Taking over the reins of assemblage late last year came with a steep learning curve. It has been an
uphill battle, but we managed to pull it off. In this issue we continue to reflect the diversity of
approaches that characterise contemporary archaeology. Ranging from the boreal forests of Manitoba to the
Indian subcontinent and from GIS to English literature: Welcome to issue 8 of assemblage, the
University of Sheffield's graduate journal of archaeology!
Our first two papers attempt to fill lacunas in our knowledge of the prehistoric and historic mobilities of people
in south and west Asia. A continuing dearth of published overviews on Palaeolithic adaptations in areas outside
Europe is answered by Parth Chauhan who provides a detailed analysis and gazetteer of evidence for the Early Acheulian
in the Indian subcontinent as well as addressing the differences between these assemblages and those of the Late
Acheulian. Reporting on recent field work in Jordan, Damgaard and Blanke throw light on the contentious, and in the
contemporary context, particularly poignant issue of the early Islamic 'colonization' of the near east and the
supposed destruction this wrought upon classical civilization.
The debate between 'scientific' and 'post-processual' approaches has yet to run its course. One area that continues
to be contentious is the ability of Geographical Information Systems to adequately describe and thus model human
relationships with the environment. An object of GIS can be, in certain circumstances, to locate sites suitable for
further investigation. The paper by Ebert and Singer is a valuable example of the application of these principals. In
particular, the combination of an erosion model with a more standard predictive model, demonstrates the potential for
this type of analysis.
References to landscape features in literature are ubiquitous and while attempts to use literary sources may be
fraught with danger, they also offer a rich resource. Graves paper examines Medieval Court Romances for traces of pre-roman landscapes. Whilst the
author accepts that this work may only produce possibilities, the textual evidence gives tantalizing glimpses into
ancient landscapes that can but enrich future readings.
The opinion pieces in this issue both provoke and require response and debate. Sarah Cross May brings us to the
central point of a tomb at Fourknocks, Co. Meath, in order to raise fundamental questions of reflexivity and personal
history informing her understandings and those of much of contemporary archaeology. Paul Buckland offers a critique of
a confusion of freedom with aesthetics; this reflecting Aegean archaeology's domination by its ceramics.
We continue to keep up with the latest standards in web development and online publishing. The current
issue, as with issue 7, has been designed in valid XHTML and with issues of user accessibility and
usability in mind. The font size is slightly smaller and the column size more narrow as, apparently, text
that is below 4 inches wide is easier to read for the human eye. Should the font size be too small, click '
view' > 'text size' or 'text zoom' on your browser menu bar to change the size of the text. We also
continue to implement Dublin Core metadata for all our papers to improve the searchability and
retrievability of assemblage as a resource. Assemblage is also still being archived and is accessible via
the Archaeology Data Service.
As new editors, we would like to thank the previous team for their support and advice. We are
particularly grateful to Christiane Meckseper for ensuring that all is well with 'the code'.
We hope you enjoy this issue of assemblage.
Tim and Jeff
The Editors
Tim Neal is a graduate student at the Department of Archaeology,
University of Sheffield. He
is currently exploring the interface between tourism and archaeology. Jointly with Jeff Oliver he is
researching culturally modified trees in the contemporary British landscape.
Jeff Oliver is a PhD student at the Department of Archaeology,
University of Sheffield. He has worked in archaeology in
British Columbia, Canada, and is interested in the archaeology
and anthropology of 'natural' places. His research is on the history
and perception of landscape in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Jointly with Tim Neal he is
researching culturally modified trees in the contemporary British landscape.
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