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Irish Iron Age Settlement and Society: Reframing Royal Sites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2019

Katharina Becker
Katharina Becker*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Connolly Building, University College Cork, Ireland
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper attempts to resituate the Irish so-called ‘Royal’ sites within our vision of the Iron Age by challenging current understanding of their function as primarily situated in a ceremonial or ritual realm. While the evidence from these sites speaks to the complexity of their function, conceptualisation, and symbolic relevance, it is argued here that they are integral focal points of settled landscapes. Their architecture is suggested to address very specific concerns of the agrarian communities that built them and, in its very distinct change over the course of the Iron Age, to reflect broader societal developments, namely the emergence and decline of new society formations. Artefacts and ecofacts, architecture and landscape context of these sites contain a wealth of information on the activities that were taking place on and near them. It is argued that, freed from a binary ritual/profane interpretational framework, this evidence becomes readable as a record of Iron Age society and its dramatic changes over time.

Résumé

Occupation et société de l’âge du fer irlandais: Recadrage des sites royaux, de Katharina Becker

Cet article tente de resituer les soi-disant sites royaux irlandais dans notre vision de l’âge du fer en remettant en cause notre compréhension actuelle de leur fonction comme essentiellement située dans un domaine cérémoniel ou rituel. Tandis que les témoignages de ces sites parlent à la complexité de leur fonction, conceptualisation et pertinence symbolique, nous argumentons ici que ce sont les points focaux intégraux de paysages occupés. Il est suggéré que leur architecture aborde les questions très spécifiques des communautés agraires qui les ont construits et dans son très distinct changement au cours de la durée de l’âge du fer pour refléter des développements sociétaux, plus étendus à savoir l’émergence et le déclin de nouvelles formations sociétales. Les artifacts et les ecofacts, l’architecture et le contexte paysager de ces sites recèlent une richesse de renseignements sur les activités qui se déroulaient là, ou à proximité. Nous argumentons que libérés du cadre d’interprétation binaire rituel/profane ces vestiges peuvent se lire comme un témoignage de la société del’âge du fer et de ses spectaculaires changements au fil du temps.

Zusammenfassung

Siedlung und Gesellschaft in der Eisenzeit Irlands – die Rekonzeptualisierung königlicher Orte, von Katharina Becker

Dieser Beitrag versucht die sogenannten „königlichen“ Orte Irlands in unserer Vorstellung der Eisenzeit neu zu situieren, indem das gegenwärtige Verständnis ihrer Funktion als primär in einer zeremoniellen oder rituellen Sphäre situiert in Frage gestellt wird. Während die Erkenntnisse zu diesen Orten die Komplexität ihrer Funktion, Konzeptualisierung und symbolischen Bedeutung erkennen lassen, spricht sich dieser Beitrag dafür aus, dass sie integrale Kristallisationspunkte einer besiedelten Landschaft sind. Es wird argumentiert, dass ihre Architektur sich an die ganz spezifischen Anliegen der agrarischen Gemeinschaften richtet, die sie erbauten, und sie in ihrem jeweiligen Wandel im Verlauf der Eisenzeit generellere gesellschaftliche Entwicklungen reflektieren, nämlich die Entstehung und den Zerfall neuer Gesellschaftsformationen. Artefakte und Ökofakte, Architektur und Landschaftskontext dieser Orte umfassen eine Vielzahl an Informationen zu den Aktivitäten, die dort und in der Nähe ausgeübt wurden. Befreit von einem binären rituell/profanen interpretativen Rahmen kann argumentiert werden, dass diese Erkenntnisse als Dokument der eisenzeitlichen Gesellschaft und ihres dramatischen Wandels im Laufe der Zeit gelesen werden können.

Resumen

Asentamientos irlandeses de la Edad del Hierro y sociedad- reformulando los sitios reales, por Katharina Becker

Este artículo pretende replantear los sitios irlandeses denominados “reales” dentro de nuestra visión de la Edad del Hierro que desafían la comprensión actual de su función principalmente considerada dentro de la esfera de lo ceremonial y/o ritual. A pesar de que estos sitios revelan una complejidad en su función, una relevancia conceptual y simbólica, se sostiene que son puntos fundamentales de los paisajes habitados. Se sugiere que su arquitectura aborda preocupaciones muy específicas de las comunidades agrícolas que las construyeron y que las distintas modificaciones a lo largo de la Edad del Hierro reflejan desarrollos sociales más amplios, concretamente el surgimiento y el declive de nuevas formaciones sociales. Los artefactos y ecofactos, el contexto arquitectónico y paisajístico de estos sitios contiene una gran cantidad de información sobre las actividades que tuvieron lugar en ellos o sus alrededores. Se argumenta que, tras liberarse de un marco de interpretación ritual/profano, esta evidencia se convierte en un registro de la sociedad de la Edad del Hierro y de sus dramáticos cambios a lo largo del tiempo.

Keywords

Iron AgeIrelandRoyal sitessocietykingshiphouse societysettlementlater prehistoryLate Bronze Agetransition
Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 85 , December 2019 , pp. 273 - 306
Copyright
© The Prehistoric Society, 2019 

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