Overview
What constitutes an island and the archaeology contained within? Is it the physicality of its boundary (between shoreline and sea)? Does this physical barrier extend further into a watery zone? Archaeologically, can islands be defined by cultural heritage and influence? Clearly, and based on these few probing questions, islands are more than just lumps of rock and earth sitting in the middle of a sea or ocean. An island is a space which, when described in terms of topography, landscape form and resources, becomes a place. A place can sometimes be delineated with barriers and boundaries; it may also have a perimeter and can be distinguished from the space that surrounds it. The 16 papers presented here explore the physicality, and levels of insularity of individual islands and island groups during prehistory through a series of case studies on Neolithic island archaeology in the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions. For the eastern Atlantic (the Atlantic Archipelago) papers discuss the sacred geographies and material culture of Neolithic Gotland, Orkney, and Anglesey and the architecture of and ritual behaviour associated with megalithic monuments in the Channel Islands and the Scilly Isles. The Mediterranean region is represented by a different type of Neolithic, both in terms of architecture and material culture. Papers discuss theoretical constructs and ritual deposition, cave sites, ritualised and religious aspects of Neolithic death and burial; metaphysical journeys associated with the underworld in Late Neolithic Malta and the possible role of its Temple Period art in ritual activities; and palaeoenvironmental evidence from the Neolithic monuments of Corsica. The cases examined illustrate the diversity of the evidence available that affords a better understanding of the European-Mediterranean Neolithic 'island society', not least the effects of interaction/contact and/or geographical insularity/isolation, all factors that are considered to have consequences for the establishment and modification of cultures in island settings.
Full Product Details
Author: George Nash ,
Andrew Townsend
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Imprint: Oxbow Books
Dimensions:
Width: 21.50cm
, Height: 2.30cm
, Length: 27.90cm
Weight: 1.197kg
ISBN: 9781785700507
ISBN 10: 1785700502
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 31 January 2016
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
It is [the] comparative approach, of islands both north and south of the main European landmass, that is the volume's strength, as rarely have they been brought into direct comparison. * Current Archaeology *
It is [the] comparative approach, of islands both north and south of the main European landmass, that is the volume's strength, as rarely have they been brought into direct comparison. -- Penny Bickle Current Archaeology
Author Information
George Nash is an Associate Professor at the Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (IPT) in Portugal and Visiting Fellow at the University of Bristol. Andrew Townsend is a consultant archaeologist with many years’ experience of project management and particular expertise in the archaeology of the built environment, as well an interest in neolithic archaeology and island cultures.
