Theme:
3. Heritage Narratives and Representations
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
CANCELLED Once upon a Time – Fortified Sites in Contemporary Sources, Folklore, and Literature [COMFORT]
Content:
Looking at the numerous archaeological monuments of prehistory and history, fortified sites (castles, strongholds, hillforts etc.) are undoubtedly among the most fascinating cultural assets of our past. Contemporary reports on fortified sites are known from a range of historical periods and regions around the world, be it in the form of chronicles, itineraries, ethnographic reports or folklore and literature. These written records often give detailed information on the construction, destruction, location, and/or function of the described sites.
For example, alongside the descriptions of fortified Germanic refuges given by the Roman historian Tacitus, many written accounts from the Early and High Middle Ages are known from Anglo-Saxon, Frankish or German merchants, priests and other eyewitnesses. Written accounts of fortifications are also known from ethnohistorical reports recorded e.g. by 17th and 18th century colonists and explorers of the Old and New World, describing indigenous fortifications in Siberia, West Africa, and North America. Moreover, fortified places are represented in folklore and legends that chronicle former military conflicts, in which historical memory becomes translated into myth. The range of description information in these reports can be highly relevant for archaeological research. But how realistic and truthful is the information from those contemporary accounts? What archaeological knowledge can be extracted from them?
In this session, we seek to explore contemporary, folkloristic and literature records of fortified sites from around the globe. By critically reflecting on the reporting entities, the inhabitants of the fortified structures, and the content of these accounts in relation to archaeological and historical records we can assess how these can be more effectively utilized in the archaeological research. The session not only aims to contribute to a comprehensive overview of fortified sites in contemporary sources from all written epochs but also to discuss general similarities and differences in those written depictions.
Keywords:
Fortified sites, written sources, Folklore, Literature, ground truthing, Fortifications
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:
Community for Fortification Research (COMFORT)
Main organiser:
Sebastian Messal (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
Tanja Schreiber (Germany) 2
Vytenis Podėnas (Lithuania) 3
Affiliations:
1. Lower Saxony State Service for Cultural Heritage
2. Kiel University, Roots Cluster of Excellence
3. Lithuanian Institute of History, Department of Archaeology
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT