The Lives of Prehistoric Monuments in Iron Age, Roman, and Medieval Europe

David Wheatley editor Leonardo García Sanjuán editor Marta Díaz-Guardamino editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:1st Oct '15

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The Lives of Prehistoric Monuments in Iron Age, Roman, and Medieval Europe cover

This volume explores the pervasive influence exerted by some prehistoric monuments on European social life over thousands of years, and reveals how they can act as a node linking people through time, possessing huge ideological and political significance. Through the advancement of theoretical approaches and scientific methodologies, archaeologists have been able to investigate how some of these monuments provide resources to negotiate memories, identities, and power and social relations throughout European history. The essays in this collection examine the life-histories of carefully chosen megalithic monuments, stelae and statue-menhirs, and rock art sites of various European and Mediterranean regions during the Iron Age and Roman and Medieval times. By focusing on the concrete interaction between people, monuments, and places, the volume offers an innovative outlook on a variety of debated issues. Prominent among these is the role of ancient remains in the creation, institutionalization, contestation, and negotiation of social identities and memories, as well as their relationship with political economy in early historic European societies. By contributing to current theoretical debates on materiality, landscape, and place-making, The Lives of Prehistoric Monuments in Iron Age, Roman, and Medieval Europe seeks to overcome disciplinary boundaries between prehistory and history, and highlight the long-term, genealogical nature of our engagement with the world.

This is a valuable collection, adding geographic and chronological range to discussions of the ways in which memories are constructed and reconstructed through monumental forms. The case studies are diverse but cohere well. The text has been carefully edited and is supported by neatly reproduced illustrations and photographs. Robert Witcher, Antiquity Excellent maps illustrate the complexity of the situation in Brittany, while the text tidily encapsulates the major trends brought to bear on the landscapes there by Iron Age attitudes Jerry Glover, Fortean Times Containing a number of skilfully chosen case studies, from the ritualised landscape of Aylesbury to the megalithic metropolis of the eastern Mahgreb, this book would appeal to those exploring the issue from an academic perspective. Ashley Kruger, World Archaeology This book is studded with excellent contributions ... The Lives of Prehistoric Monuments is tightly focussed and takes us forward in interesting and fruitful directions. Its many case studies offer great insights to how similar issues and problems are worked through prehistoric and early historic chronological sequences across Europe ... a veritable manifesto Andrew Meirion Jones, European Journal of Archaeology

ISBN: 9780198724605

Dimensions: 222mm x 151mm x 26mm

Weight: 666g

376 pages