considered as basic human social formations, which frequently imply marginality and primitivism. In this context, the grand narrative of the European Iron Age continues to be defined by cultural foci, which hide the great regional variety in an artificially homogenous area. This book challenges the traditional classical evolutionist narratives by exploring concepts such as non-triangular societies, heterarchy and segmentarity across regional case studies to test and propose alternative social models for Iron Age social formations. Constructing new social theory both archaeologically based and supported by sociological and anthropological theory, the book is perfect for those looking to examine and understand life in the European Iron Age. We are so grateful to the research project titled "Paisajes rurales antiguos del Noroeste peninsular: formas de dominacion romana y explotacion de recursos" [Ancient rural landscapes in Northwestern Iberia: Roman dominion and resource exploitation] (HAR2015-64632-P; MINECO/FEDER), directed from the Instituto de Historia (CSIC) and also to the Fundaçao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia [Foundation for Science and Technology] postdoctoral project: SFRH-BPD-102407-2014.

This major survey of the history and culture of Roman Britain spans the period from the first century BC to the fifth century AD. Major survey of the history and culture of Roman Britain Brings together specialists to provide an overview of recent debates about this period Exceptionally broad coverage, embracing political, economic, cultural and religious life Focuses on changes in Roman Britain from the first century BC to the fifth century AD Includes pioneering studies of the human population and animal resources of the island.

Fourteen papers take advantage of advances in archaeological methods and theory to explore the role of the built environment in expressing and shaping community organization and identity at prehistoric and historic nucleated settlements and early cities in the Old World.

The subject of ‘magic’ has long been considered peripheral and sensationalist, the word itself having become something of an academic taboo. However, beliefs in magic and the rituals that surround them are extensive – as are their material manifestations – and to avoid them is to ignore a prevalent aspect of cultures worldwide, from prehistory to the present day. The Materiality of Magic addresses the value of the material record as a resource in investigations into magic, ritual practices, and popular beliefs. The chronological and geographic focuses of the papers presented here vary from prehistory to the present-day, including numinous interpretations of fossils and ritual deposits in Bronze Age Europe; apotropaic devices in Roman and Medieval Britain; the evolution of superstitions and ritual customs – from the ‘voodoo doll’ of Europe and Africa to a Scottish ‘wishing-tree’; and an exploration of spatiality in West African healing practices. The objectives of this collection of nine papers are twofold. First, to provide a platform from which to showcase innovative research and theoretical approaches in a subject which has largely been neglected within archaeology and related disciplines, and, secondly, to redress this neglect. The papers were presented at the 2012 Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference in Liverpool.

The Oxford Handbook of the European Iron Age presents a broad overview of current understanding of the archaeology of Europe from 1000 BC through to the early historic periods, exploiting the large quantities of new evidence yielded by the upsurge in archaeological research and excavation on this period over the last thirty years. Three introductory chapters situate the reader in the times and the environments of Iron Age Europe. Fourteen regional chapters provide accessible syntheses of developments in different parts of the continent, from Ireland and Spain in the west to the borders with Asia in the east, from Scandinavia in the north to the Mediterranean shores in the south. Twenty-six thematic chapters examine different aspects of Iron Age archaeology in greater depth, from lifeways, economy, and complexity to identity, ritual, and expression. Among the many topics explored are agricultural systems, settlements, landscape monuments, iron smelting and forging, production of textiles, politics, demography, gender, migration, funerary practices, social and religious rituals, coinage and literacy, and art and design.

Since its first publication in 1971, Barry Cunliffe's monumental survey has established itself as a classic of British archaeology. This fully revised fourth edition maintains the qualities of the earlier editions, whilst taking into account the significant developments that have moulded the discipline in recent years. Barry Cunliffe here incorporates new theoretical approaches, technological advances and a range of new sites and finds, ensuring that Iron Age Communities in Britain remains the definitive guide to the subject.