- Archaeology
Faculty of Humanities
University of Southampton
Highfield
SO17 1BF - +44 2380 594779
David Wheatley
University of Southampton, Archaeology, Faculty Member
- Archaeology, Digital Humanities, Prehistoric Archaeology, Archaeological GIS, Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), British Prehistory (Archaeology), and 8 moreArchaeological photography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Archaeological Method & Theory, Neolithic Archaeology, Spatial Analysis, Archaeological Theory, Visual perception, and Valencina de la Concepción (Seville, Spain)edit
- I am Associate Dean for Education in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Southampton and am curre... moreI am Associate Dean for Education in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Southampton and am currently leading the University’s “Reducing Curriculum Complexity” project.When not doing that, I am Professor of Archaeology specialising in British and Iberian Prehistory, and digital and computational approaches to archaeological problems. My research interests include the application of image processing and GIS technologies to archaeological problems and the management, use and development of computer-based simulation, database systems, virtual reality modelling and distributed multimedia. As a prehistorian, I have worked on the neolithic and early Bronze Age of southern England and on the later prehistory of southern Iberia. I also retain an interest in archaeological theory, particularly relating to issues of perception, and to the adoption of new technologies within archaeology.Finally, I'm also interested in photography and digital imaging, particularly the potential of computer-processed photographic images (such as High Dynamic Range) for archaeological recording.edit
Twelve papers that reflect current themes in archaeological computing, from the development of new techniques, to working methodologies and the potential of computing to archaeological research; Introduction (David Wheatley, Graeme Earl &... more
Twelve papers that reflect current themes in archaeological computing, from the development of new techniques, to working methodologies and the potential of computing to archaeological research; Introduction (David Wheatley, Graeme Earl & Sarah Poppy); Virtual reconstruction and the interpretative process: a case-study from Avebury (Graeme Earl & David Wheatley); Rock art and 'Bubble worlds' (Jayne Gidlow); The use and abuse of statistical methods in archaeological site location modelling (Patricia E.
Woodman & Mark Woodward); An assessment of the SMR as a predictive tool for cultural resource management, development control and academic research (Paul Cuming); Quantifying the British Palaeolithic: Regional Data and Hominid Adaptations (Rob Hosfield); Maritime Fife, Managing Fife's Underwater Heritage: A feasibility study for a Maritime Archaeological GIS (Deanna Groom & Ian Oxley); Field digital data acquisition (FDA) using total station and pencomputer: A working methodology (Marek Ziebart, Nick Holder & Peter Dare); Electronic Publication in Archaeology (Anja-Christina Wolle); In Search of a Defensible Site: A GIS Analysis of Hampshire Hillforts (Jenny Mitcham); The Potential of Geostatistics in the Analysis of Fieldwalking Data (David Ebert); An application of proximity graphs in Archaeological spatial analysis (Diego Jimenez & Dave Chapman).
Woodman & Mark Woodward); An assessment of the SMR as a predictive tool for cultural resource management, development control and academic research (Paul Cuming); Quantifying the British Palaeolithic: Regional Data and Hominid Adaptations (Rob Hosfield); Maritime Fife, Managing Fife's Underwater Heritage: A feasibility study for a Maritime Archaeological GIS (Deanna Groom & Ian Oxley); Field digital data acquisition (FDA) using total station and pencomputer: A working methodology (Marek Ziebart, Nick Holder & Peter Dare); Electronic Publication in Archaeology (Anja-Christina Wolle); In Search of a Defensible Site: A GIS Analysis of Hampshire Hillforts (Jenny Mitcham); The Potential of Geostatistics in the Analysis of Fieldwalking Data (David Ebert); An application of proximity graphs in Archaeological spatial analysis (Diego Jimenez & Dave Chapman).
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Effective management is becoming increasingly important in all aspects of archaeology. Archaeologists must manage the artifacts they deal with, their funding, ancient sites, as well as the practice of archaeology itself. The outstanding... more
Effective management is becoming increasingly important in all aspects of archaeology. Archaeologists must manage the artifacts they deal with, their funding, ancient sites, as well as the practice of archaeology itself. The outstanding papers in Managing Archaeology are from experts involved in these many areas of archaeology.
Managing Archaeology concentrates on the ideas and principles of management and relates them to archaeology in the 1990s, covering such crucial areas as the management of contract and field archaeology, heritage management, marketing, law and information technology.
Managing Archaeology concentrates on the ideas and principles of management and relates them to archaeology in the 1990s, covering such crucial areas as the management of contract and field archaeology, heritage management, marketing, law and information technology.
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This volume describes the results of the Longstones Project, a joint-universities programme of excavation and survey designed to develop a fuller understanding of the context and dynamics of monument construction in the later Neolithic... more
This volume describes the results of the Longstones Project, a joint-universities programme of excavation and survey designed to develop a fuller understanding of the context and dynamics of monument construction in the later Neolithic (3rd millennium BC) of the Avebury region, Wiltshire. Several elements of this internationally important prehistoric monument complex were investigated: an early-mid 3rd millennium BC enclosure at Beckhampton; the recently re-discovered Beckhampton Avenue and Longstones Cove; a section of the West Kennet Avenue; the Falkner's stone circle; and the Cove within Avebury's Northern Inner Circle.The research sheds new light on the complexities and development of this monument rich area and consideration is given to the questions of how and why ceremonial centres such as that at Avebury came into being in the 3rd millennium BC. The importance of understanding the agency - the affective and perceived inherent qualities - of materials and landscapes is stressed; and the unusual character of the Wessex monument complexes is highlighted by comparison with the format and sequences of other ceremonial centres in southern Britain.
The second part of the monograph tracks the later, post-prehistoric, lives of Avebury's megalithic monuments including a detailed account of the early 18th-century records of the Beckhampton Avenue made by the antiquary William Stukeley.
The second part of the monograph tracks the later, post-prehistoric, lives of Avebury's megalithic monuments including a detailed account of the early 18th-century records of the Beckhampton Avenue made by the antiquary William Stukeley.
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Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and related spatial technologies have a new and powerful role to play in archaeological interpretation. Beginning with a conceptual approach to the representation of space adopted by GIS, this book... more
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and related spatial technologies have a new and powerful role to play in archaeological interpretation. Beginning with a conceptual approach to the representation of space adopted by GIS, this book examines spatial databases; the acquisition and compilation of data; the analytical compilation of data; the analytical functionality of GIS; and the creation and utilization of critical foundation data layers such as the Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The ways in which GIS can most usefully facilitate archaeological analysis and interpretation are then explored particularly as a tool for the management of archaeological resources. Formal analysis of archaeological material, and the use of trend surface, contouring and interpolation procedures are considered along with predictive modeling analysis of visibility and intervisibility. Finally there is a discussion of leading-edge issues, including three-dimensional GIS, object-oriented GIS, the relationship between GIS and'Virtual Reality' technologies, and the integration of GIS with distributed systems and the Internet.The approach is light, and technical detail is kept to a minimum, recognizing that most readers are simply interested in using GIS effectively. The text is carefully illustrated with worked case-studies using archaeological data. Spatial Technology and Archaeology provides a single reference source for archaeologists, students, professionals, and academics in archaeology as well as those in anthropology and related disciplines.
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There is in Spain a long tradition of studies regarding Prehistoric Landscape and over the past thirty years, there have been a number of theories about the emergence and function of the Megalithic monuments among other elements, such as... more
There is in Spain a long tradition of studies regarding Prehistoric Landscape and over the past thirty years, there have been a number of theories about the emergence and function of the Megalithic monuments among other elements, such as paths and trails in the archaeological landscape.
From the general revision of the traditional literature on the topic, there are two main hypotheses that have arisen for the interpretation of the megalithic monuments and their function. The first hypothesis suggests that the megalithic monuments had not only a ritual and symbolic function, but also played an important role as status establishers between communities [1 and 2]. On the other hand, other researchers have suggested that beyond these functions, the delineation of the transhumance routes could be influenced by a series of natural and social factors and the megalithic monuments had the function of “markers” in the landscape [3 and 4].
From the general revision of the traditional literature on the topic, there are two main hypotheses that have arisen for the interpretation of the megalithic monuments and their function. The first hypothesis suggests that the megalithic monuments had not only a ritual and symbolic function, but also played an important role as status establishers between communities [1 and 2]. On the other hand, other researchers have suggested that beyond these functions, the delineation of the transhumance routes could be influenced by a series of natural and social factors and the megalithic monuments had the function of “markers” in the landscape [3 and 4].
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Iberian ‘warrior’ stelae have captured the imagination of researchers and the public for more than a century. Traditionally, stelae were considered ‘de-contextualised’ monuments, and research typically focused on the study of their... more
Iberian ‘warrior’ stelae have captured the imagination of researchers and the public for more than a century. Traditionally, stelae were considered ‘de-contextualised’ monuments, and research typically focused on the study of their iconography, paying little or no attention to their immediate contexts. As a result, despite the large number of these stelae known to date (c. 140) and the ample body of literature that has dealt with them, fundamental questions remain unanswered. This paper aims to demonstrate the potential of a multidisciplinary and contextual approach to push forward the research agenda on these monuments through a case study. Firstly, we introduce the Mirasiviene stela and the methods deployed for its investigation, which include a variety of digital imaging techniques, petrography, pXRF, intensive survey and multi-scalar spatial analysis. Secondly, we discuss the results in relation to three main topics: stela biography, social practices and landscape context. Comparisons to the well-known nearby Bronze Age and Iron Age site of Setefilla are made throughout the discussion. Ultimately, this paper makes a case for the stelae of Mirasiviene and Setefilla being polyvalent monuments made by local artisans, that served both as a landmarks and memorials in connection with dense late second and early first millennium BCE settlement patterns in the region. Probably linked to elites, ‘houses’ or kin groups of this time, stelae were set in symbolically-charged places, liminal spaces nearby water, burials and pathways, attracting a range of ritual activities throughout the centuries. The study of the newly discovered Mirasiviene stela shows that multidisciplinary, cutting-edge non-destructive archaeology can shed significant new light on these prehistoric monuments, thus providing a glimpse of what in our opinion is a paradigm shift in the research of similar monuments throughout Europe.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Digital Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, and 14 moreSurvey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Late Bronze Age archaeology, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Prehistoric Europe (Archaeology), Bronze Age (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), European Prehistory (Archaeology), Prehistoric Rock Art, Iron Age, Archaeological survey, Reflectance Transformation Imaging, Late Bronze Age, and 3d Modelling
The use of red pigments linked to burial practices is widely documented in the Iberian prehistoric record and very often it has been traditionally interpreted as a ritual practice entailing the utilisation of local raw materials (iron... more
The use of red pigments linked to burial practices is widely documented in the Iberian prehistoric record and very often it has been traditionally interpreted as a ritual practice entailing the utilisation of local raw materials (iron oxides). Some research works, nevertheless, have also detected the use of red pigments which can only be interpreted as allochthonous. The red pigments spread over a single
inhumation in a monumental Megalithic tomb surrounding Valencina de la Concepción Copper Age settlement was studied by means of X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray microfluorescence, micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. This approach allowed characterising the red pigments as cinnabar, mixed with tiny amounts of iron oxides. The presence of cinnabar, a product that was necessarily imported, in a context of an exceptional set of grave goods, suggests that the use of cinnabar was linked not only to ritual but also to practices related to the display of social status.
inhumation in a monumental Megalithic tomb surrounding Valencina de la Concepción Copper Age settlement was studied by means of X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray microfluorescence, micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. This approach allowed characterising the red pigments as cinnabar, mixed with tiny amounts of iron oxides. The presence of cinnabar, a product that was necessarily imported, in a context of an exceptional set of grave goods, suggests that the use of cinnabar was linked not only to ritual but also to practices related to the display of social status.
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This paper reviews some of the main theoretical critiques of spatial technological approaches to the past, particularly of visibility analysis. It considers the extent to which methodologies for both the built environment and for wider... more
This paper reviews some of the main theoretical critiques of spatial technological approaches to the past, particularly of visibility analysis. It considers the extent to which methodologies for both the built environment and for wider landscapes might either reject or respond to these issues considering in particular (a) the claim that such work is based on a culturally-specific concept of space (the map) that is unlikely to have been shared by other cultures in the past and (b) the accusation that analysis of visual structure perpetuates a western bias towards vision over the other senses and ‘privileges’ the visual over other aspects of perception and bodily engagement. The paper concludes that, although much of this critique can be contested or moderated in various ways, we should accept that vision is not easily separable from other senses. To respond to this challenge, it is suggested that we should seek a framework to understand the link between space and all the senses while at the same time seeking to bring together the traditions of spatial analysis for landscape archaeology and the built environment. One possible way forward maybe to combine the sensory/spatial framework used by proxemics for smaller scales with that defined by Higuchi for landscapes because they share some useful concepts. It is hoped that responding positively in this way to postprocessual critique may ultimately enrich formal methods of understanding ancient urban environments and landscapes.
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This paper notes the adoption of digital photography as a primary recording means within archaeology, and reviews some issues and problems that this presents. Particular attention is given to the problems of recording high-contrast scenes... more
This paper notes the adoption of digital photography as a primary recording means within archaeology, and reviews some issues and problems that this presents. Particular attention is given to the problems of recording high-contrast scenes in archaeology and high dynamic range imaging using multiple exposures is suggested as a means of providing an archive of high-contrast scenes that can later be tone-mapped to provide a variety of visualisations. Exposure fusion is also considered, although it is noted that this has some disadvantages. Three case studies are then presented: (1) a very high-contrast photograph taken from within a rock-cut tomb at Cala Morell, Menorca, (2) an archaeological test pitting exercise requiring rapid acquisition of photographic records in challenging circumstances and (3) legacy material consisting of three differently exposed colour positive (slide) photographs of the same scene. In each case, high dynamic range (HDR) methods are shown to significantly aid the generation of a high-quality illustrative record photograph, and it is concluded that HDR imaging could serve an effective role in archaeological photographic recording, although there remain problems of archiving and distributing HDR radiance map data.
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Recent contributions on the relationship between the application of spatial technologies to archaeological problems and archaeological theory are reviewed and it is concluded that, although there is a clear need for a theoretical... more
Recent contributions on the relationship between the application of spatial technologies to archaeological problems and archaeological theory are reviewed and it is concluded that, although there is a clear need for a theoretical foundation to the use of spatial analyses and technologies within archaeological research, recent approaches (such as those based on ecodynamics, cognitive archaeology and evolutionary theory) are reviewed but found to be insufficient because they are predominantly anti-historical and generalising in nature. An alternative framework is suggested which should be concerned with place (as socially constructed) as much as abstract space, should be historical in approach, and should try to account for both the formation of the archaeological record in the past, and its interpretation in the present. To this end four areas are isolated in which spatial technologies might make a special contribution to archaeological theory-building: the conceptualisation of landscapes, particularly the distinction between space as abstract, and place as subjective; the deconstruction of archaeological categories such as ‘site’ and ‘settlement’; the relationship between scale, social agency and process and, lastly, the analysis of change through time
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Rather that attempt to write a balanced or complete overview of the application of GIS to archaeology (which would inevitably end up being didactic and uncritical) this paper sets out to present a discursive and contentious position with... more
Rather that attempt to write a balanced or complete overview of the application of GIS to archaeology (which would inevitably end up being didactic and uncritical) this paper sets out to present a discursive and contentious position with the deliberate aim of stimulating further debate about the future role of GIS within our discipline.
To this end, existing applications of GIS to archaeology are reviewed, concentrating on two areas of application, predictive modelling and visibility analyses, and on their wider disciplinary context. It is argued that GIS cannot be simplistically held to have been a ‘good thing’ or a ‘bad thing’ for archaeology, but rather that these different application areas may be analysed separately and found to have quite different qualities. Although they are in no sense alternatives to one another, the areas of predictive modelling and visibility analysis can be seen to represent quite different agendas for the development of an archaeology of space and/or place.
The development of correlative predictive models is considered first, both from the perspective of explanation and of cultural resource management. The arguments against predictive modelling as a means of explanation are rehearsed and it is found to be overgeneralising, deterministic and de-humanised. As a consequence, it is argued that predictive modelling is now essentially detached from contemporary theoretical archaeological concerns. Moreover, it is argued to be an area with significant unresolved methodological problems and, far more seriously, that it presents very real dangers for the future representativity of archaeological records.
Second, the development of GIS-based visibility analysis is reviewed. This is also found to be methodologically problematic and incomplete. However, it is argued that visibility studies – in direct contrast with predictive modelling – have remained firmly situated
within contemporary theoretical debates, notably about how human actors experience places (phenomenology) and perceive their surroundings (cognition). A such, it is argued that visibility analysis has the potential to continue to contribute positively to the wider
development of archaeological thinking, notably through laying the foundations of a human-centred archaeology of space.
The paper concludes by qualifying the claim that there is a ‘hidden agenda’ for archaeological applications of GIS (Wheatley 1993), particularly by making it clear that this does not imply an attempt to distort the discipline. Instead, this is explained in terms of institutional and disciplinary inertia that should be addressed through greater debate and communication over these issues.
To this end, existing applications of GIS to archaeology are reviewed, concentrating on two areas of application, predictive modelling and visibility analyses, and on their wider disciplinary context. It is argued that GIS cannot be simplistically held to have been a ‘good thing’ or a ‘bad thing’ for archaeology, but rather that these different application areas may be analysed separately and found to have quite different qualities. Although they are in no sense alternatives to one another, the areas of predictive modelling and visibility analysis can be seen to represent quite different agendas for the development of an archaeology of space and/or place.
The development of correlative predictive models is considered first, both from the perspective of explanation and of cultural resource management. The arguments against predictive modelling as a means of explanation are rehearsed and it is found to be overgeneralising, deterministic and de-humanised. As a consequence, it is argued that predictive modelling is now essentially detached from contemporary theoretical archaeological concerns. Moreover, it is argued to be an area with significant unresolved methodological problems and, far more seriously, that it presents very real dangers for the future representativity of archaeological records.
Second, the development of GIS-based visibility analysis is reviewed. This is also found to be methodologically problematic and incomplete. However, it is argued that visibility studies – in direct contrast with predictive modelling – have remained firmly situated
within contemporary theoretical debates, notably about how human actors experience places (phenomenology) and perceive their surroundings (cognition). A such, it is argued that visibility analysis has the potential to continue to contribute positively to the wider
development of archaeological thinking, notably through laying the foundations of a human-centred archaeology of space.
The paper concludes by qualifying the claim that there is a ‘hidden agenda’ for archaeological applications of GIS (Wheatley 1993), particularly by making it clear that this does not imply an attempt to distort the discipline. Instead, this is explained in terms of institutional and disciplinary inertia that should be addressed through greater debate and communication over these issues.
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"This paper describes the results of the fieldwork stage (2000-2002) of a project dealing with the megalithic phenomenon in Almadén de la Plata (Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain), carried out jointly by the universities of Seville... more
"This paper describes the results of the fieldwork stage (2000-2002) of a project dealing with the megalithic phenomenon in Almadén de la Plata (Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain), carried out jointly by the universities of Seville and Southampton. On the one hand, this project aims to understand the spatial and landscape dimensions of the megalithic monuments of this region, where the density and diversity of such monuments is very high. This has involved systematic surface survey of a number of designated areas in order to provide the empirical basis from which to understand spatial distributions (relationships between the monuments themselves, between the monuments and settlement areas and between monuments and landscape features). On the other hand, this project is looking at aspects of the internal organisation of megalithic burials in the area. Thus excavations carried out at the site of Dolmen de Palacio III have permitted the retrieval and recording of an almost completely intact Copper Age tholos tomb, as well as providing extremely useful information about patterns of re-use of the monument between the Neolithic and the Iron Age."
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Este artículo aborda el estudio de dos estelas prehistóricas encontradas recientemente al Norte de la provincia de Sevilla. Se procede en primer lugar describiendo las circunstancias de los descubrimientos de ambas piezas, así como el... more
Este artículo aborda el estudio de dos estelas prehistóricas encontradas recientemente al Norte de la provincia de Sevilla. Se procede en primer lugar describiendo las circunstancias de los descubrimientos de ambas piezas, así como el marco científico-académico en el que se insertan dentro de las investigaciones que la Universidad de Sevilla vienen desarrollando desde finales de los 1980 en Sierra Morena occidental. A continuación se realiza el análisis de ambos monumentos desde el punto de vista de su morfología y simbología, caracterización
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Although the megalithic phenomenon in southern Iberia has received attention since the mid-nineteenth century, there has been very little attention paid to the role that megalithic structures played in the organization of prehistoric... more
Although the megalithic phenomenon in southern Iberia has received attention since the mid-nineteenth century, there has been very little attention paid to the role that megalithic structures played in the organization of prehistoric landscapes. Just as in other areas of Europe, however, southern Iberian megalithic structures must have played complex roles in the social organization of landscapes that go far beyond their use as funerary containers. Using examples from our work in southern Iberia, we employ GIS-based spatial analysis to explore for the first time various aspects of the landscape dimension of these monuments. We discuss three case-studies for which fresh field data have been recently made available. In the first (Almadén de la Plata) we find patterns of association between medieval transhumance routes and megaliths, and we use cost-surface modelling to suggest that medieval routes may reflect earlier, prehistoric patterns of movement which in turn suggest that megalithic structures functioned in this area as waypoints within an emerging mobility system for people and livestock. In the second case (Aroche) we show correlations between the locations of megaliths and theoretical territories defined by isochrones and contrast this pattern with the distribution of nonmegalithic funerary sites of the Early Bronze Age, concluding that the spatial distribution of megaliths in this region may relate to their role as landmarks. Lastly we describe a far more specific relationship which we have encountered in the Antequera region, where we believe we have identified a relationship between the orientation of the megalithic structure of Menga, a prominent natural feature and several newly discovered prehistoric sites. Together, these three examples suggest that the current focus on typology, chronology and contents in the study of Iberian megaliths needs to be matched with efforts to identify and interpret the often highly complex structure of the prehistoric landscapes of which they form an integral part.
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... García Sanjuán, Leonardo and Wheatley, David (2010) Natural substances, landscape forms, symbols and funerary monuments: elements of cultural memory among the Neolithic and Copper Age societies of Southern Spain. ...
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Este artículo aborda el estudio de dos estelas prehistóricas encontradas recientemente al Norte de la provincia de Sevilla. Se procede en primer lugar describiendo las circunstancias de los descubrimientos de ambas piezas, así como el... more
Este artículo aborda el estudio de dos estelas prehistóricas encontradas recientemente al Norte de la provincia de Sevilla. Se procede en primer lugar describiendo las circunstancias de los descubrimientos de ambas piezas, así como el marco científico-académico en el que se insertan dentro de las investigaciones que la Universidad de Sevilla vienen desarrollando desde finales de los 1980 en Sierra Morena occidental. A continuación se realiza el análisis de ambos monumentos desde el punto de vista de su morfología y simbología, caracterización tecnológica y contexto funcional, espacial y territorial.
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The use of red pigments linked to burial practices is widely documented in the Iberian prehistoric record and very often it has been traditionally interpreted as a ritual practice entailing the utilisation of local raw materials (iron... more
The use of red pigments linked to burial practices is widely documented in the Iberian prehistoric record and very often it has been traditionally interpreted as a ritual practice entailing the utilisation of local raw materials (iron oxides). Some research works, nevertheless, have also detected the use of red pigments which can only be interpreted as allochthonous. The red pigments spread over a single inhumation in a monumental Megalithic tomb surrounding Valencina de la Concepción Copper Age settlement was studied by means of X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray microfluorescence, micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. This approach allowed characterising the red pigments as cinnabar, mixed with tiny amounts of iron oxides. The presence of cinnabar, a product that was necessarily imported, in a context of an exceptional set of grave goods, suggests that the use of cinnabar was linked not only to ritual but also to practices related to the display of social status.
Research Interests: Religion, Prehistoric Archaeology, Geology, Art History, Geoarchaeology, and 74 moreHistory of Religion, Death Studies, Mediterranean prehistory, Funerary Archaeology, Quaternary Geology, History of Religions, Ancient Religion, Funeral Practices, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Chalcolithic Archaeology, Archaeometry, History of Art, Religion and ritual in prehistory, Megalithic Monuments, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Prehistoric Technology, Anthropology of Death, Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Megaliths (Archaeology), Prehistoric Europe (Archaeology), Prehistoric Art, Pigments (Chemistry), European Prehistory (Archaeology), Prehistory, Burial mounds (Archaeology), Funerary Architecture, Prehistoric Rock Art, Archaeology of burials, Funerary Practices, Prehistoric Archeology, Antropología cultural, Historia del Arte, Funeral Archaeology, Copper age, Prehistoria, Geoarchaeology and Lithic Studies, Antropología, Archaeology of death and burial, Geología, Calcolítico, Burial Customs, Pinturas Rupestres, Geoarchaeological provenancing, Pigments, History of Pigments, Geologia, Funeral Monuments, Sedimentology, Geomorphology, Geoarchaeology, Chamber Graves, Historia y Teoria del Arte y la Arquitectura, Funerals, Quaternary Geoarchaeology, Pintura mural, Ceremonial funerals, Early Holocene Geoarchaeology, Conservación Pintura Mural, Funeral Rites, Archaeology of the Funeral Ritual, Prehistoria Reciente, Passage Graves, The Sociology of Death, Dying and Funerals, Rocks, Cinnabar, Valencina de la Concepción (Seville, Spain), Anthropology of Religion, Culture and death, Historia De Las Religiones, Pigmentos Naturales, Funeral Customs, Geoarchéologie, Analysis of Pigments on Ancient Artifacts, and Cinabrio
"The great site of Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán, near Seville in the lower Guadalquivir valley of southwest Spain, is presented in the context of debate about the nature of Copper Age society in southern Iberia as a... more
"The great site of Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán, near Seville in the lower Guadalquivir valley of southwest Spain, is presented in the context of debate about the nature of Copper Age society in southern Iberia as a whole. Many aspects of the layout, use, character and development of Valencina remain unclear, just as there are major unresolved questions about the kind of society represented there and in southern Iberia, from the late fourth to the late third millennium cal BC. This paper discusses 178 radiocarbon dates, from 17 excavated sectors within the c. 450 ha site, making it the best dated in later Iberian prehistory as a whole. Dates are modelled in a Bayesian statistical framework. The resulting formal date estimates provide the basis for both a new epistemological approach to the site and a much more detailed narrative of its development than previously available. Beginning in the 32nd century cal BC, a long-lasting tradition of simple, mainly collective and often successive burial was established at the site. Mud-vaulted tholoi appear to belong to the 29th or 28th centuries cal BC; large stone-vaulted tholoi such as La Pastora appear to date later in the sequence. There is plenty of evidence for a wide range of other activity, but no clear sign of permanent, large-scale residence or public buildings or spaces. Results in general support a model of increasingly competitive but ultimately unstable social relations, through various phases of emergence, social competition, display and hierarchisation, and eventual decline, over a period of c. 900 years."