The Archaeology of Violence : Interdisciplinary Approaches / Sarah Ralph, editor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ralph, Sarah.

Contributor:

The Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology.

GIC Course Text Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Summary:

The Archaeology of Violence is an interdisciplinary consideration of the role of violence in social-cultural and sociopolitical contexts. The volume draws on the work of archaeologists, anthropologists, classicists, and art historians, all of whom have an interest in understanding the role of violence in their respective specialist fields in the Mediterranean and Europe. The focus is on three themes: contexts of violence, politics and identities of violence, and sanctified violence.

In contrast to many past studies of violence, often defined by their subject specialism, or by a specific temporal or geographic focus, this book draws on a wide range of both temporal and spatial examples and offers new perspectives on the study of violence and its role in social and political change. Rather than simply equating violence with warfare, as has been done in many archaeological cases, the volume contends that the focus on warfare has been to the detriment of our understanding of other forms of "non-warfare" violence and has the potential to affect the ways in which violence is recognized and discussed by scholars, and ultimately has repercussions for understanding its role in society. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Introduction: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Violence / Sarah Ralph Ralph, Sarah 1

Section I The Contexts of Violence: Introduction / Sarunas Milisauskas Milisauskas, Sarunas 16

Chapter 2 War Without Warriors?: The Nature of Interpersonal Conflict before the Emergence of Formalized Warrior Elites / Rick J. Schulting Schulting, Rick J. 19

Chapter 3 Warfare in Northern European Bronze Age Societies: Twentieth-Century Presentations and Recent Archaeological Research Inquiries / Helle Vandkilde Vandkilde, Helle 37

Chapter 4 Violence as an Aspect of the Durotriges Female Life Course / Rebecca C. Redfern Redfern, Rebecca C. 63

Chapter 5 Facing the Sword: Confronting the Realities of Martial Violence and Other Mayhem, Present and Past / Simon T. James James, Simon T. 98

Section II The Politics and Identities of Violence: Introduction / Bradley A. Ault Ault, Bradley A. 118

Chapter 6 Violent Discourses: Visual Cannibalism and the Portraits of Rome's "Bad" Emperors / Eric R. Varner Varner, Eric R. 121

Chapter 7 "An Offense to Honor Is Never Forgiven...": Violence and Landscape Archaeology in Highland Northern Albania / Michael L. Galaty Galaty, Michael L. 143

Chapter 8 "Persuade the People": Violence and Roman Spectacle Entertainment in the Greek World / Michael L. Carter Carter, Michael L. 158

Chapter 9 Past War and European Identity: Making Conflict Archaeology Useful / John Carman Carman, John 169

Section III Sanctified Violence Introduction / Peter F. Biehl Biehl, Peter F. 182

Chapter 10 The State of Sacrifice: Divine Power and Political Aspiration in Third Millennium Mesopotamia and Beyond / Anne Porter Porter, Anne 185

Chapter 11 The Violent Ways of Galatian Gordion / Mary M. Voigt Voigt, Mary M. 23

Chapter 12 An Archaeological Interpretation of Irish Iron Age Bog Bodies / Eamonn P. Kelly Kelly, Eamonn P. 232

Chapter 13 The Archaeology of Destruction: Christians, Images of Classical Antiquity, and Some Problems of Interpretation / John Pollini Pollini, John 241

Section IV Epilogue / Keith F. Otterbein Otterbein, Keith F. 271.

ISBN:

9781438444413