| Abstract: |
Contributions to the volume deal with the evolution of society, the growth of political institutions, and the development of ideas, using a blend of historical and archaeological evidence. The editors' introduction (l-5) explains their hope that a vigorous new approach will enhance the credibility of medieval archaeology both within the discipline and to historical studies. M B Nieke & Holly B Duncan (6-21), in 'Dalriada: the establishment and maintenance of an Early Historic kingdom in northern Britain', consider how the Dalriadic kings gained control over the population: this involved manipulation of the monastic communities and the making of royal progress between defended sites, the collection of tribute and the control of craftworking and imports. Leslie Alcock (22-46 including gazetteer by E Alcock), adopts a positivist approach to 'The activities of potentates in Celtic Britain, AD 500-800': the complex history and diverse nature of over 70 enclosed places from Lands End to the Northern Isles indicates the varied wealth of their potentates, their strategic purposes, and their command of agricultural surplus (cf villae regiae). Relevant documents assist in this study. Across the Irish Sea, Richard B Warner (47-68), in 'The archaeology of Early Historic Irish kingship', offers some generalizations for features of royal sites: eg mounds (or other ritual constructions), a small but defensible (often multivallate) site, a wealth of finds revealed on excavation. Rosemary Cramp (69-78), examining 'Northumbria: the archaeological evidence', sets out the aspects of Early Northumbrian politics which can be studied by historians and archaeologists respectively. In 'Power and exchange in Middle Saxon England', Richard Hodges & John Moreland (79-95) uncover a strong Carolingian ideological influence on the Middle Saxon elites, witnessed in their great churches confirming their religious legitimacy. North of the Border Michael R Spearman (96-110) looks at 'Early Scottish towns: their origins and economy': the move to burgh status was already well in train when David's reign completed the process, and the attractiveness to merchants and craftsmen of the royal market towns is very clear. Christopher J Arnold (111-27) writes on 'Territories and leadership: frameworks for the study of emergent polities in early Anglo-Saxon southern England', in which he suggests some boundaries on the basis of wealthy burials and sees three main phases over time; Thiessen polygons assist the study. In 'Style and sociopolitical organisation: a preliminary study from early Anglo-Saxon England', Genevieve Fisher (128-44) uses statistical tests (chi-square and Fisher exact tests) to identify differences in mortuary treatment and in dress fasteners between six sites in three areas of East Anglia, but consistentand reliable groupings were not found, though rite seemed more diagnostic than ornaments. J D Richards (145-61) also examines cremations in 'Style and symbol: explaining variability in Anglo-Saxon cremation burials', finding for Yorkshire a complex picture in which grave goods represent in a subtle way a finely and clearly defined social hierarchy. The tenth paper is by Stephen T Driscoll (162-87) discussing 'The relationship between history and archaeology: artefacts, documents and power'; he examines how political power may be mediated through writing, shows how artefacts may be 'read', and analyses Pictish symbol stones in the light of this, seeing transitions in Pictish history - political centralization, the conversion to Christianity, and the end of 'mytho-praxis'. |
