Megasites in Prehistoric Europe

Erscheinungsjahr 2022
ISBN: 978-1-009-09660-7
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 75 Seiten, Format (B × H): 154 mm x 228 mm, Gewicht: 191 g

Reihe: Elements in the Archaeology of Europe

This is an Element about some of the largest sites known in prehistoric Europe – sites so vast that they often remain undiscussed for lack of the theoretical or methodological tools required for their understanding. Here, the authors use a relational, comparative approach to identify not only what made megasites but also what made megasites so special and so large. They have selected a sample of megasites in each major period of prehistory – Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages – with a detailed examination of a single representative megasite for each period. The relational approach makes explicit comparisons between smaller, more 'normal' sites and the megasites using six criteria – scale, temporality, deposition / monumentality, formal open spaces, performance and congregational catchment. The authors argue that many of the largest European prehistoric megasites were congregational places.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gaydarska, Bisserka

Chapman, John

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Archäologie: Theorie und Methoden
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Vor- und Frühgeschichte, prähistorische Archäologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Trypillia megasites, Ukraine; 3. Neolithic and Copper Age sites in the Balkans and Central Europe; 4. Neolithic and Copper Age sites in France and Iberia; 5. Bronze Age megasites; 6. Iron Age megasites – from Bil'sk to Bagendon; 7. Discussion and conclusions.