Session format:
Regular session
Title:
The Houses of Death as Ancestral Monuments. The Archaeology of Neolithic Long Barrows in Europe
Content:
The construction and use of long barrows connected vast areas of Central and Northwestern Europe during the late fifth, fourth, and third millennia BC. But the purpose and meaning of these great monuments remain issues for debate. They are commonly interpreted as funerary and religious sites, perhaps erected as part of a system of ancestor cults. Their symbolism is closely connected with archetype Neolithic houses, representing crucial values of early farming communities in Europe. Sometimes they are viewed in economic or socio-political terms, as territorial markers delineating the areas controlled by different farming communities. In yet other perspectives they are perceived as landmarks of previous habitation; indicators of settlements or farming-friendly territories enduring for millennia after their construction. Indeed, all these interpretations may be valid and contribute dimensions to the original nature of the long barrows.
In this session we want to address a wide range of issues, starting with regional and chronological variability, construction, and the functional and symbolic interpretations of the structures and their use. We would welcome papers on these matters and also on the spatial relationships of long barrows with other funerary sites, settlement areas, and, more widely, ceremonial landscapes. Contributors are invited to given attention to the dynamics and time-span of the monumental traditions represented, and consider ancestral cults, activities at and around the barrows, and the abandonment and reuse of individual monuments. We would also welcome discussion on the multidisciplinary methods of long barrow research, and issues connected to their conservation and public presentation.
Keywords:
Long Barrows, Neolithic, Ancestral Monuments, Ceremonial Landscapes, Burial Rites, Europe
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:
Main organiser:
Jan Turek (Czech Republic) 1
Co-organisers:
Timothy Darvill (United Kingdom) 2
Petr Kristuf (Czech Republic) 3
Agnieszka Przybyl (Poland) 4
Affiliations:
1. Center for Theoretical Study, Charles University, Prague
2. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University
3. Department of Archaeology, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen
4. Istitute of Archaeology, University of Wrocław
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