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Scott Archaeol Rev 8
Title
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Title:
Scott Archaeol Rev 8
Series
The series the publication or report is included in
Series:
Scottish Archaeological Review
Volume
Volume number and part
Volume:
8
Publication Type
The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book
Publication Type:
Journal
Year of Publication
The year the book, article or report was published
Year of Publication:
1991
Note
Extra information on the publication or report.
Note:
Date Of Issue From: 1991
Source
Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in.
Source:
BIAB (The British Archaeological Bibliography (BAB))
Created Date
The date the record of the pubication was first entered
Created Date:
20 Jan 2002
Please click on an Article link to go to the Article Details.
Article Title
Access Type
Author / Editor
Page
Start/End
Abstract
Science, evidential archaeology and the new scholasticism
Terry P O'Connor
1 - 7
Response to criticisms of science-based archaeology, in particular environmental archaeology, published in 1990 (see 91/124). Definitions of environmental archaeology are considered. The use of scientific data and its interface with current theoretical approaches to the reconstruction of the past is examined.
To interpret is to act: the need for an interpretive archaeology
Ian Hodder
8 - 13
The rise of the `élite interpreter', as the presenter of archaeology to a wider public, is charted. The last twenty years have seen the intellectualisation of theoretical archaeology culminating in one argument that the material data are so subjective that they cannot be used to test theories. In response to this polarisation between practical and theoretical archaeology, it is suggested that archaeologists should be aiming to interpret the past in terms of everyday human understanding rather than explaining the past in abstract, general and universal terms.
Materialism and an archaeology of dissonance
Christopher Tilley
14 - 22
Nine points of difference are drawn between the epistemological and ontological structure of `post-processual' archaeology and scientific archaeology. The paper argues that the future of an adequate philosophy of archaeology lies in a revised materialist position accepting some of the basic tenets of a Marxist dialectical materialism perspective while going substantially beyond the views of Marx to include a number of ideas drawn from post-structuralist thought.
Megaliths again - a view from the Solway
Jane Murray
26 - 32
Response to an article by Isobel Hughes (89/338). The pattern of chambered tomb distribution from the Firth of Clyde to the Solway is considered. Bargrennan round cairns within the Firth of Clyde region are seen as a later, intrusive element from the Solway. The late survival of the Mesolithic economy alongside pastoral groups in Ayrshire is argued. It is suggested that the absence of chambered cairns in lowland Ayrshire may be illusory, and that timber was used in more modest constructions. The monuments on Arran are seen as the product of small local communities rather than as a ceremonial focus for areas on the mainland. In `Solway and Clyde: some comments' Isobel </ze> Hughes (33-4) argues that Bargrennan cairns are contemporary with Clyde cairns, with differences in construction arising from social factors and ritual considerations. She suggests that the distribution of cairns in the Solway and Clyde is linked with seasonal pastoral activity, with the areas of coastal dune and moorland being used for hunting and fishing by later cultural groups as a supplement to an agricultural economy.
Radiocarbon dating and the British beakers: the British Museum programme
Ian A Kinnes
Alex M Gibson
J Ambers
Sheridan Bowman
MN N Leese
Robin Boast
35 - 68
The major studies of Beakers from British sites are summarised. In the recent BM programme, radiocarbon dates were obtained for twenty samples of Beaker-associated human bone. The results, taken together with eighteen other known dates of similar material, are seen to cast doubt on stylistic succession as the determinant of internal chronology for British Beakers: Beaker currency falls in a time band approximately 2600 to 1800 cal bc. The sampling and calibration methods are outlined in Appendix 1a (49), with the dates listed in `Appendix 1b: British Museum beaker dating programme results' (50-2) and `Appendix 2: Other beaker radiocarbon results' (52-65).In `Some comments on radiocarbon dating and British beakers' (69-76), J N </ze> Lanting & J D </ze> van der Waals (69-70) question criticism of the Dutch framework and suggest that the BM dates do not show a succession in accordance with the existing typochronology because each date is expressed as a probability rather than a `real' radiocarbon age. Humphrey </ze> Case (70-1) suggests disregarding certain of the non-BM dates. If considered within a framework of calendar years set in terms of 95% confidence, `Beaker currency' is likely to have been from within the third quarter of the third millennium to within the second quarter of the second millennium, a somewhat later span than proposed by Kinnes et al. Ian A G </ze> Shepherd (72-3) suggests that rather than casting doubt on the stylistic succession of British Beakers, the BM programme raises questions about the nature of 14C dating and its usefulness for extracting meaning from a wide range of individual deaths. The value of looking in detail at regional groups of Beakers is stressed. Points of principle are raised regarding the destruction of skeletal material which could be used to answer different sets of questions. Stephen </ze> Shennan (74) views the dismantling of the Dutch radiocarbon evidence as almost as important as the results, and proposes that alternative explanations, social or cultural, are sought to explain variations in style. D D A </ze> Simpson (74-5) stresses that despite the dates, there is an internal consistency in both the Dutch and British sequences in terms of typology and association. The lack of associated artefacts, other than beakers, with the bone chosen for dating is viewed as unfortunate. It is suggested that the sample size is too small, and that a regional programme of sampling would provide a more cohesive sequence. R J </ze> Harrison (75-6) also criticises the size and make-up of the BM sample. The BM programme is seen to highlight some of the problems in using 14C dates, for example in comparing dates from different laboratories and in re-assessing older 14C work.In `A reply to the comments of Dr R Harrison' Ian Kinnes et al (77-8) stress the care taken in producing the new BM results. The sampling strategy is defended in that samples were taken only from well-contexted material. It is argued that while the methodology for calibration may yet be revised, this would not substantially alter the overall conclusions. AM
Warfare in the Iron Age of Wessex
Niall M Sharples
79 - 89
The paucity of serious discussion of warfare in recent archaeological literature is highlighted. Various definitions of warfare are considered. The role of warfare in Iron Age Wessex from the seventh century BC to the Roman conquest is examined, and evidence for warfare in the form of the nature of settlements, artefacts, burials, and historical sources is considered. The origin of hillforts, the development of regional territories in the Middle Iron Age, and the appearance of weapons and personal wealth in the Late Iron Age are discussed.
Past, present and future - the study of the Roman period in Britain
Richard Hingley
90 - 101
The past history and philosophy of Roman studies are critically assessed and it is argued that they are based on a philosophy developed in the early part of this century and derived from a historical context within the British Empire. As a result of the continued dominance of this philosophy it is suggested that Romano-British studies are academically stagnant. The need for new research perspectives is stressed and some recent studies are briefly considered. These views are criticised in `The study of the Roman period in Britain: a comment on Hingley' P W M </ze> Freeman (102-4), especially the attempt to isolate a shaping force and philosophy of Romano-British studies.
`According to the qualitie and degree of the person deceased': funeral monuments and the construction of social identities 1400-1750
Jonathan Finch
105 - 114
The paper is based on a study of intra-mural funeral monuments in Norfolk. It is argued that the monuments are constantly active in the construction of social identities and hierarchies of the élite, in the context of the church.