A Completely Normal Practice : The Emergence of Selective Metalwork Deposition in Denmark, North-West Germany, and the Netherlands Between 2350-1500 BC.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Visser, Marieke.

Language:

Dutch

Subjects (All):

Bronze age--Denmark.

Bronze age.

Bronze age--Germany, Northern.

Bronze age--Netherlands.

Metal-work, Prehistoric--Denmark.

Metal-work, Prehistoric.

Metal-work, Prehistoric--Germany, Northern.

Metal-work, Prehistoric--Netherlands.

Denmark--Antiquities.

Denmark.

Germany, Northern--Antiquities.

Germany, Northern.

Netherlands--Antiquities.

Netherlands.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (274 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Leiden : Sidestone Press, 2021.

Language Note:

In English, with summary in Dutch.

Summary:

In Bronze Age Europe, an enormous amount of metalwork was buried in the ground and never retrieved. Patterns in the archaeological finds show that this was a deliberate practice: people systematically deposited valuable metal objects in specific places in the landscape, even in non-metalliferous regions. Although this practice seems strange and puzzling from our modern perspective, these patterns demonstrate that it was not simply a matter of irrational human behaviour. Instead, there were supra-regionally shared ideas and conventions behind this practice. This book aims to acquire a better understanding of these ideas and conventions. By systematically investigating the objects and places that people selected for metalwork depositions, the logic behind the practice of selective metalwork deposition is unravelled. This research focuses specifically on the emergence of the practice in Denmark, northern Germany, and the Netherlands, a region without sources of copper and tin that has not been studied as a whole before, despite striking similarities in the archaeological record. Starting from the first introduction of metal to the research area, the emergence and development of selective metalwork depositions is examined and followed over time.For thousands of years, deliberately depositing metal objects in the landscape was a completely normal thing to do. We are now beginning to catch a glimpse of the logic behind this human behaviour. This research does not only add a new chronological and geographical depth to the field of metalwork depositions, but it also provides a detailed catalogue of the metalwork from the research area.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY

1. Introduction

1.1. Introduction: the Torsted hoard

1.2. The Torsted hoard: not an isolated case

1.3. Conventional interpretation models of hoards

1.4. Ritual interpretations of Bronze Age depositions and the Scandinavian research tradition

1.4.1. Ritual interpretations in the Scandinavian research tradition

1.4.2. The emergence of religious interpretations in Denmark: the observations of Engelhardt and Worsaae

1.4.3. Worsaae's observations and Kopytoff's biographies

1.5. The Scandinavian school of archaeology: emergence and characteristics

1.5.1. National archaeology

1.5.2. Literary historical tradition

1.5.3. Ex oriente lux school

1.6. An economic approach to ritual depositions: ritual consumption of metalwork

1.7. Ritual interpretations: problems and challenges

1.8. Interpreting Bronze Age depositions: the European debate

1.8.1. Utilitarian approaches to hoards

1.8.2. Wet versus dry contexts

1.9. Approach: patterns and practices

1.9.1. The `right' region, time period, and dataset

1.10. State of affairs

1.11. Aim and research questions

2. Methodology and data

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Theoretical framework

2.3. Data selection and collection

2.4. Quality of the data

2.5. Database structure and variables

2.5.1. Landscape context

2.5.2. Objects

2.6. Network science

2.7. Research area

2.8. Chronology

2.9. Structure of the thesis

pt. II DATA AND PATTERNS

3. Selective deposition before 2000 BC

3.1. Introduction

3.2. The introduction, disappearance, and reappearance of metal: a thousand-year gap?

3.3. Selective deposition in the Funnelbeaker Culture: an overview

3.3.1. Flint, Alpine jade, and copper axes

3.3.2. Copper ornaments

3.3.3. The Bygholm hoard

3.3.4. Conclusion

3.4. Selective deposition in the Single Grave Culture: an overview

3.4.1. The Single Grave burial package

3.4.2. Flint and copper axes

3.4.3. Copper ornaments

3.4.4. Conclusion

3.5. Patterns in selective deposition in the Bell Beaker period

3.5.1. The Bell Beaker burial package

3.5.2. Flint and copper daggers

3.5.3. Copper axes

3.5.4. Copper and gold ornaments

3.5.5. Conclusion

3.6. Discussion

3.6.1. Selective deposition: developments over time

3.6.2. Local vs. foreign objects

3.6.3. The emergence of selective metalwork deposition

4. Patterns in selective metalwork deposition in LN II

4.1. Introduction

4.1.1. Unetice metalwork

4.1.2. LN II metalwork: introduction

4.2. Flint and metal daggers

4.3. Halberds

4.4. Axes and chisels

4.4.1. Axes

4.4.2. Chisels

4.5. Ornaments

4.6. Unconventional hoards

unconventional events

4.6.1. The Pile hoard

4.6.2. The Gallemose hoard

4.6.3. The Skeldal hoard

4.6.4. The Vigerslev hoard

4.6.5. The Wageningen hoard

4.6.6. Conclusion

4.7. Discussion

5. Patterns in selective metalwork deposition in period IA

5.1. Introduction

5.1.1. European background

5.1.2. Period IA metalwork: introduction

5.2. Flint and metal daggers

5.3. Axes and chisels

5.3.1. Axes

5.3.2. Chisels

5.4. Spearheads

5.5. Ornaments

5.6. Osenringe

5.7. Hoards: unconventional events

5.7.1. Hoards in Denmark

5.7.2. Hoards in northern Germany

5.7.3. Hoards in the Netherlands

5.7.4. Conclusion

5.8. Discussion

6. Patterns in selective metalwork deposition in period IB

6.1. Introduction

6.1.1. European and regional background

6.1.2. Period IB metalwork: introduction

6.2. Flint and metal daggers and swords

6.2.1. Flint daggers, flint swords, and dagger-shaped strike-a-lights

6.2.2. Bronze daggers and swords

6.3. Axes and chisels

6.3.1. Axes

6.3.2. Chisels

6.4. Spearheads

6.5. Ornaments

6.6. Hoards and burials

6.6.1. Hoards

6.6.2. Burials

6.6.3. Conclusion

6.7. Discussion

pt. III CONCLUSION

7. A completely normal practice: selective metalwork deposition through the ages

7.1. `Deviating beginnings'

7.2. The gap?

7.3. The reinvention

7.4. The big rise

7.5. Prelude to the finale

7.6. The grand finale: the Nordic Bronze Age and Sbgel-Wohlde period

7.7. Epilogue

8. The selection of objects: cultural biographies

8.1. Objects: developments over time

8.2. Foreign vs. local styles

8.2.1. Metal import and local production

8.2.2. Foreign and local styles and what they entail

8.2.3. Depositions of objects with foreign vs. local shapes

8.2.4. Flint daggers and metal daggers

8.3. Persistent vs. new objects

8.3.1. Persistent objects

8.3.2. New objects

8.4. The use lives of objects

8.4.1. Axes: use and deposition

8.5. Conclusion

9. Burying things with the dead: creating an image

9.1. Barrows and metalwork: social inequality?

9.2. Creating an image of the dead: a case study

9.3. Burial gifts and conventions: an overview

9.4. LN II: from burials to wetlands...

9.5. Period IA: ...and back again to burials

9.6. Period IB: warrior burials and regional practices

9.7. Conclusion

10. `Non-burial-gifts': placing things in the landscape

10.1. The selection of landscape settings: an overview

10.2. Hoards vs. single object deposits

10.3. Hoards in LN II: international contacts and the community

10.4. Hoards in period IA: regional practices and the community

10.5. Hoards in period IB: shared ideas and regional interpretations

10.6. Conclusion.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

94-6428-016-6

94-6428-017-4

OCLC:

1288217445