Introduction
Mark Edmonds’ latest book is a rare treat for prehistorians:
the combination of a beautifully written text with wonderfully evocative
photographs. I enjoyed this volume enormously, and would recommend
it as both genuine value for money and as a good read. Although
the focus is on the evidence from the Peak District, the scope of
this book goes well beyond this specific area of Britain. The interpretations
and general discussions in particular are relevant to all parts
of the British Isles and in many ways this book is an excellent
introduction to a number of key issues and ideas within each period.
The volume is not flawless, however, in particular the lack of references
and the use of a range of narrative styles will not be to everyone’s
taste. However, this book represents an important milestone in the
way we present regional archaeologies, and in the use of a range
of different prose styles and images to make important theoretical
points.
Content
The book is divided into ten chapters, beginning with the Palaeolithic
and moving through to the Iron Age and Roman period. The chapters
break roughly into periods, but with four chapters on the Neolithic,
two on the Bronze Age and only one on the Iron Age. The strongest
sections are arguably those that deal with earlier prehistory, in
particular the Neolithic. I particularly liked the sections on stone
working, the building and use of henges and the significance of
caves in the Peak. The sections on the Bronze Age are neat also,
drawing on themes of changing relations with the land but also ritual
continuity. However, Edmonds seems to run out of steam when he reaches
the Iron Age, making only very general points about this period
in the area.
Throughout the volume, Edmonds weaves together a series of current
theoretical issues within the broader narrative. This works extremely
well, as the theory blends seamlessly with description and details
on specifics. In particular there are lengthy discussions on the
significance of landscape and particular locales in the landscape,
which are particularly strong. There is also Edmonds’ characteristic
emphasis on the importance of the everyday engagement with places
and things. One gets a real sense of engagement and dwelling with
this book, a sense of activity and movement as well as the creation
of more special places. Edmonds also promotes the idea that there
was gradual change throughout prehistory so that the ideas and values
of one generation flowed into those of the next. He suggests that
people may not have been aware of the bigger changes that we identify
when studying prehistory. But throughout the book I wondered if
this were really the case in the past, in particular because the
view promoted here comes across almost as timeless. For example,
the sense of attachment to place in the Neolithic seems virtually
identical to that in the Bronze Age. However, should we perhaps
consider the idea that there were short periods of relative stability
followed by dramatic changes which had a major and profound impact
on people and their lives? Saying that, Edmonds really does seem
to get to grips with notions of community and engagement. There
is also a sense that the past was not homogenous but diverse and
varied throughout the Peak. The reader is never left lacking about
the connections between people and the landscape, both in the past
and in the present, and the persistence of place. It is also good
to see that the present-day walkers, archaeologists and farmers
are as present in this volume as the ghosts of the people of the
past.
Style
The book combines more traditional archaeological discussion with
a whole series of narratives. Both of these formats work very well.
Edmonds has a lovely writing style which really engages the reader,
moving deftly from topic to topic with flowing prose and lyrical
language. The book moves quickly from data to idea to discussion,
never bogged down with lengthy reference to broader debates, while
still addressing current issues. I also liked the short narratives
which are interspersed throughout the text and which also appear
at the beginning of each chapter. These narratives are usually from
a more modern point of view, and really add to the overall flavour
of the area. They also serve to break up the more dense and descriptive
text which forms the bulk of the volume.
One of the most attractive elements of this volume are the accompanying
pictures taken by Tim Seaborne. These range from details of characteristic
landscape features such as distinctive outcrops to general shots
of hills and more traditional images of specific monuments. Interspersed
with these are photographs from the modern landscape: cows in a
field with a sign for walkers, archaeologists on excavation and
a sheep being sheared. I liked this combination of images as they
give a real sense of place, not just a sense of a landscape that
existed in prehistory but the active and lived-in landscape of today.
The images are extremely effective in the overall flow of the narrative,
juxtaposing ideas about the past with modern images. The effectiveness
of these photographs should be noted by all authors producing illustrated
volumes, as these images really emphasise the power of the visual
in our presentation of ideas.
Audience and References
One of the biggest problems with this volume concerns the audience
at which it is aimed, and more specifically, the lack of references
in the text. My feeling was the book was perhaps too academic for
most amateurs, as they may find it difficult to follow some of the
ideas which have an established tradition within archaeological
theory but are not so well known within mainstream, popularist archaeology
(I am thinking here of issues such as landscape, the culture/nature
dichotomy and visuality). The book contains perhaps too much background
information for the professional academic, and is at times frustratingly
general. I wanted to know more about the specifics of individual
sites in particular. Therefore the audience for which this book
seems most suited is the undergraduate, postgraduate or informed
amateur, who would really benefit from reading such a well-written
and engaging volume. However, it also perhaps the student who would
benefit most from having references in the text, so that they could
follow up specific ideas in more detail. Some students may not realise,
for example, that there is a substantial literature on landscape
which is woven into the narrative but is never explicitly referenced.
Although I very much enjoyed reading a book that was not weighed
down with extensive in-text references, ultimately I felt that this
is one of the key drawbacks with this book: the content is essentially
academic yet the style is not. This was one the general criticisms
raised about Edmonds’ previous book, Ancestral Geographies
of the Neolithic (1999), and I think it is relevant here also.
Another element of the volume, which is both its strength and weakness,
is the sole use of photographs to illustrate the text. There are
no traditional plans of monuments or sites, and no pictures or illustrations
of artefacts. It is therefore interesting that Edmonds has decided
at the very end of the book to include a few traditional distribution
maps. These appear as almost an after-thought, a concession to traditional
ways of representation and the legitimisation of the archaeological
narrative. In many ways I was disappointed to find these maps, however
useful, in the volume, as it is as if the pictures do not speak
quite loudly enough for themselves. I felt that Edmonds should have
either gone for photographs alone, which would have made a strong
creative statement, or to integrate maps and more traditional plans
and illustrations into the book in combination with the photos.
As it is, it seems a compromise between tradition and art.
Conclusion
There are undoubtedly a few problems with Edmonds’ new book,
in particular regarding issues of representing the past and of referencing.
However, I would like to emphasise that this is an extremely well-written
book which draws the reader through the prehistoric landscapes of
the Peak. Furthermore, this volume is not just an introduction to
this particular area of Britain but stands as a strong introduction
to many key issues in prehistory, in particular in relation to the
Neolithic and Bronze Age. In addition, the combination of evocative
photographs and a range of narratives is a really refreshing change
and provides a book that both students and professionals alike can
enjoy. This volume shows that there can be other ways of telling
which are as apposite and engaging as traditional academic volumes.
Bibliography
Edmonds, M. 1999. Ancestral Geographies
of the Neolithic. London: Routledge.
Vicki Cummings
Vicki Cummings is a Research Associate at the School of History
and Archaeology, Cardiff University. She completed a PhD on the
landscape settings of Mesolithic sites and Neolithic monuments in
south-west Wales and south-west Scotland and has just completed
a Board of Celtic Studies project examining the chambered tombs
of Wales. Her research interests are in the origins of monumentality
in the Irish Sea zone. She can be contacted at: CummingsVM@Cardiff.ac.uk
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