Egalitarianism in the southern British Iron Age: an 'archaeology of knowledge'

Hingley, Richard

Abstract

This paper addresses the Iron Age roundhouses that have been (re)constructed throughout the UK since 1970 and some of the intangible associations that are linked to these structures. How concepts of science and experimentation have been used in constructing the material characteristics of these roundhouses will be explored and it will be shown how alternative practices have drawn more creatively on the idea of the ‘symbolic aura’ of the past. The popular appeal of Iron Age living and the physicality of the roundhouse has become emblematic of a range of partly contradictory ideals, including those of an egalitarian, sustainable, peaceful and potentially spiritual Iron Age, or ‘Celtic’, past. This paper addresses how such practices and ideas have developed and also the role of archaeological research in informing and contradicting concepts about the past.

Citation

Hingley, R. (2019). Egalitarianism in the southern British Iron Age: an 'archaeology of knowledge'. In B. X. Cúrras, & I. Sastre (Eds.), Alternative iron ages: social theory from archaeological analysis. Routledge

• Online Publication Date: Sep 9, 2019
• Publication Date: Sep 9, 2019
• Deposit Date: Dec 10, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 9, 2021
• Publisher: Routledge
• Series Title: Routledge studies in archaeology.
• Book Title: Alternative iron ages: social theory from archaeological analysis.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1629828