Megaliths and rituals at Tustrup, Denmark

by Palle Eriksen
Megaliths and rituals at Tustrup, Denmark
Author: Palle Eriksen
Publisher: Aarhus Universitetsforlag
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2023-12-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 8793423918
GET BOOK

The complex of megaliths near Tustrup is a prime example of the megalithic sites used by early farming communities in Stone Age Europe. Excavated in the 1950s by Moesgaard Museum, the site continues to hold great contemporary and scientific value. Its significance relates primarily to the unusual find of a ritual complex connected to two dolmens and passage grave. The question of why monumental sites played such an important role for early farming communities is currently the focus of several international studies. In Denmark, which boasts one of the world’s largest concentrations of megalithic monuments as well as a strong tradition for research in the area, archaeologists have had a longstanding wish to contribute to this discussion with a comprehensive publication about the unique complex of megaliths near Tustrup. Experts have researched the finds and meticulously analysed the site and its artefacts. These detailed studies have led to surprising and well-documented interpretations of the megalithic tombs, the construction history of the ritual site and their function, along with the inter-relationship between the monuments.

From Handaxe to Khan

by Kjeld von Folsach
From Handaxe to Khan
Author: Kjeld von Folsach
Publisher:
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Coollected as a Festschrift for the 70th birthday of Peder Mortensen, former director of the Moesgard Museum and the Danish Institute in Damascus, the essays in this volume reflect the breadth of Mortensen's passion for archaeology and culture in the Middle East. The topics are arranged chronologically and range from stone tools and early human footprints, to the cultural transitions reveled by a Palestinian mosaic from the 4th century AD, to the way the design of a Jordanian madafah from the early 20th century encouraged traditional Muslim hospitality: Several papers cover the archaeology of the region, including Luristan, Elam and the Syrian Palaeolithic, while Frank Hole uses his experiences travelling with Iranian nomads to shed light on excavations of ancient campsites. The final essay considers the development and future of Islamic archaeology as an academic discipline.

Monumentalising Life in the Neolithic

by Anne Birgitte Gebaer
Monumentalising Life in the Neolithic
Author: Anne Birgitte Gebaer
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2020-09-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1789254973
GET BOOK

One of the principal characteristics of the European Neolithic is the development of monumentality in association with innovations in material culture and changes in subsistence from hunting and gathering to farming and pastoralism. The papers in this volume discuss the latest insights into why monumental architecture became an integral part of early farming societies in Europe and beyond. One of the topics is how we define monuments and how our arguments and recent research on temporality impacts on our interpretation of the Neolithic period. Different interpretations of Göbekli Tepe are examples of this discussion as well as our understanding of special landmarks such as flint mines. The latest evidence on the economic and paleoenvironmental context, carbon 14 dates as well as analytical methods are employed in illuminating the emergence of monumentalism in Neolithic Europe. Studies are taking place on a macro and micro scale in areas as diverse as Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Germany, the Dutch wetlands, Portugal and Malta involving a range of monuments from long barrows and megalithic tombs to roundels and enclosures. Transformation from a natural to a built environment by monumentalizing part of the landscape is discussed as well as changes in megalithic architecture in relation to shifts in the social structure. An ethnographic study of megaliths in Nagaland discuss monument building as an act of social construction. Other studies look into the role of monuments as expressions of cosmology and active loci of ceremonial performances. Also, a couple of papers analyse the social processes in the transformation of society in the aftermath of the initial boom in monument construction and the related changes in subsistence and social structure in northern Europe. The aim of the publication is to explore different theories about the relationship between monumentality and the Neolithic way of life through these studies encompassing a wide range of types of monuments over vast areas of Europe and beyond.

Barley, malt and ale in the neolithic

by Merryn Dineley
Barley, malt and ale in the neolithic
Author: Merryn Dineley
Publisher: British Archaeological Reports Oxford Limited
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2004
Genre: Cooking
ISBN:
GET BOOK

Merryn Dineley's thesis is based on the premise that the 'biochemical laws that govern the processes of malting, mashing and fermentation remain unchanged throughout the millennia'. She therefore uses the results of scientific experimentation to search for evidence of ale and brewing amongst Neolithic residues. Following a discussing of the actual brewing process and later Viking and medieval embellishments, the study discusses the evidence for barley in Egypt and the Near East, the first evidence of grain in neolithic Europe and ceramic, environmental and structural clues for brewing in Neolithic Orkney and Grooved Ware sites in Britain.

Megaliths from Antiquity

by Timothy Darvill
Megaliths from Antiquity
Author: Timothy Darvill
Publisher:
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN:
GET BOOK

"Antiquity Publications announces the publication of the third volume of Antiquity papers, drawing on the 75-year tradition of publishing articles of enduring value. The third volume of reprinted classic papers explores the ever intriguing theme of British and European megaliths. Thirty-six papers examine four principal themes on megalithic studies. The earliest monuments - the great tombs and dolmens - reveal the extent of megalithic variety. Papers range from Daniel's early studies of British dolmens to more recent debates; the perennial interest in Stonehenge and Avebury has figured prominently in Antiquity and is brought fully up to date. The presence of timber and earth circles as precursors or alternatives to megalithic structures show further variety in ancient monument building. The final section, Beyond the Megaliths, through studies of ancient engineering, archaeoastronomy and sensory archaeology demonstrates the abiding interest in interpretations of function and meaning in the ancient stones."--provided by publisher.