Theme:
1. Networks, networking, communication: archaeology of interactions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Just a Demonstration of Power? The Setting of Strongholds within Their Landscape [COMFORT]
Content:
Strongholds – places fortified in one way or the other – were social, economic and religious centers for large territories, as well as for smaller, local units. There is no doubt that the location of these centers within their landscape was chosen with considerable care addressing their intended function. We find strongholds being built in the centers, but also at the peripheries of densely populated areas; strongholds are present in marginal regions, too. Strongholds have been situated along as well as at the crossroads of transit routes, both regarding waterways and roads on land. Strongholds are in naturally protected locations, such as islands, lowlands and promontories, but often, the landscape has been modified to facilitate a stronghold. Due to such a cultural and geographical variety, it can be hypothesized that the investigation of the particular situation of strongholds within their landscape might indicate the specific function of the single site. More importantly, however, such investigations also enable – especially under the application of landscape analyses – a reconstruction of possible stronghold networks. These studies facilitate the creation of new knowledge concerning the use of ‘stronghold landscape’ across time and space, and help us to understand how societies using strongholds have been adapting these to the landscape and/or vice versa.
The purpose for this session is to present a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in strongholds within their cultural landscape. In addition, the session aims to summarize and reflect upon the intentions for the establishment of strongholds on particular locations: what reasons were predominant for the situation – functional or strategic, or were strongholds mainly aiming to be just a demonstration of power? In this session, we welcome submissions presenting best practice examples of investigating the landscape of strongholds from different geographical and temporal settings of Europe.
Keywords:
strongholds, landscape, society
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
COMFORT
Main organiser:
Sebastian Messal (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
Kristin Ilves (Finland) 2
Jens Schneeweiß (Germany) 3
Affiliations:
1. German Archaeological Institute
2. Faculty of Arts, Department of Cultures
3. Cluster of Excellence ROOTS, Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA)
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT