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cdmcPes 7--41-8- paperback Sussex 978-1-84519-481-9 Eastbourne: £19.95 Press; 2012. illustrations. Academic 3 pages, perspective. biographical a : of diffusion P i a:wa ioh hminhscle “an called former has of and Champion scholarship episode” Timothy the embarrassing what to day: opposition a his in of gospel” theory his grand “preaching best passionately is for he known archaeologists on to discussions However origins. to human Egyptian contributed of and studies pioneered mummification also He teaching world’s research. British and “the guiding in in as role knighted his 36 for and 1934 at neurologist”, comparative Royal leading the of Fellow otaitdb h xadn vdnefo world from evidence . expanding the by as contradicted views these criticised immediately other anthropologists and and archaeologists Unsurprisingly, , mariners. East ancient for from “ travelling searching the and as Phoenicians travellers North described Smith by Islands, Elliot what taken Pacific America, , South to , Valley to Nile eastwards the spread elements cultural From associated multiple construction. megalithic marked sun/serpent by the the of civilisation; cult ‘heliolithic’ of a of source metalworking, invention of the Smith , : Elliot space To ancient of in usually origin. was single distant origin a that however had in world, they time, found the and was of phenomenon parts same two the belief. if or economic occurred practice Therefore in cultural innovations whether culture, history, material that practice, human in was only model once basic His rubbish”. “academic as described hyperdiffusionism, it naming Daniel, Glyn ANTIQUITY C AUL niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity C ROOK 6(02:5954http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/086/ant0860569.htm 569–594 (2012): 86 . rfo litSih gpooyadthe and Smith, Elliot Grafton 97 a lce a elected was (1871– 1937) Smith liot El- Grafton politics). American winism, Dar- (Social ideas of historian an is Crook Professor Emeritus men. distinguished two together book brings curious This Antiquity lxro life” of elixir okreviews Book viii editor + 160 ,by 569 rnro,te ev eyvgedtiso o,when how, of details vague very leave then narrow, ignorant or or blind as scholarship traditional denounce this references, scholarly fit with to detail seem in them which describe view, items select to data available corpus vast of the trawl view, world be grand unconventional later and a would Announce pseudo-. that as model read the described contrast books of In pioneers these like papers, agree. more research would anatomical his work to diffusionist readers Few his vi). (p. of methodology” always their “were in writings Smith’s scientific that states author The research. his archaeological from current coming information that on or praise out readers, missed he popular somehow of or by enthusiasm over-influenced the was and reforms, he Perry that argue teaching evolutionary or personality, mummification, and and research brain on but work Smith’s emphasising describe by this to do the might Others lies just problem. Here some not reputation. Smith’s Elliot is had rehabilitate aim to Smith his suggests that Crook view though a autism. this, of advance characteristics tackle does not does he a Crook opposition for total specialists. almost arguments by of face his the in maintain century quarter a and led rewrite history, and what try world of to explanation scientist biomedical an distinguished ‘why’, the is Missing scholars. contemporary other by criticisms work his universal) of (nearly appear the and of publication Quotes citation his when. alongside and on area, paraphrases this sympathetic in weirder) said even and seem wrote now writings whose Perry, W.J. eeec nwa litSih(n i prot his (and Smith convenient Elliot a what thus is on volume reference The Egypt’s influence. in were wider interests his Egyptology; to is time devoted of little Smith crania, studies work Egyptian important and his mummification is writing other After book mistitled. The his Smith’s ignored. somewhat or of summarily diffusion; only detail considered of cultural more summary useful on with a career presents Smith’s volume short This welcomed. be should initiative in held conferences 1972 SydneyandLondontomarkhiscentenary.SoCrook’s two from appeared certainly Books 1938. in is volume tribute appraisal a inspired and Smith’s widow due. study biographical new A eg ´ e ´

Review Review and why the new model happened. If his medical Since the 1960s and the advent of the processualist students had studied their anatomy with as little school of the ‘New Archaeology’, Palaeolithic attention to detail as Smith’s diffusionist tracts a lot archaeology has proved of patients would surely have died. to be fertile ground The book suggests that Smith’s diffusionist model has for the testing and de- not been conclusively refuted. Crook, in respecting velopment of new sci- Smith’s passion and commitment, does seem to entific paradigms. In- ignore the gap that existed at the time of Smith’s vestigations in this writing between his arguments and the evidence from discipline are nowadays archaeological work; a gap that has continued to grow far from arid studies of decade by decade. If—as Crook suggests—there has stone tools and bones; been little active criticism of Smith since the 1970s, rather, they constitute an interdisciplinary domain that is more probably because most people consider that bridges various sub-fields of evolutionary and there is no case to answer. Crook says “the diffusion earth . Thus the edited volume on Peninj controversy has never really ceased” (p. 114), but does not merely present the results of ten years what has continued is argument about any specific of investigations of an important archaeological cultural sequence of the relative contributions of local area, it also exemplifies the aforementioned assets innovation and development, population movement of Palaeolithic research: strong interdisciplinarity, and diffusion of ideas; not a total ‘diffusionist’ with archaeological reasoning informed by multiple paradigm. strands of evidence, and a consistent focus on systemic approaches that draw upon human ecology, A minor comment concerns Smith’s references to race. taphonomic studies, ethnographic analogy and Crook notes that in 1934 he wrote two important experimental archaeology. denunciations of the ‘Aryan’ concept. The rise of Nazism had a dramatic impact on a range of ideas, Located in the western Natron basin in northern including eugenics (fashionable with left as much Tanzania, Peninj is a complex of Early Pleistocene as right) and enthusiasm in physical anthropology (Oldowan and Acheulian) archaeological sites formed for racial classification. Smith would not be unique in an alluvial-deltaic and lacustrine setting, dated in his earlier racial descriptions, crediting European to c. 1.5–1.2 million years ago. The low-energy civilisation to the virility “especially of those depositional environment of the Natron palaeo-lake, belonging to the blond Nordic race” and writing that along with fast burial from alluvial sedimentation “the Negro is a very primitive member of the human andvolcanicashthatcoatedthelandscape, family”. His 1934 presentation now seems more of a created favourable conditions for the preservation of mea culpa for the discipline. archaeological material. Reconstructed as an open For those wishing to track the detail of Smith’s savannah, Peninj offered itself as an ideal palaeo- hyperdiffusionist theory, with some impression of the landscape for investigating controversial hypotheses man behind it, this will prove a useful summary book. regarding hunter-gatherer adaptations, subsistence It is unlikely to achieve its goal and attract modern strategies and faunal exploitation. scholars back to those ideas. Dom´ınguez-Rodrigo and Alcala´ explicitly portray the methodological trademark of the research in Peninj ROBIN DERRICOURT right from the introductory chapter: a landscape School of History & Philosophy, University of New approach with an ecological/adaptive perspective, South Wales, Australia which pays close attention to site formation (Email: [email protected]) processes and uses taphonomy as its spearhead for unravelling the issues of carnivore competition MANUEL DOM´INGUEZ-RODRIGO,LUIS ALCALA´ & and hominin scavenging. The next two chapters LUIS LUQUE (ed.). Peninj: a research project on (Alcala´ et al.) provide a comprehensive overview human origins (1995–2005). xx+284 pages, 199 of the geological context, geomorphology, palaeo- illustrations, 7 colour plates, 53 tables. 2009. Oxford environment and landscape evolution at Peninj, & Oakville (CT): Oxbow for American School of with thorough accounts on the palaeo-relief and the Prehistoric Research; 978-1-84217-382-4 hardback tecto-sedimentary processes conditioning the degree £20. of preservation. Aided by detailed photographs,

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570 n uceigcrass hpe (Dom 6 Chapter carcasses. butchering obtaining for the and area an as of localities that those used of evidence examination hominins compelling behaviour provides the archaeofauna the Indeed, ST study hominins. to early opportunity palaeo-landscape unique this a makes which depositional configuration, original its in preserved been archaeological has the remains researchers of bulk the The that show convincingly agents. natural than rather ST activities post-depositional, hominin the of result in the the is material complex that archaeological and of demonstrate accumulation taphonomic analyses Meticulous distribution to patches. concentrated spatial thanks discrete found tuff were in tools, volcanic cementation, horizontally stone on carbonate a site and encrusted on ST Fossils preserved mega-site the palaeo-surface. of is features exposed kind area remarkable a archaeological most complex, and Peninj the the 4 of to of One Chapters are habitat rigorous found. in analyses volume—that be and taphonomic is Merwe this and diet it zooarchaeological of der fauna, the highlights van Peninj 6—the on of the reports of study 5) isotopic (Chapter the the of While associations contextual material. the archaeological formation site and integrity, site processes on assess to discussions an reader later critical the offer the sections for background models these excellent development, geomorphological landscape and of maps informative grsadatfc htgah.Teidentification The photographs. artefact tables, are and instructive figures chapters by the supported those and thoroughness: well-structured of equal analyses with ST from typo-technological sites the assemblages Acheulian from chipped-stone material the the lithic and the examine complex 7, (Chapters 9) volume and the 8 of sections remaining 143). The (p. partial” or complete transport, carcass of with [ together Olduvai shows, at Zinj site FLK challenge “ST4 to the hard that be assertion by will the it carcasses chapter, data this the in to of presented solidity the access considering fact, and In primary hominins. scavenging indicates passive it of instead defleshing; scenario intense the contradicts and evidence percentages, disarticulation The (e.g. suggests 135). marks occurrences) anatomical (p. and cut frequencies distribution, Ma” and 1 percussion from than older sites cut-marked of [ number bones third-highest the “with site Rodrigo ... tal et mn l litcn archaeological Pleistocene all among ] )fcsso ie4o h Tcmlx a complex, ST the of 4 site on focuses .) ... ,teeris ieyevidence likely earliest the ], ´ ınguez- Review 571 W rmtstre-anvrs eoeamlinyears million tool-dependent a Before large-brained, primates-turned-carnivores. by hunting routine 9 19 7-40725- -ok DOI: e-book; 978-94-007-2159-3 10.1007/978-94-007-2159-3. $139; & £90 I R f Institut aesV5adV-6 and of V-5 assemblages the Layers taphonomy, mammalian 3: Volume e ok pigrScience Springer London York: Heidelberg, New Dordrecht, & 2012. tables. 65 7-40725- hardback 978-94-007-2158-6 ilfsiaeraes o nyfrtesheer the presented. which is in for evidence for way this also rigorous the but and only presents, clarity disciplinary it the not evidence the of readers, significance fascinate this monograph to Peninj will the contribution considered, things important All debate. an this makes and research, intensely volume origins most human in the subjects among debated are behaviour and carnivore hunting exploitation, Carcass hunting. possibly, and, strategies predatory butchery, elaborated their indicating turn knapping and in primary carcasses tools, animal fleshed stone planned to of access production the included for methods which complex exhibited behaviour, hominins Pleistocene Early evidence critical that provide here presented studies lithic and isotopic zooarchaeological, taphonomic, paleonto- logical, geomorphological, geological, the wood. sum, chopping handaxes, In for of tools as those edges of note, the use the on of indicating found is phytoliths collection the Oldowan are the reduction the of in methods strategies technological planned of NBAR IVKA e itlles&SnknegCne o Human for Center Senckenberg & Mittelalters des INDHEUSER Eal [email protected]) (Email: . h cela ieo ehrBntYa’aqov. Benot Gesher of site Acheulian The rU-udFr und Ur- ur vlto n aeeooy bradKarls Eberhard Paleoecology, and Evolution ¨ R ABINOVITCH ,L UTZ .xlii Universit K heciheudArch und uhgeschichte + ¨ C ,S INDLER 6 ae,13illustrations, 183 pages, 269 niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity V tT at ¨ ABINE € ANGELIS iea rmtsto primates bipedal small- tool-assisted brained, by foraging casual from track ary evolution- meat their along procured ances- tors remote how our of un- derstanding our in years advances remarkable 40 seen have last The 99,CHF143.50, 99.95, &N + bne, ubingen, ¨ uiesMedia; Business AAMA G T AUDZINSKI OURLOUKIS G aologie ¨ OREN -

Review Review ago, the best evidence is African, notably sites 1.6– scratched by rubbing against sharp edges (such as 1.9 million years old at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania shell or stone), modified by trampling, or altered by and Koobi Fora in Kenya, which probably show the movement of sediment against bone in a stream- opportunistic scavenging and food-gathering. For bed. Each of these may add its own type of marks, the last 600 000 years, the best data comes from and/or obliterate earlier damage (such as cut-marks). , where sites such as Boxgrove in Britain and Here, the researchers break new ground by replicating Schoningen¨ in Germany indicate what appears to these types of damage in experiments (with sediment- be systematic hunting with spears of horses and (at induced damage ingeniously replicated by using a Boxgrove) rhino some 400–500 000 years ago. Where cement-mixer). What these showed was that there was and when the transition occurred from scavenging to minimal evidence of sorting by water (as confirmed by hunting as the primary means of obtaining meat is other lines of evidence): the main damage was caused less clear but is likely to have occurred c. 1 million by trampling, after butchery and before final burial. to 800 000 years ago when hominin brain sizes The same may be true for the other large mammals began to increase (perhaps as a result of more meat at GBY that are less well represented. In short, GBY in the diet). Sites of this age with abundant faunal appears to indicate that hominins c. 750 000 years ago evidence are few and far between, and currently were systematically butchering complete carcases of the best is arguably the Acheulian site of Gesher medium to large-sized animals that had most probably Benot Ya’aqov (GBY), Israel, c. 780–700 000 years been hunted. This at present constitutes the earliest ago. reasonably definite evidence for hunting medium- to large-sized animals, and may in turn imply that As one of the Early Palaeolithic ‘flagship’ sites of Asia, in Europe, hunting skills were introduced and not GBY may have the earliest evidence for elephant developed indigenously. hunting, nut processing, the shaping of wood and routine use of fire (Goren-Inbar et al. 2000, 2002a, As with the previous volumes (Goren-Inbar et al. 2002b). It lies in the Dead Sea Rift by the River 2002b; Alperson-Afil et al. 2010; review by Dennell Jordan. The site contains 34m of lake or lake- 2011), the presentation is exemplary. This one margin deposits, capped by some fluvial ones. It is begins with an outline of the excavations of 1996– stratigraphically complex, and the excavation and 1997 (Chapter 2), an account of the materials and subsequent analysis required considerable patience methodology (Chapter 3), and a comprehensive and skill. Palaeomagnetic analyses show that the palaeontological review (Chapter 4). Taphonomic main archaeological horizons occur shortly above the analysis of hominin- and animal-induced bone Brunhes-Matuyama boundary of 0.78 million years damage is covered in Chapter 5; Chapter 6 presents a ago: the information considered here is thus 750 000 lengthy account (supported by no fewer than 111 years old. figures!) of the various experiments for modifying bone surfaces, and this leads to a reconstruction This volume presents a detailed account of the faunal (Chapter 7) of the taphonomic history of GBY, evidence from one particularly informative part of the including its lithic assemblages and evidence for fire. site, known as Area C, directly by the River Jordan, The final chapter presents a summary and conclusions and adjacent deposits exposed along the river bank. of the research. Although a very specialised (and Here, a small but intensive excavation of layers V-5 expensive) volume, it is an essential text for any serious and V-6 produced c. 4000 bones, of which c. 1500 student of faunal taphonomy and the study of early could be identified to species, genus or family level. hominin subsistence, setting new standards for the Seventeen taxa were identified, varying in size from analysis of early Palaeolithic faunal assemblages. All fox to hippopotamus. By far the largest proportion those involved in this research must be congratulated was from Dama, the fallow deer. Analysis of cut- for an outstanding piece of research. marks showed that butchering and defleshing were done on entire carcasses (adult and juvenile, male and female), which is not the expected pattern if hominins References were scavenging the left-overs from carnivore kills. Additionally, there was little evidence that carnivores ALPERSON-AFIL,N.&N.GOREN-INBAR. 2010. The Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov. Volume 2: had gnawed many of the bones. However, stone tools ancient flames and controlled use of fire.Dordrecht, and carnivore teeth are not the only agents that can Heidelberg, London & New York: Springer modify bone surfaces, which can, for example, be +Business Media.

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572 G D G G erhfrgad iaitcshmst explain to schemes vitalistic the that grand, as argued such for long scholars have search who other Conkey joins Margaret Lorblanchet multiple, this, understood. fully that In had be never may emphasises probably that meanings author diverse most the images Palaeolithic introduction, his In dating apologies. Lorblanchet no this the and makes for and ‘means’ all it analyses what of is in book discover pigment this not will reader each the of thing one archaeological the results initiatives, in and the contexts, images environmental and faunal frequency and geological the associated the type, remains, the of the caves, layout on and information detailed lutain,tbe.21.Prs oege 978-2- Rouergue; hardback Paris: 8126-0164-4 2010. tables. illustrations, Quercy. du M eateto rhelg,Uiest fSheffield, of University Archaeology, of Department OREN OREN OREN ENNELL ICHEL tnsa ehrBntYao,Israel. Y’aqov, Benot Gesher at stones h ainlAaeyo cec USA 2455–60. Science of Academy National the ffie Antiquity use fire. controlled of and flames ancient 2: Ya’aqov. Volume Goren-Inbar, Science Israel. Ya’aqov, Gesher at corridor Out-of-Africa M K h cela ieo ehrBntYao,Ire.1: Israel. assemblage. Y’aqov, wood Benot the Gesher of site Acheulean The S ARAGUSTI ISLEV ELAMED -I -I -I NBAR NBAR NBAR ..21.Rve fApro-fi & Alperson-Afil of Review 2011. R.W. , L 02.Nt,ntcakn,adpitted and nut-cracking, Nuts, 2002a. . 8:944–47. 289: ORBLANCHET 4 ae,nmru oor&b&w & colour numerous pages, 448 ,N.,F.W ,N.,G.S ,N.,C.S.F ,M.E.K 00 litcn ietnso the on milestones Pleistocene 2000. . K(mi:r.dennell@sheffield.ac.uk) (Email: UK h cela ieo ehrBenot Gesher of site Acheulian The 4 1202–3. 84: ISLEV HARON ERKER xod Oxbow. Oxford: € . EIBEL 49. r pari ,E.T hsvlm contains volume this in While . Quercy southwest the of painted caves the on leagues col- his and Lorblanchet by research of years forty art represents both It science. and of work ular Quercy du r pari Art Lor- volume, 2010 blanchet’s Michel subject its matter, like Much ,Y.M &C.S.F ,K.L.V CHERNOV ´ tl rte orn grottes etal: ELAMED ´ tl rte orn grottes etal: R ERSOUB OBIN EIBEL saspectac- a is , 99(4): rceig of Proceedings &I. 2002b. . &M. D ,Y. ENNELL ´ ´ ees ees Review 573 nitouto n ocuin h rtpart, first by The flanked archa parts conclusion. sanctuaires three and ‘Grands into introduction divided an is book The the move to forward. positioned field well is this with Lorblanchet and volume, surest former our the perhaps reconstructing is towards way approach (e.g. latter the imagery argued, has the (1993) Conkey As 2009). creating Menu they 2007; Fritz & as Tosello space peoples through Palaeolithic Upper moved of gestures knowledge the of and and art cave reconstruction of materiality forensic, the on context, almost focuses and second meticulous, The physical the Conkey 2001). (e.g. the Dobres peoples 2010; Age within 1993, Ice caves of the landscapes painted cultural and cultures of visual place Palaeolithic social of the emphasises production first The imagery. studying Palaeolithic to as approaches interrelated art but different explanatory the two in resulted of grand has phenomena consideration historically-situated from local, a away Nowell towards also shift been frameworks at see places This have 359; certain 1997: 2006). might (Conkey in times imagery people certain certain of to making meaningful the of why consider instead should that researchers meanings and specific stale seeking magic become fertility has magic, shamanism) or hunting (e.g. art Palaeolithic la n rcs aslctn hs.Ti ee of level This these. locating and maps detailed images precise cave the and the are clear of book inventories this and descriptions of strengths the Among ‘sanctuaries’ observations. underground of lifetime these a on art of based the feel’ of ‘ account and personal warmly and a of instead descriptive pages presents and 400 facts previous straightforward volume’s relatively the The earlier from style. which, departs the and conclusion technique BP from theme, 000 differ in 13 caves, Lorblanchet, and to 000 according 16 ‘Sanctuaires between book, painted the of part magdal third The in human cave. as this identified animals figures of 20 images approximately 74 and stuck signs, non-figurative spears more 600 recorded multiple than also however like have researchers looks it); into what with anthropomorphic and figure (an horses’ man’ the spotted ‘Wounded the enigmatic of known of its Half ‘Panel best study Pech-Merle, spit-painted detailed Gravettian. its group, for a this the in to to cave devoted richest date is that volume caves the painted region smaller the so or in dozen the and archa principal sanctuaires ‘Pettit nes,peet eerho lvncaves eleven on research presents eniens’, ´ C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity ¨ qe’ ou ntesix the on focus ıques’, ¨ qe’ n h second, the and ıques’,

Review Review detail is most welcome as it allows other researchers MENU, M. 2009. L’analyse de l’art prehistorique.´ to build on Lorblanchet’s work. For example, instead L’Anthropologie 113: 547–58. of the frustratingly brief ‘seven geometric signs’ NOWELL, A. 2006. From a Palaeolithic art to that characterise some reports, Lorblanchet tells the Pleistocene visual cultures. Journal of Archaeological reader exactly what they are, where they are located Method and Theory 13: 239–49. and what they look like. This is supported by TOSELLO,G.&C.FRITZ. 2007. The hidden meaning the beautiful colour photographs and drawings that of forms: methods of recording Palaeolithic parietal art. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 14: illustrate the volume throughout; physically, it is 48–80. short and wide and this landscape format is ideal for laying out a series of photographs, progressing, for example, from barely visible engraving to enhanced APRIL NOWELL photograph to reconstructed drawing. Numerous Department of Anthropology, University of foldouts that reveal a large panel in its entirety are Victoria, Canada (Email: [email protected]) of further help. While one may not agree with all of Lorblanchet’s interpretations (I personally could not MICHAŁ KOBUSIEWICZ,JACEK KABACINSKI´ ,ROMUALD see ‘femaleness’ in natural rock formations that were SCHILD,JOEL D. IRISH,MARIA C. GATTO &FRED clearly obvious to the author and his team) there are WENDORF. Gebel Ramlah: Final cemeteries truly no shortcomings in a book which really sets the from the Western Desert of Egypt. 276 pages, 179 standard for the regional analysis and presentation of colour & b&w illustrations, 23 tables. 2010. Poznan:´ Palaeolithic art data. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences; 978-83-89499-69-1 hardback This book will please many readers: advanced $95. undergraduates, graduate students and professionals with an interest in rock art of any period will Until recently our find its methodological approaches useful; those knowledge of fifth- who are more specifically concerned with the millennium BC lives and visual cultures of Upper Palaeolithic Egyptian mortuary peoples will find sustenance here; and, for its contexts was limited stunning photographs alone, non-specialists with an to a handful of sites, appreciation of Palaeolithic art will also enjoy this all seemingly dated wonderful book. to the latter part of the millennium: el-Omari (south of Cairo), Merimde Beni- References Salame (western CONKEY, M. 1993. Humans as materialists and Delta), the Badari region (northern Upper Egypt) symbolists: image making in the Upper Palaeolithic, and a few isolated graves in the Eastern Desert. in D.T. Rasmussen (ed.) The origin and evolution of This has been increasingly matched by much humans and humanness: 95–118. Boston: Jones & Bartless. richer discoveries to the south in central Sudan, such as at el-Ghaba and Kadero, along with those – 1997. Beyond art and between the caves: thinking about context in the interpretive process, in M. in the Dongola Reach, including Kadruka and Conkey, O. Soffer, D. Stratmann & N.G. Jablonski R12. Notably, from the Middle Egyptian Nile to (ed.) Beyond art: Pleistocene image and symbol Khartoum the forms that these funerary structures (Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences take and the material performances they encompass 23): 343-68. San Francisco: California Academy of are remarkably similar. Nevertheless this still left a Sciences. conspicuous gap in the archaeological record around – 2010. Images without words: the construction of Egypt’s southern margins. Fortunately, just over prehistoric imaginaries for definitions of “us”. ten years ago, the Combined Prehistoric Expedition Journal of Visual Culture 9: 272–83. discovered a series of Neolithic sites in the Egyptian DOBRES, M.-A. 2001 Meaning in the making: agency south-western desert at Gebel Ramlah. Amongst and the social embodiment of technology and art, in M.B. Schiffer (ed.) Anthropological perspectives on their number were three small Neolithic cemeteries. technology: 47–76. Albuquerque (NM): University This volume represents the final publication of the of New Mexico Press. material from these important burial grounds and

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574 raie noegtscin:cmtr overviews is cemetery volume Kabaci sections: this and (Kobusiewicz in eight individuals. finds into these 69 three organised of of all presentation interments across The the 39 of containing totalling concentration and graves, dense and intact a E-03-1 The largely contained E-01-2, structures. each fossil Playa, ‘megalithic’ cemeteries, E-03-2, a so-called individual Nabta of the three from shores of 20km the site approximately along lies playa, Ramlah Gebel Nile the period. around this to networks in social Valley opportunity of the nature affords the assess here presented data the ie h elh aueo h et studied. teeth the of nature healthy the consumption given cereal latter of the the absence an are analyses, indicating strongly data thorough skeletal Similarly and environmental useful. exceedingly vessel beakers), calciform is Tasian known and from as data (such with elsewhere processes juxtaposed when manufacturing particularly treatment forms, thorough one fabrics, offered Her is report. contributions of excavation new pottery this significant the in most of the of discussion Gatto’s previously, elsewhere Maria communicated been spatial have Therefore, published here finds and and observations communities. the temporal of many is ancient whereas the It of evaluating Sinai. relationships of significant and terms particularly is Sea in from that however, Red materials pottery, the the raw Africa, of that equatorial acquisition networks of the is existence here permitted the together to articulated attesting materials striking, of containers. range implements, pottery The distinctive flint and of tools bone numbers several large pendants, beads abundant associated and including the numerous, burials, were of offerings number small the grave Despite the of these listings systems employed. numbering with different the the cross-reference of account that on to figures shame difficult landscape. are a pastoralist contents this just the inhabited is of It once world the that material of communities the some despite capturing of the colour, found, all vibrancy in and lithics superb, are social are photographs and the illustrations lifeways The illuminating of networks. for analysis potential their the to Kabaci (Irish), remains (Lity skeletal remains archaeobotanical (Kurzawska), Wendorf), shells mollusc and (Schild Kabaci and iewicz saZjc n ocuin Kbseizand (Kobusiewicz conclusions and nska-Zajac) ´ si.Srrsnl,teei oscindevoted section no is there Surprisingly, nski). ´ si,ptey(at) environment (Gatto), pottery nski), ´ si,crnlg (Kobus- chronology nski), ´ Review 575 CNoihccmuiisars h nieNile entire focus. the better into across comes fifth-millennium Valley of communities mosaic Neolithic the as BC come point to reference years valuable a for form will aside, publication That this text. the throughout of number errors high typographical fairly phrase. a unfortunately, of also, turn are odd There or sentence the awkward by their occasional marred and are contributors observations the meticulous of otherwise the many not of is a language English from first that benefitted given have hand, editorial would stronger monograph volume this the in useful, is collated information the While groups. social Neolithic of late focus these significant for engagement a represented site this however, that denying, no is There generalised. remaining somewhat comparisons with conclusions, final the a in overstated perhaps to period, are interments death of intervening Ramlah constructions dynastic Gebel the the from in lineage direct evident practices diversity the of given and Egypt, temporal dynastic this from At distance dates Badarian. the radiometric for oldest available the currently with This overlaps indicates. date burials the later of one from collagen bone smc oelkl,a h esrmn of measurement the as likely, more much date is millennium mid-fifth a material sites, other the with considering affinities Overall, archaeobotanical text. the the of in portion listed are candidates and sufficiently burials, several the not discussing section are the in extracted documented were which fragments from contexts these the to as hard however, It this, dug. were adjudicate these burials from the deriving yielded which secondary, within hearths which probably most fragments were dates charcoal the volume, the in that elsewhere here, elaborated mentioned clearly briefly more too but is it oldest Yet the Egypt. as in known cemetery this which 5, position burial definitely from would This one the radiometric 120). the namely of obtained, (p. oldest dates the the age” privilege of to calibrated half seem would first BC the Ramlah millennium of the V beginning of the dating to the cemeteries at “confirms section this this that in least, concluded, is dates it of elsewhere handful available the with two analysis site. just comparative the cursory from From dates being very to radiocarbon a four short, only 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Publications Antiquity 14 Cin

Review Review

ALICE STEVENSON the Aegean, the central and eastern Mediterranean, Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, UK including three Late Bronze Age shipwreck sites. (Email: [email protected]) The first of its eleven chapters summarises the history of the question, a cause c´el`ebre in Aegean HALFORD W. H ASKELL,RICHARD E. JONES,PETER M. ceramic analysis (pp. 23 & 41). Catling and Millett’s DAY &JOHN T. K ILLEN. Transport stirrup jars of the original study was challenged on analytical grounds Bronze Age Aegean and East Mediterranean (Prehistory and by Linear B scholars, including Killen, who + Monographs 33). xxx 192 pages of text, 120 b&w pointed out that the textual associations of the & colour illustrations, 30 tables. 2011. Philadelphia Cretan place-names pointed to the west, not the (PA): INSTAP Academic Press; 978-1-931534-62-8 east of the island. A much larger sample was hardback $80. analysed, and new conclusions presented in 1980 A controversy arose by Catling, Jones, Cherry and Killen, re-assigning in Oxford in the early the origin of many TSJs to western , around 1960s over the dating modern Chania, and deploying Killen’s expertise of the Linear B tablets as an experienced Linear B scholar. Subsequently, from Knossos, which the ‘team’ responsible for this volume developed were conventionally these conclusions, analysing a still larger sample and dated c. 1400 BC, employing a different chemical technique—Atomic but seemed so sim- Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)—as well as marrying ilar to their Pylian chemical characterisation with petrographic analysis counterparts on the of 195 samples and macroscopic assignment to types. Peloponnese, dated The volume is organised first to present each analytical to the late LH IIIB technique separately, before they are integrated and [Late Helladic IIIB] then compared with the Linear B epigraphic data. period, c. 1200 BC. In this controversy, a set of Haskell presents a macroscopic typological analysis, ceramic transport-storage vessels (c. 0.40m high, with identifying 22 narrow ‘typegroups’ and four ‘broader a capacity of 12–14l, called ‘stirrup jars’; henceforth groups’. Jones and Day then review the science TSJs), at the time only known on mainland Greek applied and the project’s analytical aims (Chapter 3), sites, offered potentially important data: because honestly showing the development of the analytical many bore Linear B inscriptions painted before programme, which did not build all three types of firing, including some place-names known on the analysis (chemical, typological and petrographic) into Knossos documents, they appeared to be part of the the project design from the start (pp. 27–8). Chapters Knossos administration; if they could be shown to 4 (Jones) and 5 (Day) then present the chemical and have been made on Crete, then they might hold a petrographic analyses respectively, Day’s including key to the dating of Linear B administration. The detailed fabric descriptions of the 24 fabrics identified question framed is a ‘classic’ in ceramic provenance among the 195 thin-section samples. Two co- studies: given vessels (TSJs) found in region B authored chapters (Chapters 6–7) first reconcile the (Greek mainland), probably manufactured in region chemical and petrographic data, then summarise the A (Crete, implied by independent evidence, the place- implications of chemistry, petrography and typology names), could analysis of the TSJs’ clay composition for geographical associations. Killen’s close analysis provide objective confirmation of their origin? The of the 135 inscribed TSJs (out of over 170 known present volume has its ultimate origins in pioneering examples) analysed here follows (Chapter 8), before work on exactly this question, published by Hector Haskell summarises the broader cultural implications Catling and Anne Millett in 1965. They analysed, in two chapters entitled ‘Chronology and Power’ using Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES), 25 of (Chapter 9) and ‘Trade’ (Chapter 10). A catalogue the stirrup jars excavated at Thebes in 1921 by (Chapter 11), with basic information on each of the Keramopoulos and demonstrated a Cretan origin, 509 objects analysed, follows, preceding an Appendix most likely in eastern Crete. that lists all the reported Late Bronze III TSJs from Some 50 years on, this volume represents probably 90 sites in the eastern and central Mediterranean. the best answer currently possible to the question, Extensive references, two concordances correlating based on a much larger sample of over 500 TSJs from the current samples with existing publications of

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576 oecnetal,a hr so nlsn vessel analysing on is (potentially be there to their as more thus conceptually, on filling is done or There the beyond. TSJs in re-use multiple?) of involvement movement palatial about and of emerge and nature answers textual clear the no combine here to which data, the analytical possibilities that amphorae, exchange(s) similar Roman the offer Unlike of represent. nature TSJs frustratingly the is remains BC unclear What 13th-century shipwreck. late the Aegean Gelidonya from known few one a a notably to source, of attributable currently identification not the TSJs Cretan and eastern probable centre of a findings production include new work Entirely present common Mycenae. the south, at and TSJs north among both Crete, central the here was manufacture on of from region Thebes significant TSJs at Another mainland. found and those region, among Chania predominate the in Crete, western a in manufactured be were inscribed majority The to of examples. ‘visibility’ this high the consider given authors picture, examples skewed the surviving but of inscribed, cent per are and 30 about central Aegean the Within the contexts. settlement as in always well almost Aegean, as the in commonest Aegean are they but the Mediterranean, over eastern at in attested sites widely 90 are of TSJs ( exchange phenomenon. IIIA2–B Bronze and BC) Late production a focus. largely that is sharper TSJs clearer into even come is has It picture three larger the the unclear, remain but that between details some inevitably ‘fit’ are There overall good origins. mainland a techniques. and is majority) There (the Cretan petrography, into of assistance the with central again separated, between be now can indistinguishable Crete, central and (Boeotia) as Greece mainland 1970s the classified in type, chemical within another fabrics Significantly, four them. or three suggests petrography but h nltclporme h urn ut of chemical of basic suite two (labelled wake current distinguishes compositions become the only The has in not programme. analyses complex picture analytical more the the also expect, and might sharper one As identified. fabrics 24 the of four thin-sections plus petrographic TSJ documenting plates photographs) of colour sample and representative (drawings a illustrations information and analyses summary the and for supporting tables (1– of present plates pages and 36) (1–18) 160 figures end further (1–30), A index graphs text. (1–30), general of pages concise 192 a the and vessels, inscribed α and β nwsenCrete, western in ) c. 1350–1200 Review 577 rvd l h nwr n hr ssilpet obe to plenty still is there done. and answers the all provide nvriyPes 7--9914- hardback 978-0-19-921545-4 £60. Press; University trpeet h uls rsnaino oi that topic a Aegeanists, of a presentation For became fullest elsewhere. the or represents Aegean it the these with in concerned anyone issues It to approaches. interest of of can be combination should entities a complex through of tackled be operation economic the to linked provenance ceramic of question case-study a documented how showing thoroughly scale a is the volume on This project the to and it required. expensive add prohibitively to was also here impracticable was presented it work its out; the in carried of was most science as this when 28), too); infancy (p. wine recognise possibly authors oil, the olive (certainly contents nioain n h rsigo clso analysis. of scales of crossing the objects and than isolation, rather the in objects in of to assemblages repeatedly need consider the stressed materiality, of are incorporation the issues volume: of number general. in A can interactions archaeology social understanding that for potential but have the alone, illustrate discipline to archaeological aims argues the to Knappett relevant 7). (p. that effectively” framework and more objects single methodological between people a relations the in and “foregrounds and interaction theoretical to approaches combining in suggests thinking author The network materiality. generally incorporate interaction not human do of theories that is book ewr esetvso aeilclueadsociety and culture material x on perspectives network C eateto rhelg,Uiest fSheffield, of University Archaeology, of Department + ARL 5 ae,5 lutain.21.Ofr:Oxford Oxford: 2011. illustrations. 50 pages, 251 nacaooyo interaction of archaeology An K NAPPETT as c cause K(mi:d.j.bennet@sheffield.ac.uk) (Email: UK ´ el . ` ebre saprpcieta succeeds that perspective a as nacaooyo interaction: of archaeology An C ntefil,bti osnot does it but field, the in niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity su drse nthe in for addressed issue key The archaeology. networks new perspective a well as as interaction human to an approaches existing of a provides overview that book written Knappett much-needed has Carl sb omeans no by is J OHN B ENNET .

Review Review

The author’s search for compatible theoretical ideas objects (e.g. pottery types) and people (e.g. potters) as and methodological techniques takes him on a affiliation networks. Network thinking at this scale is multi-disciplinary journey guided by a few critical applied through a combination of Peircean semiotics issues and illustrated throughout with archaeological with ‘communities of practice’, an idea which is examples largely from the Bronze Age Aegean. The considered to have useful links with the affiliation result is a highly readable volume that is close to networks approach of chapter four. Knappett then exhaustive in its description of issues and approaches, argues in chapter six that it is on the macro-scale as well as focused on providing an innovative, but that “network thinking comes into its own” (p. 124), above all useful, framework for understanding social because it is at this level of analysis that we can begin interactions. to see how macro-scale structure emerges from micro- The book has three parts subdivided into three scale interactions and why, i.e. what function gives chapters each. The first part provides a strong rise to a specific structure. argument in favour of new methods and theories for The third part moves away from discussions of understanding human interactions by stressing the how to create and explain hypothetical network absence of objects in existing theories, highlighting structures of objects and people to ask why it is issues in existing relational approaches and suggesting that humans interact in the first place. Three themes network analysis as a formal methodology. In the first are explored: firstly the benefit of object networks chapter Knappett states that humans have a drive to is explained, secondly Knappett discusses the tension interact with each other as well as with objects. He between networks of objects and meshworks of things, suggests network thinking as a research perspective and thirdly the importance of ‘biographical care’ is to understand these interactions and argues that stressed. “By combining SNA [Social Network Analysis] with The aim and scope of the book are ambitious to say ANT [Actor-Network Theory] we can bring together the least and it is therefore not surprising that in places people and things both methodologically and the arguments are not as convincing as they could be. theoretically” (p. 8). The second chapter highlights The underrepresentation of method and how theory some broad trends in scales of analysis of relational could inform method are particularly vulnerable to and non-relational approaches to interaction in this mild criticism. Indeed, archaeologists might not archaeology and the social sciences, and stresses the always find the suggested network methods and their need for concepts and methods to traverse multiple archaeological examples very persuasive (as Knappett scales; a networks perspective might provide an himself admits, p. 215). They are largely limited appropriate solution. Part one of the book concludes to visualising archaeological hypotheses as networks that network analysis (1) forces one to think through or describing general trends in the archaeological relationships, (2) is explicitly multi-scalar, (3) can record by using a relational vocabulary. I believe integrate social and physical space (topology and this is a necessary evil in light of the sheer number geometry), and (4) both people and things can be of approaches covered. An archaeology of interaction included. The author also mentions some of the provides a critical and much-needed framework, potential issues the archaeological use of formal offering a range of methods and theories to any scholar network techniques raise. Firstly that network analysis eager to explore human interaction through network is by no means a unified social theory; secondly, that goggles. the advanced level of mathematics might challenge TOM BRUGHMANS the proficiency of many archaeologists; and thirdly, Archaeological Computing Research Group, that there is a clear tendency to be overly structuralist University of Southampton, UK and descriptive. (Email: [email protected]) Throughout the second part of the volume the potential of a multi-scalar networks perspective to AURELIO BURGIO. Il paesaggio agrario nella Sicilia interactions between people and objects is explored, ellenistico-romana: Alesa e il suo territorio (Studi e with chapters focusing on micro-, meso-, and macro- Materiali del Dipartimento di Beni Culturali Sezione scales of analysis. Knappett argues that existing Archeologica Universita di Palermo 12). xxxiv+277 approaches to interaction at the micro-scale need pages, 186 illustrations. 2008. Roma: L’Erma to be elaborated. He goes on to suggest a method di Bretschneider; 978-88-8265-483-2 paperback aimed at mapping out hypothetical relations between €210.

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578 ni h oendy ciiisicue tanning, included continued Activities day. perhaps modern which the economy until mixed ‘agro-sylvan-pastoral’ a to suited uses, more typically suggested were geology, the and topography on hydrology, cover, are depending vegetation away, further cereals Areas products. and primary horticultural Olives and landscape. a agricultural generally intensively and of highly-productive zones, plots, growth a terraced small rapid including into the cultivated, around BC), divided recognise Immediately can countryside centuries locations. one first relevant Alesa to ‘Hellenistic- 57 the mid-third with was (the period Roman’ dynamic densely- most and The settled identified. were aqueduct) the surface. of remains the (excluding locations from archaeological the 157 recovered all than In were or AD later prehistoric century ceramics sixth produced no multi-period. material; locations and protohistoric eight of intensive only hinterland was Yet the survey the on Alesa, focus the Notwithstanding ninth the in AD. in abandoned century especially was Rome, but and times, Italy Republican and Sicily coastal for and interior between trade It settlement for Erbita. centre important of of in an landless became place the was and and Sikels It Greeks, town displaced Carthaginians. frontier a and inland effect conflict Sikels the indigenous during the colony BC, the between 403 a in of Erbita, as of tyrant settlement founded Archonides, was north the by Halaesa of centre coast. the a Sicilian from (Halaesa), inland Alesa kilometres of few centre former Roman the and rural to Hellenistic relation understand in to and production, is and Burgio 15 settlement aim the Sicily. of principal northern to colleagues’ result central his the relevant in is are work It years’ contents beyond. the and Mediterranean but period of place, focus narrow and relatively a suggests title The presented. well very and nuanced, interpretatively disciplines, multiple by h eto both: of informed systematic, best provides the work gio’s subjec- Bur- enterprise. more tive a as interpretations scape’ nu- ‘land- of values; merical and mass a findspots as ap- pear can reports vey sur- Archaeological Review 579 ihD agoadTgn,i ntigbta but anything is Tigano, written and 53–185), Maggio (pp. Di catalogue taken Meanwhile with central survey. often the Mediterranean is for here which for norm the Greece, found the as as central 39) scatter’, in (p. ‘background example confirms of point lack Burgio One general interest: remains. especial location, other the of of and in visibility archaeological present, role and the and transformation a past shift, played factors, distribution, the have of might aware which fully and knowledgeable, is and he survey sensitive thoughtful; analyses) affecting related highly and are GIS factors of uses and (and the interpretation sections of various survey; his discussions methodological and aerial in introduction His Burgio multi-spectrum contributions. all the above of and results the exploring Pampalone networks perspective; developmental road a the in investigating Maggio Belvedere’s Di follow dictum: volume this in Punic authors Second the the All War. after redistribution land and Halaesinae) roads including Tabulae territory the (the source of description slabs relevant detailed offering inscribed A the 2). our is (p. though here experiences mediated and albeit eyes them, own of all potentially are in elements present analyses’ landscape ‘parallel same the provide because and sources data Such archaeological Belvedere routeways. division, land analysis literature, preface, through of landscape to theoretically-informed approaches considers a interpretations. In these support evidence of North lines Other between 249). trade (p. Rome direct and Africa in post- crisis, the increase by economic affected Augustan mid-imperial particularly perhaps general Alesa with the links to Burgio are what settlements. this in permanent third a as about landholdings, of of interpreted fall some of a see While consolidation times Augustan new). represent (two number may this 21 this AD to centuries period; further are third Imperial declines and locations) second Early new the succeeding being in the four to (only assigned sites 39 Just 241). medium-sized (p. lands and state within small- even properties, single-family would been type residential have primary topography The local the conditions. to and a appropriate ways suggests, of in variety Burgio territory a the was, exploiting population there rural dispersed period this During olive 238). (p. farms, structures temporary small and site sanctuaries and presses, large Proposed include properties. identified types extensive more arguably and involved cultivation, and butchery pig-herding, C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity

Review Review dry list of types, dates and numbers. It displays thus had a means of recovering wealth from trade, an intimacy with the landscape, surface materials, from interest on the loans they made to traders, and modern and historical practices and conditions and from their share of their freedmen’s inheritance, which enable thoroughly convincing interpretations which guaranteed that a large share of the profits of the context and meaning of each location, and (but not the losses) would revert to them, all the contribute to a synthetic whole. The result is an while minimising their exposure to risk. This was excellent multi-disciplinarily-informed archaeology not a secret engagement in trade, but a separation of enabling archaeologically-informed history. Highly function that maintained social norms. recommended. Chapter 2, ‘The fortunes of merchants’, traces the MARK PLUCIENNIK persistence of some family trading networks over School of Archaeology & Ancient History, several generations in the Red Sea/ trade, University of Leicester, UK (Email: and the trade of olive oil and fish products from [email protected]) Baetica (modern-day south-west Spain). It also considers some very wealthy families who could ANDRE´ TCHERNIA. Les Romains et le commerce. 431 but did not become local town councillors, a pages, 10 illustrations, 1 table. 2011. Naples: Centre choice attributed to a reluctance to pursue political Jean Berard;´ 978-2-918887-06-5 paperback €30. honours and a preference for concentrating on Andre´ Tchernia is money-making. Chapter 3, ‘The question of the one of the leading market’, argues that the debate over whether the experts on amphorae Roman world was “an enormous conglomeration as a source of eco- of interdependent markets” has been framed in nomic history, a pi- the wrong terms (the original phrase envisaged not oneer of maritime geographical market regions, but product market archaeology, and au- sectors). Market integration was variable and often thor of a wealth of regionally limited, but there were nevertheless close articles on Roman links between some different regions. The careful use trade, notably the of archaeological distribution maps shows not merely wine trade. This excellent publication brings together how the costs for different means of transport affected twelve previously published essays (many in obscure distribution along particular routes, but also how conference proceedings), updated with more recent and why different regions dominated or competed notes and prefaced with an entirely new synthesis in various markets at different times. This leads onto of his views on Roman commerce with a particular Chapter 4, ‘The role of the state’, which shows that emphasis on the people involved in it. The result public and private activities were not always clearly is almost two books in one: as the author notes separated and there was often a close imbrication of in the foreword, the introductory essay ballooned in merchants carrying state cargoes and trading on their the writing into something approaching a book own account; likewise, soldiers occasionally describe in its own right. Part I of this volume thus consists of themselves as ‘merchants’. Chapter 5, ‘Transporting an introduction and five chapters, whose themes the what is lacking’, looks at some of the biggest trade collected essays in Part II serve to develop at greater flows in the Roman world, such as the wine-for-slaves length. trade between Italy and Gaul in the late Republic, The introduction sketches the book’s main topics, and accounting for much of the peak in the number of Chapter 1, ‘Landowners and traders’, examines the western Mediterranean shipwrecks at that time. It role of elites and in particular the senatorial aristocracy argues that they are explicable not so much by Keith in long-distance trade. Tchernia argues that in spite Hopkins’ ‘taxes and trade’ model as by the ability of the growth of villa estates and market-oriented of Roman merchants to spot gaps in the market agriculture, the norm was a separation of agricultural and organise distribution to regions under-supplied production and long-distance trade. Although some in certain goods from areas where those goods were senators did engage in large-scale exports, most produced in quantity and cheaply; Roman markets remained landowners and increased their revenues were rarely fully saturated. further by lending surplus capital to merchants and Part II, Scripta varia, forms a very coherent collection traders, who were often their own freedmen. Elites of selected essays treating related themes: loans and

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580 n ouetr ore,adsol era by read economy. be Roman the should in interested and anyone archaeological sources, of documentary range and broad a masterfully It data. deploys historical and papyrological epigraphic, from and derived approach amphorae prosopographical of the wrecks—with of discussion of evidence—especially combines workings material expertly the the and into insights trade book of ancient the wealth of Overall, a growth proportions. contains sums the colossal large encouraged to required and the lending which loans to of maritime related scale for be Sea the Red to the India, is with and that for trade 33 lucrative suggestion the AD prepare of the of development to crisis or BC credit Germany; a the 16 of establish in that to Lyon the Gaul decision at in Augustus’ headquarters activity the e.g. from mercantile major areas, and resulted to new the sources stimuli into trade new ancient of of in development some recorded the events between political intersections identifications its of is book this of feature important An others. by vacated expanded already they rather, markets rare; into was sector market others a drive of to out merchants and by fiction competition modern a deliberate Tchernia is of crisis paper supposed result the last a that shows this as In Italy competition. in provincial agriculture of the crisis and supposed cargoes); complementary and cargoes return J the on (entrep patterns Rome and Alexandria trading between Baetican route grain papers); India; with (two trade merchants papers); supply (three food senators Rome the 33; that of AD of ships crisis credit of the the own; size could vintages; the wine on of limits Republican sale the commerce; maritime ae,17ilsrtos oorpae.2011. plates. £48. colour hardback 5 264 9 978-1-84217-992- Oxbow: 2). (CT): Oakville & illustrations, World Oxford Ancient 137 the pages, in Studies 1856–1859 Columbia Davis Nathan of OANN nttt fAcaooy nvriyo xod UK Oxford, of University Archaeology, of Institute F REED . Eal [email protected]) (Email: rnigCrhg oe h excavations the home: Carthage Bringing Uiest fBritish of (University ntewl fthe of wall the on hang of which mosaics Roman series magnificent the ing miss- for forgiven be well might Museum British the to visitor A A NDREW W ILSON ots, ˆ Review 581 ewe h ilo uoadteOenHl and, Hill Odeon the valley and the Juno in of lay 7) Hill find-spot (Chapter the original between book its the that of arguing chapter entire an Freed was which devotes to finds Seasons, these and Months Among the of light. mosaic the to came circumstances they the which of in and finds significant most his many of of more re-interpretation exhaustive but, an career importantly, meticulous archaeological a Davis’ just not of is recreation result a The time. than Davis’ more since Carthage at of out carried light work archaeological in of century analysis his lengthy of to detail account every subjecting scrutiny, excavations rigorous his with of blabber” narrative Davis’ “unbearable revisits scholar She as 19). French (p. dismissed the once which attempt work Audollent her this in rehabilitate evident is to subject her for enthusiasm con fhsecvtosa ataei a in Carthage at excavations entitled his book whimsical” of and “chaotic a account published Davis 1861 In British the to Museum. dispatched immediately which, he the Punic!) remains portable, were In Roman if they insisted mainly treasures. often were he Punic to found (although hoping hidden he Carthage what its event of began light site he to the Office, bring at Foreign excavations the his 1856, from in funding bitter this with Despite the ambitions. French involved archaeological of obstruct his his to hard be and and tried whom Davis of to some archaeology between contemporaries, arose came of which he world rivalry how the Protestant a learn in Tunisia to was in We Davis introduced friends when there. of are time circle a we his at and chapters Davis scientific opening Nathan part the In and history investigation. biography, archaeological part is it texture: her part varied a book and this give to combine long Carthage history archaeological author’s its for with The passion obvious rule. association Ottoman during of professional Carthage discoverer years at their last work point archaeological the of his starting investigation of the and new is as Freed’s It serves century. for which nineteenth collection mid to the this in back Tunisia collection shipped from larger Davis and a inscriptions pottery—which of mosaics, part antiquities—including of forms Davis. Nathan pavement pavement Reverend found the This Seasons by polychrome 1857 and in Months large Carthage at the a of images of showing pieces include several They staircase. north-west remote building’s ataeadHrRemains. Her and Carthage C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity Freed’s

Review Review less convincingly, that the building from which it Following a visit by Lord (Jacob) Rothschild in came at one time served as the official residence of 1993 to the Albanian mainland opposite Corfu, the Roman proconsul at Carthage (p. 103). Other a foundation was buildings found by Davis are given new definition created to protect the as a result of Freed’s thorough examination of his ancient remains of unpublished notes and drawings which for years Butrint and their pic- remained unnoticed in the and turesque surround- Foreign Office archives. Among these documents, ings that had changed and revealed here for the first time, are a previously littlesincetheywere unknown plan of a Roman house (or possibly bath- sketched and painted house) located on the northern edge of Carthage (p. by Edward Lear in 143) and a rare colour drawing of the full ‘Vandal’ 1857. Since then the Butrint Foundation has, Hunt mosaic from Borj Jedid which Freed, following with support from the Packard Foundation for the other recent scholars, re-dates to the fifth century Humanities, assisted conservation of the existing AD (p. 186). Emphasis is also put on one of Davis’ remains, initiated a series of excavations and surveys, little known achievements, the invention of a new inaugurated a series of monographs (Byzantine Butrint technique for lifting mosaics using ‘carpenter’s glue’ 2004, Roman Butrint 2007) and made accessible to and canvas which he developed when faced with the the public the considerable archive that survives from need to lift the mosaic of the Months and Seasons the pre-war Italian excavations. These include the for transport to London (p. 105). According to Freed unpublished records of Carlo Maria Ugolini, who this invention has never been given the recognition it with Mussolini’s support led the investigation of deserves. Virgil’s ‘Little Troy’, where Aeneas had an emotional What emerges from the book is a portrait of Davis as reunion with other refugees from Troy (Aeneid 3, an energetic and resourceful adventurer struggling to 352), but whose sudden death in 1936 left the work establish his reputation as an archaeologist in a climate unfinished. Now comes the third volume in the of unremitting hostility from the French colonial Butrint series, an account by Richard Hodges and establishment who regarded Carthage as their own William Bowden of the excavation of a late Roman exclusive sphere of influence. In the end, Davis’ career complex alongside the Vivari channel that encloses as an archaeologist was short-lived. His funding lasted three sides of the Butrint hill. only four years during which time his prolific activity Discarding Ugolini’s belief that throughout Butrint’s in the field was never matched by a corresponding long history from Hellenistic to Venetian times the scholarly rigour, a failing which left him vulnerable to settlement consisted of a small urban nucleus on the criticism by other professional archaeologists. While hill and its upper slopes, a large and experienced it may be easy to dismiss Davis’ archaeological activity team investigated visible remains on the lower ‘skirt’ at Carthage as mere treasure hunting, this new of the hill just inside the late city wall. The work reappraisal of his excavations and discoveries does lasted a decade (1994–2003, mostly supervised by much to restore his reputation as a worthy pioneer of Oliver Gilkes and Kosta Lako) and revealed two North African archaeology. It is essential reading for substantial and adjacent structures whose remains anyone interested in the early exploration of ancient provided a permanent matrix for the occupation levels Carthage. and deposits of subsequent eras. A late Roman town house (domus), with a central court and a private bath JEREMY ROSSITER suite, was constructed around AD 400 on the site of Department of History and Classics, an earlier dwelling. Enough survived of the mosaic University of Alberta, Canada floors and wall decoration to allow a full analysis (Email: [email protected]) by John Mitchell (pp. 231–76). Within a few years, apparently by c. AD 420, the domus was replaced by a WILLIAM BOWDEN &RICHARD HODGES (ed.). palatial complex covering around twice the area of its Butrint 3: excavations at the TriconchPalace. xviii+382 predecessor, and of which the architectural focus was pages, 560 b&w & colour illustrations. 2011. a triconch designed for formal dining (pp. 296–7). Oxford & Oakville (CT): Oxbow; 978-1-84217-980- The creator of this ‘Triconch Palace’ would appear 2 hardback £45. to have had the power to close streets and secure

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582 teei oet oe nldn td fthe and of guidance study offer a will Reynolds), including complete Paul come, by when to pottery that, more report is excavation (there an is This adjacent the least, at with omission discounted. links by entirely are, any (Corfu) Corcyra but considered city 317) island is & migrations impact 199 Slav The (pp. 425. sixth-century West AD the the in of in the expedition and ruler imperial usurper an as by an III Valentinian of the of removal to the installation power in by Visigoths shift caused the include the East 401, and These and Alaric 397 others. of AD area to between the less in may presence but the import reconstructions some to historical to authors appeal the their of into part ‘events’ the on reluctance 317). p. A (Bowden, them” of one not were, was Palace this Triconch the of the of sequence ambiguities archaeological the Whatever were the recognise. we or to that culture culture unable material material of of forms absence the of an presence not is It real. area is House Merchant’s the and Palace Triconch the in at Teasneo i 7 mid of absence ascertained “The be fact: to appears Triconch, the of than vicinity more the no for of valid middle though the even century, and ninth seventh the the of middle occupation the of between cessation Be demonstrable catch. a may, their it as cooking that fishermen con- the been local have of with may some nected period least this in at detected that activities shells suggesting mussel area, of the deposits across were the difficulties the of the Not of investigation tackled. least the be in can yards’ transition antique/medieval ‘hard examples the outstanding and how are House of Merchant’s 152–202) the (pp. Wall Triconch as City well the as of 56–117) levels mid- (pp. century the mid-seventh of to examination fifth The to adjacent wall. the added refurbished in were the while structures wall, timber city new the latter of continued the construction occupation and the former, until antique the late In the eras. medieval both for instructive more proved House’ ‘Merchant’s smaller the of remains 297– The (pp. Triconch the years of 300). 80 abandonment some dated the now after is which the of wall construction city the adjacent with firmly connection they any out explanation; which rule preferred flooding, excavators’ of result the the is was this that It possible abandoned. is soon and grand completed this not Yet was city. residence the from in elsewhere elements buildings architectural public removing of means the mention to not building, the from vistas unobstructed th omd9 mid to th occupation Review 583 Cwt naeu fsadn tnslaignorth leading stones standing of avenue an with BC dnug:Sceyo niure fSoln;978- hardback. Scotland; 0-903903-38-7 of Antiquaries of Society Edinburgh: rhsoyo t w n eeal lc in place a venerable 2450 around in began element a long which one landscape a is and complex henge both own The with research. its antiquarian site a of Crichie, prehistory of Broomend interpretation of and excavation the encompasses 1 Part Sutherland. in Migdale Loch Lairg at and others by excavated taken landscape previously sites been example, wider publish also to of has isolated opportunity potential apparently The the interpretation. and offered small both and very Pullyhour a while structures, is prehistoric with of associated complex henge a large a is Crichie of Broomend Moreover, to them. for and published chronology absolute Perthshire an construct and and Orkney geographical in excavated monuments the excavations, henge previously close research between to for gap aimed targets Bradley choosing as Richard by Caithness Scotland, in Pullyhour In and in Aberdeenshire in history. event Crichie of one Broomend long as often the seen that be an attempting concluding should in monument, element henge earthwork encountered a problems define to the ‘henge’ of term the of and discussion a individual with opens by book The played mask landscapes. role contemporary today their the in survive monuments of that complexities features the surface stage, the as the interior ditch the first and and internal screen at the its as seen might with be may than bank encircling monuments The henge appear. to more is hti ean nesnileeeti h td of study the in element towns”. Roman essential abandoned an suggest remains project it Butrint that the of that archaeological results of the viii), unfashionable techniques, and far p. costly by most is (Preface, the excavation asserts long-term large-scale Hodges furnishes “although surely as It excavators. proof, future to inspiration ffu eg ouet nnrhr n north-eastern and Scotland. northern in monuments henge four of R ICHARD B xxiv RADLEY + 9 ae,10ilsrtos 2011. illustrations. 130 pages, 196 . tgsadsres ninvestigation an screens: and Stages ofo olg,Ofr,UK Oxford, College, Wolfson C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity h edrta there that reader forewarns the Richard touch Bradley which neat by a title and are the of stages screens The J OHN W − 2150 ILKES

Review Review from a cist cemetery through an arc of monoliths to a The publication of this study of northern henge possible recumbent stone circle. Around 2150−1900 monuments, coming after Bradley’s investigations of BC the henge was added round the arc or ‘cove’ with the Clava Cairns of Inverness-shire and the recumbent its associated burials, and burial continued with the stone circles of Aberdeenshire, completes a trio of addition of cremations until finally a timber circle was field projects which have been of outstanding value built just south of the henge around 1850−1500 BC. to Scottish archaeology.

The Broomend of Crichie henge is thus later in date ANNA RITCHIE than might have been expected, and with Pullyhour Edinburgh (Email: [email protected]) and its Sutherland compatriots (Part 2), we encounter a new breed of diminutive henge monuments which ADAM WELFARE,editedbySTRATFORD HALLIDAY. belong entirely to the Bronze Age. They “might Great crowns of stone: the recumbent stone circles of be interpreted as domestic shrines” in which the Scotland.xiv+317 pages, numerous colour & b&w “ seem to have been small-scale and short-lived” illustrations. 2011. Edinburgh: Royal Commission (p. 166). They are often associated with sources on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of of water, and Richard Bradley makes an interesting Scotland: 978-1-902419-55-8 hardback £30. connection with the use of water as a place of Late in 2011 the deposition for metalwork. He also suggests that there Cabinet Secretary for may be links between these small late henges and Irish Culture and External ring-barrows. Affairs in Scotland There is wide-ranging discussion of henge mon- tasked its agency, uments throughout Scotland and England, which Historic Scotland, to highlights both their variety and the apparent con- undertake a “strategic trasts in role and longevity. The earliest known henge options appraisal” on monument was built in Orkney and the use of henges the future of the lasted longer in northern Britain than in the south, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical reaching over a thousand years in some cases, whereas Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). The latter are the huge henges of Wessex developed later and were the guardians of Scotland’s National Monuments in use for a shorter period, for social rather than Record, with a remarkable history of publishing commemorative purposes. Bradley suggests that one seminal works on Scotland’s past and innovators of reason for the lasting connection in the north between some of the finest online heritage resources in Europe. henge monuments and the dead may be that the inte- In times when a “strategic options appraisal” more riors of many chambered tombs remained accessible often than not means drastic cuts and a paring back and thus the remains of the dead could be inspected. of core research, these are worrying developments My only reservation about this splendid book for Scotland’s world class archaeology. The volume concerns scales in the otherwise highly informative under review epitomises what the RCAHMS does illustrations. Though the point of most of the and what we would miss without it. No other than drawings of monuments is not comparison of size, the RCAHMS could write such a volume. It has nonetheless one’s eye, seeing several plans of similar had a long gestation, extending back to RCHAMS’s size, assumes that they are drawn at the same scale, programme of field survey in the rich Strathdon whereas in fact this is rarely so. The double-page valley of northeast Scotland begun in the 1990s (In spread of eight henge plans on pages 102 and the shadow of Bennachie, 2007). In the era of the 103, for example, requires eight scale-bars, while the Research Exercise Framework at universities and the comparative plans of six ‘coves’ on page 109 includes pressures of the commercial world elsewhere such two at twice the size of the rest (and the north painstaking and exacting research would be difficult points are wildly disparate). Further, the pottery from if not impossible. Broomend of Crichie was clearly drawn all to be The volume describes and interprets some of the published at the same scale but the drawings have most spectacular megalithic structures in Europe: been reproduced at varying scales. the recumbent stone circles of northeast Scotland. As always when Richard Bradley is writing, there Located in an area of Britain that tends to be is great clarity in the argument and the reader’s overlooked in favour of the better-known wilds interest is engaged and retained throughout the book. of the north of the Highlands and Orkney, these

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584 hscatri h rsrtnl orcrnlg we chronology poor frustratingly in the outlined is also chapter is this What burning. includes the extensive frequently of Elsewhere traces activities monuments. pre-cairn two for at evidence bone phases cremated early for in evidence inconclusive rests largely but idea, on attractive and recurring a is pyres earlier over built were monuments these That chronology. and on features) other hidden and cairns mainly pyres, (internal on striking features flanker concentrates and 4 a recumbent Chapter of fig.3.62, settings). profiles the (e.g. of illustrations illustration drawn photographs excellent and with peppered liberally is sion As discus- volume, produced attributes. beautifully this other in elsewhere amongst stones of recumbent absence and monoliths or of sizes presence the cairns, the and platforms includes cupmarks, it 3; detail Chapter in in considered is monuments’ The (fig.2.20). times in recent monuments more these of interiors the of cultivation gunpowder the fig.3.29—and the in be in Montgoldrum of of to portrayed remains use shattered recumbents—vividly thought the blow-up are including many to 9 of intact), (only degradation largely monuments sad and the these destruction tells of the It these studies. of of distributional tale future survival) all for of to integral be should reasons examination that study of sort (and essential monuments—the an survival contains the 2 Chapter diversity. this future clearly for more define target to a be would Clearly architecture research region. megalithic this in of present diversity was greater much that a While demonstrating settings, rejected). and circles other stone were of are forms others (85 misidentifications another simple larger were or much some recumbents time a as one of identified at confirmed monuments out were of circles monuments collection stone 71 recumbent end the as to the attributed in been have class: that monuments the of first review is rigorous chapter—RCAHMS’s volume this in this outlined twentieth of element the essential of One century. descriptions duller) ( (and ’ objective the of sixteenth-century Boece’s ‘temples Hector from circles, stone recumbent describe to used the terminology of the account of detailed origins a with scene the sets 1 found Chapter is stones. recumbent) flanking two (the by stone framed where laid arc southern horizontally that the orthostats towards a height of in ring rise a to of tend they consisting as circle type distinctive stone known a of are well they defined, as Loosely be. nearly should not are monuments ermfana deorum )tothemore Review 585 oeaiebtenteemnmnsadtewider the and monuments these here between links examine important to facing be both therefore, may, importantly There but south. west, heads to are females with east, Aberdeenshire gender—males to that to in note according cists to orientated Beaker important in is sunset. it inhumations then midwinter Bronze monuments Early the sighting— truly Age are on general monuments these focus fairly if However, with broad a associate a to than perhaps difficult other is that anything spectrum these wide of a settings SSE— and WSW recumbent between orientated are the Detailed monuments that unpicked. show convincingly these studies of of are orientations decades also monuments lunar 6 can the the Chapter pairs regarding in that assertions chordal Likewise idea using questioned). out the be laid chapter were same circles on the research, in wanting found (although and post-processual questioned is some example, objectivity. for colour 5 of beacons Chapter as welcome written In volumes be a to previous is tended whose have This RCHAMS, rejected. for in departure and strongly scrutinised cases rigorously some are interpretation of traditions and ‘facts’ accepted volume the Throughout . and and Neolithic Britain of Age narratives Bronze wider recumbent our in of circles incorporation stone the will inhibit that our to chronology of over continue out uncertainty infuriatingly this is still It is reach. important use) an their was of (perhaps cremation element if origin monuments Neolithic earlier Later Age an even with Bronze structures Early indeed or are these whether Therefore pinpointed. precisely nor be is can construction longevity circles first their their stone secure—neither recumbent all All at of Brae. not chronology Aikey Age at the Bronze kerb all, the Late in of a packing the also from from but date mainly re-use, monuments, supposed these their of centre the from remains cremated for dates Age Age Bronze Late Bronze numerous Early an suggesting dates Berrybrae a at ring-bank the providing a into at dug with pit associated a platform from charcoal Beaker and surrounding monument the same the below sealed sherds o h eubn tn tTmaei rvdn a quem providing Tomnaverie post of at terminus number stone recumbent small the foundation a for rubble the below at sealed pit sherds a monuments; Beaker scattered on fecvtosb ihr rde nrcn years recent in Bradley Richard ( by campaign excavations major a of despite monuments these for have h onadtebonfire the and moon The emnsat quem ante terminus faon 50clB;Beaker BC; cal 2500 around of C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity 05.Crnlg rests Chronology 2005). , e gis these against Set . floruit r the are

Review Review north-eastern Scottish context, which may extend but there is also an extensive range of camps: beyond simple solar (or lunar) concerns. marching camps, labour camps, practice camps and The penultimate chapter is dedicated to an extensive siege camps. Those in England have been published historiography of recumbent stone circle studies and by Humphrey Welfare and Vivien Swan (HMSO an attempt to track the origins and inspirations that 1995) and the Welsh examples by Jeff Davies and led to the creation of this distinctive tradition. The Rebecca Jones (University of Wales Press 2006). Now historiography is welcome, showing the origins of Jones has turned her attention to the camps in many of the classificatory and interpretative traditions Scotland. that still underpin current studies. What is less Camps are the most intractable type of military site. convincing is the lengthy discussion arguing that Most were large, sometimes very large, most were recumbent stone circles were simulacra of the much occupied for a short period so that dating evidence earlier chambered cairns of northern Scotland. This is slight, and few have been subject to intensive is largely inspired by Bradley and narrowly focused excavation. Yet,the range of camps in Britain is unique on megalithic architecture. Nowhere are the potential within the whole Roman empire. Beyond Britain, wider links to timber architecture and other third- siege camps are known, but marching camps have millennium architectural traditions fully explored. only predominantly come to light since aerial survey Likewise the idea that the recumbent represents a took off in eastern Europe while practice camps are blocked doorway is not explored in relation to the rarely recognised. Most camps in Britain have been (albeit very sparse) settlement architecture of the third discovered since the start of aerial survey in the 1930s, millennium BC. but Jones provides a useful discussion of the earlier Overall, this is an important volume. The discoveries in the mid-eighteenth century which again interpretations may not always be cutting-edge, emphasises the particularly British contribution to but the volume contains important refutations of this aspect of Roman studies. much perceived (and false) wisdom concerning these The book consists of two parts, a gazetteer of over monuments. It is an incredible resource and a major 170 known, probable and possible camps running development for anyone interested in Scotland’s rich to 215 pages and with every camp in the first two heritage. Consequently any detrimental change to the categories illustrated by a clear map, preceded by 10 RCAHMS that may emerge from the current review chapters in which are discussed the history of research, would be a blow to archaeology and heritage not distribution, the field evidence and historical context, just for Scotland but for the world more generally. supported by plans, maps, aerial photographs and Scotland possesses some of the most inspiring, life- early drawings. The most important chapter is the enriching remains of our past and RCAHMS is a discussion and analysis of the field evidence. This runs recent but essential part of that past. Surely it should from consideration of the orientation of individual also be an important part of its future? features, with 19 illustrations encompassing all camps, GORDON NOBLE to internal features and the re-use of camps by the Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Romans and their successors. The evidence of aerial UK (Email: [email protected]) survey, from which the distribution of pits can be plotted, and modern extensive excavations which have REBECCA H. JONES. Roman camps in Scotland. revealed internal features such as ovens, offers a way xxix+353 pages, 221 colour illustrations, 4 tables. forward in understanding the interior planning of 2011. Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland; camps and give the lie to this reviewer’s earlier bleak 978-0-903903-50-9 hardback £30, fellows £25. comments about such a possibility. Britain is particularly The final two chapters review the evidence for dating fortunate in possess- and grouping into series. This careful assessment ing an unrivalled reveals the paucity of our evidence. What there is portfolio of Roman consists of a few sherds of pottery, a handful of military installations radiocarbon dates mainly from one camp, and the surviving as earth- stratigraphic relationships between some camps as works. The frontiers revealed by excavation and observation. It is not and the forts are surprising that few series of camps can be securely most visible today, dated. These include the three largest series, assigned

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586 nvriyPes&KuagEcvto Project, Excavation Kaupang & Aarhus Press Oslo: & University b&w Aarhus 2011. & Norske tables. colour & numerous 3, illustrations pages, 484 Series 24). Publication Oldfunn Kaupang Project Viking-Age Excavation in inhabitants and netgtosmd airb h xeln ln and plans descriptions. excellent site the by easier field, made the in investigations remains guide visible explore incomparable to an wishing those also companions to is It Welsh research. This further springboard and index. for excellent an full English with a archaeologists text, its provide by related supported and the is as volume each page whole with same the designed the and well on is usually book plan The sumptuous— price. simply its is the and hardback—it on congratulated this warmly of be quality to is publisher camps. The Roman of use re-use, the its range about at new questions a hint of of but formulation camp the to the inevitably, not of leading, obtained use the dates date radiocarbon only many the in field; army Roman much the a revealed of operation and the about ovens information field 180 excavations uncovered Cook’s have Murray where for Kintore Aberdeenshire is material in story providing success the as Here dating. well radiocarbon as unimagined—and features, camps—previously internal of re-use evidence for particular, led in revealing, has excavations reliant funding larger to Developer to longer trenches camps. no date small are and from We identify derived years. testimony long 30 the a last upon come the has in leviathans way archaeological these of Scotland in camps Roman are we 98). main which (p. “the of aware” territory to this relate into incursions allocations attested current the Wall Hadrian’s that when of and occasions north campaigned other armies several Roman were well there is Jones that prove. camps, of aware series to main the difficult of attributions Joseph) of is (St traditional approval the indeed maintaining broadly the While and meet Reece, known not to Richard camps would of events series the historical relate suitably to is attempt Jones Any and attribution. series, traditional the these on cautious of one Joseph’s St of on dating doubt cast early have Woolliscroft the David excavations of by archaeological campaigns Recent AD. Severan century the third to Joseph St by D AGFINN S KRE (ed.). hnsfo h on artefacts town: the from Things mhsssta h study the that emphasises D dnug,UK Edinburgh, AVID (Kaupang .B J. REEZE Review 587 nvriyo so 7-773-0- hardback £50. 978-87-7934-309-2 & $80 Oslo; of University soitdwt pcfi rusadflw.Testudy The flows. and groups specific were with wares associated that shows from pattern pottery This no Ireland. or and Britain century tenth and ninth not late from wares the continental wares no are there imported important: less is no missing of is what Yet Scandinavia. range in noted Alan previously a late the identifies by Vince, analyses with integrated chemical Pilø, and Lars petrological by pottery of analysis baggage. The cultural inhabitants’ the of as part Gaut were vessels, mainly argues, Glass production. arrived bead for sherds material glass raw that a notion (with the received Gaut against points Bjarne Henderson) Julian by by contribution presented subtle rates artefacts recovery glass The and indicating of patterns exchange. deposition quarry, of for modelling (unidentified) production single large-scale probably Baug’s a are vessels Irene from most that Scandinavia. reveals mass through spectrometry in finds soapstone provenance other sites to attempt with urban consistent are early which patterns Ingvild followed Kaupang context, in production social textile that demonstrates to Øye attention greater missing. been Giving long has a which constitutes reference, It of Norway. point in materials general these contain of objects, surveys stone other and on as whetstones well as Plahter) Unn by objects technical jet-like of (with analysis stones gem and jet Resi’s which amber, decades. on for chapters of study comprehensive some no seen groups, have artefact the well-recorded to and substantial presents homage temptation Kaupang different since The understandable, pay studies. is artefact in Resi, of Heid genre responded traditional like Some, have ways. contributors The key Europe. a northern to medieval relating early studies in in of site collection volume’ a ‘finds but the series, not the supposedly title, is its Dagfinn III Despite Kaupang report. director, rather excavation traditional research project a problem-oriented than and set present to as editor is series, Skre, the publication by the out of The 2000–2003. principle in guiding excavation research large-scale C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity owy h agtof target the in Norway, Kaupang of Viking port the on the series in the volume third the of with publication close a to drawing is enterprise archaeological bold A

Review Review of non-Scandinavian metalwork by Egon Wamers, this mean that they took place side by side? Or were with a chapter on pins and penannular brooches they undertaken by successive occupants in separate by James Graham-Campbell, likewise observes that decades? insular objects are mostly re-worked and are unlikely One well-preserved building, whose floor layers to represent visitors from the . The yielded unmodified Frankish dress fittings and a continental jewellery, by contrast, is not modified high proportion of imported Rhenish pottery and for use with Scandinavian dress, and may—like the glass, is plausibly identified as “a Frisian merchant’s continental pottery—have been used and lost by house” (pp. 411 and 431). Identifications of other visitors or residents from the continent. buildings as “a Dane’s house” (based on six identifiable Birgitta Hardh’s˚ study of Scandinavian jewellery sherds of pottery) or “a Northman’s smithy?” (based reveals a weak spot of the excavations. It was essentially on a fragment of soapstone and the absence hoped that Kaupang might help resolve problematic of pottery) are less convincing; especially so since elements in Viking chronology, but the stratigraphic strong reservations are raised elsewhere in the volume evidence is weak, and Hardh˚ is wisely inconclusive. concerning the quality of the deposits in the areas in She suggests that much metalwork in Kaupang was question (pp. 23 and 287). brought as scrap for recycling. However, the high Skre’s interpretation of the ‘Frisian merchant’s degree of fragmentation and predominance of early house’ is an innovative attempt to flesh out the material that she notes apply equally to other find social archaeology of a North Sea emporium. Skre groups, and the “scrap model” is questioned by notes a robust association of iron artefacts with Skre (p. 423) with reference to observations in the the building and suggests that iron was a key forthcoming fourth volume on Kaupang. This issue commodity handled by the occupants. Curiously, he might have merited closer discussion among the makes no mention of the faunal analysis presented research team. in a previous volume, according to which the Dagfinn Skre’s three concluding chapters seek to intrepid inhabitants of this particular plot also characterise Kaupang’s inhabitants and define the skinned cats and stored hides (volume I, pp. 299 political and economic context of the town. Most and 307). Strictly speaking, the dress items (and notably the people of Kaupang, as identified by cooking pots?) may denote the presence of a single objects judged to be the personal possessions of Frankish/Frisian woman; the possibility of a mixed- travellers, came from many corners of Europe: marriage merchant family might have warranted Frisians, Danes, (West) Norwegians, Slavs, but none consideration. from the British Isles. Slavs, Skre notes, were frequent The ‘Frisian merchant’s house’ is also the source visitors, but he is uncertain whether they were of a small group of silver artefacts and weights, permanent settlers (p. 418). One might suggest that, which caused sensation when presented in Kaupang by the logic of the study, they were not present volume II as the earliest dated evidence for the use as family groups, since artefacts typically associated of hack-silver as economic instruments in Viking- with females on Slavic sites in the Western Baltic, age Scandinavia. The basis for identifying the silver e.g. biconical clay spindle whorls, are absent from as economic instruments is that “the evidence for Kaupang. metalcasting in A301 [the ‘Frisian merchant’s house’] In a thought-provoking analysis Skre proceeds to is so slight that the silver and weights can hardly attribute an ethnic and functional identification to be associated with any such activity” (p. 411). individual plots and buildings. In order to filter out Yet the ‘Frisian merchant’s house’ is adjacent to a random debris, Skre compares find categories in terms contemporary building identified as “a metalcaster’s of weight of finds relative to preserved floor area. workshop” (p. 410). Both belong to the same This may be useful for materials trampled into floor elongated strip, presumably facing a high street, a deposits, e.g. slag, glass waste or pottery sherds; but for situation which elsewhere in early North European large and relatively robust artefacts like loom-weights towns would be taken to indicate common ownership. or iron objects any difference is likely to reflect what In addition the ‘workshop’ does not present the was removed or left behind when the building was usual features associated with habitation. To argue abandoned. The nature of associations may also evade that these buildings were separate households seems us. We can accept that weaving and metal casting are therefore to be a case of special pleading and the attested in the same building and phase. But does argument for an early use of silver as an economic

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588 rs fFoia 7--1036- hardback 978-0-8130-3666-3 Florida; $79.95. of University Press (FL): 2011.Gainesville illustrations. 100 hrhsi itet-etr Belize sixteenth-century in churches E early of centres. urban visions Sea and North and knowledge town, new first enduring Norway’s leaves of image no in our strides is new refashioning makes There book twilight? this that long however question a by followed ‘emporium century moment’, ninth or early century, an enjoy tenth Kaupang the did into sustained diaspora character the Was urban the inhabitant? typical was more a urban or merchant’ ‘Frisian of maintained, community be mixed the entrepreneurs ethnically can an questions: of new vision exciting raises volume This revisited. casting, be for to deserve raw-material might as than rather instrument, ihGaa;o h te ad critically-minded hand, other the reifing on Graham; fare with uneasy be might descriptive tangible archaeologically if as in interested social-cultural Researchers analysis. were her period, in worldviews included discussion not Mesoamerican deliberately colonial a of mostly the ethnographies is on book centred her Since theological concepts. Western applying discussing universally with in problems proceed inherent the to highlighting without possible that worldviews longer Maya acknowledges no trivial, Graham is not 59). it it (p. is key essential” if terms recognition A but or problematic her record. “rethinking is how material that scholarship or the Graham’s ‘religion’ in from feature by definition studied no meant be to can is ancient little what of by of studies plagued Many are failings. worldviews its about out shy not pointing is Graham and problematic extremely eateto rhelg,Uiest fYr,UK York, of University Archaeology, of Department LIZABETH G RAHAM Eal [email protected]) (Email: . aaCrsin n their and Christians Maya td frlgo is religion of study ethnohistorical and archaeological The worldviews. Iberian and in any- Mesoamerican interested by one read should be and praise great deserves book Graham’s Elizabeth S ØREN .xx + .S M. 3 pages, 436 INDBÆK Review 589 ewe h iigu fsmtigta n does one surrender, that to something want of not up giving to the done between sacrifice’ gods the ‘human worship as categorised killing socially-sanctioned typically non- Graham’s the is of point treatment in idealised case A manner. mostly a impartial in presented is that peoples study Mesoamerican a of in them engage to processes here much find worldview will in-depth understand to seeking scholars aawr trce oRmnCtoi crosses, Roman-Catholic to attracted if colonial the as were why them is clear Maya to that not Also offerings clear. as not made is such sentient and bundles, horse, the Cortes’ animal Why of kept present. still Maya surprisingly colonial is the profane, and and sacred worlds between distinction natural Judeo-Christian-Muslim and distinction supernatural scientific pre-Columbian between Western for our made gods its inhabitants that notion of lingering a therefore regarding and pantheon , assumptions actual 305) (p. an worship abound terms the deity of and application uncritical explains the Graham statues. that although and difficulty: the imagery lies Maya Herein to their logic same concerning this extend worldviews not does she a but accurate be too, as to up know I growing Graham, gods; like represent Roman-Catholic, not angels do saints, demons virgins, and of statues Graham, and Roman- here. images that explains Catholic case view, of the ‘religion’ point insider’s is and an from as ‘belief’ concepts, that tenuous point when are the even making backgrounds, are social we difficult Western extremely our based however given is beliefs gods pre-Columbian supernatural on codified view assumed reified academic, of entrenched, the over Getting not is attempt. her but in this succesful from completely herself always aware distance acutely to is strives Graham she that of; codified distortion a theologically is a religion as practices ancient ritualistic of Maya construction Our economics. a and in politics processes engaging religious sphere non-separated, Maya therefore and of holistic, the study present to a can, with she ‘Maya reader as much describing as when tries, She attempted religion’. commonly activities is shamanic as mystical into foray another of Eliadian-like clear steering were, the they as peoples Maya pragmatic colonial-period and ancient the portrays Graham motivations. all-too-human understanding be to the are between is two difference the gain action: highly political this from in direct achieved executed when if style, even ritualistic someone, killing of that not une n r ihysgicn for significant highly are and nuances rhmetbihstedifference the establishes Graham . C ec aigi sacred it making hence niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity ,and

Review Review despite the fact that quadripartitioning abounded in the atrocities took place, but over sixty years later. pre-Columbian imagery. To be exact, exhumations were carried out by the Graham points out that the colonial Maya accepted Francoist dictatorship immediately after the end of a medieval style Roman-Catholicism. She admits the war (1939), but they only targeted the graves though that these same people kept performing pre- of the 50 000 people killed in Republican territory. Columbian style rituals even among what might be Instead, a veil of silence was imposed on Nationalist seen as Maya Christians, for example those belonging violence, which caused 130 000 deaths. The situation to her sixteenth-century, relatively small, Indian started to change in 2000 when the first mass grave of Church communities at Tipu in Belize. Though victims of Nationalist violence was exhumed using Graham’ titles her book Maya Christians and their scientific methodology. The combination of long- churches,thisisnotitsmainfocusnorisitthe delayed mourning, private initiative in the recovery study of Maya cosmologies. The book is about how of the dead and absence of a legal framework for the academics arrive at their individual interpretation, exhumations is quite unique and is aptly explored by through their own socially conditioned background, Layla Renshaw in her outstanding book. of what the concept of ‘religion’ means to them, The author studies the recent spat of exhumations and then uncritically apply to the peoples they study. of Republican victims from an ethnographic point Graham’s book is not for insecure researchers who fear of view through two case studies, where she follows analysing Maya worldviews within their indigenous the process from its inception to the reburial historical and cultural context. As a Mayanist cultural ceremonies. Despite the specific geographic focus anthropologist and archaeologist, specialising in the in the Burgos region, the analysis is representative study of religion and working within a department of the phenomenon all over Spain and anybody dedicated to its study, Graham’s scholarship is highly who has followed exhumation processes elsewhere in welcome. I strongly recommend her book to those the country will find many points in common. As seeking to understand the problems of studying Maya the subtitle indicates, the book addresses two main religion and wanting to move forward with a more interrelated issues: memory and materiality. realistic view of Mesoamerican peoples’ actions and Regarding memory, Renshaw perceptively clarifies behaviours. the diverse agendas, conflicts and tensions that surround the exhumation process. She describes the MIGUEL ANGEL ASTOR-AGUILERA perspectives of relatives, activists and scientists, which School of Historical, Philosophical & Religious sometimes coincide and sometimes do not. The Studies, Arizona State University, USA first group, especially older people, are affected by (Email: [email protected]) an abnormally long repressed mourning or even a condition of post-memory, as many of them do not LAYLA RENSHAW. Exhuming loss: memory, materiality have direct remembrance of their killed relatives. and mass graves of the Spanish Civil War. 260 pages, They tend to focus on emotional aspects and often 14 illustrations. 2011. Walnut Creek (CA): Left provide a depoliticised version of the atrocity, whereas Coast; 978-1-61132-041-1 hardback $89; 978-1- activists understand the intervention as a political 61132-042-8 paperback $34.95; 978-1-61132-043-5 issue and a quest for justice. Renshaw eloquently e-book. shows that the perceived divide between the two main The phenomenon of associations, the communist Foro por la Memoria mass graves exhuma- and the non-militant Association for the Recovery tions in Spain has of Historical Memory (ARMH), is not as stark attracted the atten- as presented by the former and, in fact, both lay tion of anthropolo- claim to a Republican memory and try to effect gists, forensic scien- a change in Spanish politics. At the same time, tists and archaeolo- she also points out that ARMH’s memorialising gists from all over the acts tend to eschew overt political signals and, in world. This is not doing so, they unwittingly reproduce the climate surprising: unlike in of consensus that emerged from the democratic other scenarios of human rights violations, in the transition which has been subject to so much criticism Spanish case forensic work did not start shortly after in recent years. Another main topic is the way

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590 F Reference including fields, and memory studies. of of culture of archaeology material the variety body, anthropology the and the a death represents ethnography, in book archaeological The milestone context. exhumations a Spanish international the an relatives’ put in the to comparative helps of and perspective mourning theoretical way the frustrated process Moreover, sober victims. exhumation the but the in poignant in and a involved emotions in great analysis the a transmit subtle demonstrates to a she ability where us ethnography, offers rate author the oftheexhumationprocessinSpainandafirst- sum, In affordances. its and body the clear-cut between the distinction blur also They responses. emotional and memory triggering in powerful particularly be pencils, to and seem watches identity. eyeglasses, and as but such memory objects, props, of Some making mere the in not elements are key For now. things until material in systematically Renshaw, approached mentioned been bones not regularly Ferr the (e.g. been ethnographies and (photographs, have monoliths Things themselves) strong possessions, original. the authors, is personal other focus by with material the dealt been in memory of have issues publications While objects. similar materiality, to given from theme, importance differs main work second the this to relation In dead. the of public representation the surrounding restrictions relatives, persistent amongst despite networks new and engender identities successfully collective exhumations keen redress: Republican is to campaign the memory the of that atomisation of identity collective an repression to the led that mourning explains author the The through process. occur through that particularly materialisations and different the exhumations of reconstituted means are by identities collective and individual ERR nvriyo or aePress. Dame Notre of University historical Spain of in recuperation memory the and graves mass legacy: (ed.) Amago S. & C. Jerez-Farran in Spain, contemporary in exhumations ANDIZ ´ nttt fHrtg cecs pns National Spanish Sciences, Heritage of Institute Eal [email protected]) (Email: .21.Teitmc fdefeat: of intimacy The 2010. F. , 0–5 ot ed(IN): Bend South 304–25. : eerhCucl(Incipit-CSIC) Council Research A ni 00,btte have they but 2010), andiz ´ LFREDO natigFranco’s Unearthing G ONZ ALEZ ´ -R UIBAL Review 591 ertre n16) h sad a uoensealers European saw islands Zealand’s the 1806 1863), New in in of territories Crown part becoming British subsequently the (and for Claimed New ovens of Isle Zealand. and South the middens via possibly Island: settlement indicate Enderby at on confirmed Bay was Sandy Polynesians by very initial colonisation The brief 1945. the and 1941 to between groups, operations clandestine and shipwrecked 1870s whaler the in farming through and of establishment occupation rescue century, awaiting This thirteenth sailors a islands. the groups Polynesian has by in the colonisation presence early on from human ranges history Zealand, New long of 450km some south location remote the given Remarkably, summer). eco-tourists (Austral of February and groups December small between of heritage permit, restricted sustained by for visits, receives results which basis group, island The a the of management form settlements. to the intended are of the structures abandonment ephemeral following on and wooden data of gathering removal extreme partial also in but evidence archaeological conditions, surrounding of issues recovery record the the highlighting historical islands, extensive the for surprisingly brought a survey remote archaeological together truly The this any complex. gaining on island to occupation crucial of is understanding resource natural rich whale. right This southern the for Pacific SW the in ground breeding main the and nearby with albatross penguins, lion, yellow-eyed sea Hooker’s of the currently grounds heritage, breeding natural their for managed and Adam today unoccupied are islands and The the Peninsula. and Antarctic Zealand Enderby New Isle South include between lies Islands), ones (smaller Island - aebc NZ$57. paperback 0-7 New Auckland: 978-0-9582977- Association; 2009. Archaeological Zealand illustrations. 193 archaeological Islands pages, 317 an Auckland 27). Monograph the Ocean: Association Archaeological of Zealand Southern survey the historical and of care In .R.D . R P. INGWALL ,K.L.J C ONES niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity &R.E fwihi Auckland is which of largest the islands, five 50 approximately cated Lo- remote Islands. Auckland the on 2003 field in undertaken of survey results together the brings ume vol- fascinating This ◦ ,ti ru of group this S, GERTON (New (ed.).

Review Review arrive in the early 1800s who decimated the fur There are several appendices, including a diary which seal population in just 30 years. The physical gives an insight into the problems of undertaking evidence for these camps is ephemeral, with twelve fieldwork in such remote conditions! Several original potential sites identified for further investigation. monochrome images have been reproduced in the British-based whalers arrived in 1850, establishing volume; they are quite dark, and this seems to be a base and farms of the Southern Whale Fishing a problem for all the photographs used regardless Company on the shores of Port Ross. Poor returns of antiquity. The maps are models of clarity. It and dire farming conditions led to the collapse of this would have been useful to have a few colour images, enterprise after just three years. The planned colonial particularly of the landscape and the rata forests where town (Hardwicke) was never built but a temporary the ephemeral features are so well camouflaged. In settlement named Enderby was created. Its thirty terms of archaeological methodology, exigencies of buildings were largely removed on abandonment (and time required extensive test pitting rather than larger indeed some of the wooden houses were later sold area excavation. As a report on a short 6-week season, in Australia!). The 2003 survey, combined with the this would appear at first glance to be just another study of diary records, has enabled a much fuller archaeological report. However, such are the results understanding of the settlement layout and location of this first ever full archaeological survey of the of outlying farms. Auckland Islands, combined with a remarkably rich The 1840s brought Antarctic exploration vessels historical record, that it provides a way forward for from America, France and Britain, which used the those of us who work in remote locations and in areas islands for shelter and repairs (between 1864 and where the natural resources so crucially influence past 1907 eight sailing vessels were wrecked on the and current human presence and vice versa. For this shore). This activity created ephemeral structures, island group, an understanding of both elements in such as tussock huts, Government-supplied castaway this symbiotic relationship allows for the protection depots and signal fingerposts located at strategic of the whole. coastal locations. In 1874, German astronomers COLLEEN E. BATEY established a temporary station at Terror Cove, Port Archaeology, School of Humanities, University of Ross and successfully observed the transit of Venus. Glasgow, UK (Email: [email protected]) Once more the evidence had to be sought through archaeological survey. Farming was also practiced in NATASHA FIJN. Living with herds: human-animal the 1870s, notably in the Erebus Cove area, but the coexistence in Mongolia.xxvi+274 pages, 52 imported sheep eventually ran wild; they, and the pigs illustrations, 11 tables + online video. 2011. introduced by the first Europeans as well as successive Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 978-1-107- phases of burning the undergrowth, all had a lasting 00090-2 hardback £60 & $90. impact on the current vegetation. The past two decades, Between 1941 and 1945 there were two coastal since the establish- watching sites on the Auckland Islands, established ment of a mod- for a clandestine operation (named Cape Expedition) ern Mongolian Par- charged with looking for enemy ships and aircraft liamentary Republic, in the vicinity. Their 66-strong complement of men have seen a significant undertook the first detailed coastal topographical increase in archaeo- survey at this time. By definition their settlements logical and anthropo- were hard to see but had good vantage points, and logical research con- the 2003 survey located and recorded the masts and ducted by Mongolian buildings from this period. universities and the The final chapters deal with the impact of the Mongolian Academy human presence on the vegetation and landscape. of Sciences, in stark contrast to the previous 70 This includes the reduction of giant flowering herbs years of virtual isolation under Soviet influence. by foraging mammals, clearance of tracts of trees and Archaeological and anthropological research in lush vegetation for settlement and fuel supplies for Mongolia is now flourishing and often conducted in passing steamships (still traceable in the forests) and collaboration with foreign scholars and institutions. accidental introductions such as medicinal plants. This has fostered a great deal of growth in

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592 insrcn monograph, Natasha recent Fijn’s is understanding this to Furthering region. in contributed this lifeways nomadic vastly traditional of has understanding our and discourse academic rcie nnrhr ogladrn h Bronze the during Mongolia northern mortuary in on somewhat research practices as recent groups Indeed, be ‘nomadic’. northern may less describe it then to areas, possible grazing between movements seasonal by things, others extensive nomadic among defined, If is more behaviour groups. grazing entail southern and for thus migrations water can seasonal factors to These access land. less resources natural significantly fewer and possess the region, within In Desert especially capacity. Gobi a aimags, carrying southern reflecting land the of contrast, lush, degree and parts Mongolia high of other relatively affluent aimags in comparatively northern degree The are same country. the the to of observations apply some not experience may Mongolia, on based central/northern is in pastoralism. the research Fijn’s elegant nomadic and as However, of Fijn’s culture development behaviour, humans. man continuing dominates between as beast interaction how and well on focuses as narrative animals practices animals breeding animal to of of knowledge domestication applied and the cooperation, effectively. networks, kinship group resources on based be use can adaptations and These resources) well as limited climate only as variable and population possible harsh low extremely density, by is their characterised to success adapt (here and environment the respect Such understand, for people years. when continuity 3500 social Mongolian last the and securing biological for people’s successful for proved production study pastoralist has of nomadic Clearly subject years. a many been has behaviour nomadic Mongolian closely-knit of understanding this and reconstruction The of product a coexistence. how human-animal be and may herds other their and activities, games and in observed people as behaviour, of traditional lives daily directs Her and the influences book. interface this how this humans animals: between and interaction of social the strengths on is emphasis the obtaining for are the talent aimags of impressive information her member and functional Mongolian families and two ability trusted Fijn’s a the Arkhangai. become and to Bulgan in nomadic of two (provinces) with families challenging stay author’s occasionally extended the an personal of as detailed, evaluation well a as presents description book beautiful This iigwt herds with Living . Review 593 nvclsto n oylanguage. body and vocalisation based on place communication taken for allowing has generations, process over this that ‘phylogenetic and to enculturation’ subject been co- have that animals argues domestic Fijn described. thoroughly is and animals animals herders marking between by Communication symbols. enhanced with of is herds Control and and cross-breeding. animals and behaviour castration ‘leadership’ controlled through is encouraging process own maximise the through their to productivity, order by and in live control However, instincts. to and on free rules social based are individual ‘practice’ Animals is and behaviour. represent survival express to animals and ability of the entities group social and different animal proposes Fijn each seasons. that the to within adjusted composition entity, landscape group this social and accumulative location and camp, the geographical with a is of landscape the understanding and The landscape animal. social the social on concentrates 2 Part this rather reflect chapters subjects approach. subsequent as the and animals objects on than is emphasis and animals; herders between interaction “co- well- equal and a a developed involves as that process” domestication symbiotic for evolutionary argument and the domestication presents animal host to pertinent her literature in reviewsthe of introduction life The location activities. detail daily the and abundant families Mountains, in Khangai describes Fijn the 1 Part In extensive. more be could Index common the appropriate, is but most references of the list The and plants. medicinal colours horse table a categorising includes Appendix An the used. all terms not if Mongolian most to glossary equivalent English five-page the a lists included which has words she Mongolian narrative, of her in use Since extensive online. makes segments author video the also are There text. of the understanding the enhances and and significantly humans animals, for figures diagrams, genealogy winter), representing of use the and plates tables; autumn of summer, sets spring, with four illustrated (including are chapters images and sections All summarised below. parts, three into of organised is volume parts The other in basis Mongolia. though comparative investigations a Fijn, ethnographic provide by can for described work her system course the social to of a suited better may of is It situation type areas. northern certain the in that land be to access or ownership ( Age khirigsuur uil)sget russecuring groups suggests burials) C niut ulctosLtd. 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Review Review

Part 3 consists of chapters on the horse, seasonal animals in death. The killing of an animal for food is cycles, wild animals, sacred animals and the a natural part of the relationship between humans conclusions. The horse chapter (Chapter 7) includes and animals, carried out with dignity and with a a historical review of the importance of the horse concern for causing the least amount of pain. It and the annual Naadam festival, celebrated each year is linked to spirituality (not the word Fijn may around 10 July. The review does however contain have selected) and respect for the animal. Fijn’s final some inaccuracies, such as “Turkic khirigsuur”, which chapter may be the most ‘powerful’; it is certainly in actually are Bronze Age burial mounds dating to keeping with the book’s focus on the “co-existence 3500–2700 BP in Mongolia and possibly part of between man and animals”. The concluding chapter the Russian Altai Mountains and eastern Kazakhstan contains a summary and brief discussion of some tradition. In addition, the horse heads and cervical of the changes currently taking place in the herders’ vertebrae found in smaller mounds adjacent to the lifestyle as they increasingly come under pressure from khirigsuur are not necessarily associated with any Mongolia’s modern market economy. These pressures spiritual beliefs related to “carrying the dead into may, over time, eliminate a significant culture and the afterlife”. These matters apart, the review is way of life that has proven successful for thousands informative, educational and accurate. The Naadam of years. Today, Mongolia faces numerous major festival is an important event dedicated to honouring issues associated with its economy, education and Mongolian culture and history and Fijn has described healthcare. The introduction of both clandestine and the event accurately and with flair. legal mining operations, especially in the Gobi region The life cycle chapter (Chapter 8) comprehensively and eastern parts of the country, may be beneficial for describes the seasonal activities of a typical household, the economy but will greatly endanger the survival following the groups through the seasons, and of traditional nomadic pastoralism. I would strongly shedding light on the problems and challenges the recommend that anybody involved in these profound households face and solve through adaptation to transformations read Natasha Fijn’s wonderful book various social and environmental circumstances. The to fully understand this way of life as well as its cultural wild animal chapter (Chapter 9) introduces animals and practical value. In fact, anybody who plans to other than domesticates, in particular the wolf and live or work in Mongolia, carry out research there or how this animal and other wild animals are perceived. simply visit it should read this most informative and It also briefly describes modern hunting culture, most educational volume. probably introduced by ‘city dwellers’ and possibly BRUNO FROHLICH¨ tourists. The chapter ends with a section on illnesses, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of ailments, medicinal plants and magic medicine. Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, The sacred animal chapter (Chapter 10) deals with Washington D.C., USA (Email: [email protected]) the very special connection between herders and

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594 http://www.springer.com/series/6978