The Archaeology of Contextual Meanings

This companion volume to Archaeology as Long-term History focuses on the symbolism of artefacts. It seeks at once to refine the theory and method relating to interpretation and show, with examples, how to conduct this sort of archaeological work. Some contributors work with the material culture of modern times or the historic period, areas in which the symbolism of mute artefacts has traditionally been thought most accessible. However, the book also contains a good number of applications in prehistory to demonstrate the feasibility of symbolic interpretation where good contextual data survive from the distant past. In relation to wider debates within the social sciences, the volume is characterised by a concern to place abstract symbolic codes within their historical context and within the contexts of social actions. In this respect, it develops further some of the ideas presented in Dr Hodder's Symbolic and Structural Archaeology, an earlier volume in this series.

1. The contextual analysis of symbolic meanings Ian Hodder; Part I. Contemporary archaeological studies: 2. Bow ties and pet foods: material culture and the negotiation of change in British industry Ian Hodder; 3. Iconography, sacred and secular: visions of the family Sheena Crawford; 4. An 'archae-logy' of Turkana beads Sarah Williams; Part II. Historical archaeological studies: 5. 'All styles are good, save the tiresome kind.' An examination of the pattern of stylistic changes occurring among silver candlesticks of the eighteenth century (1680–1780) Tony Sinclair; 6. Purity and power at the Victorian dinner party Robert Jameson; 7. Material metaphor, social interaction and historical reconstructions: exploring patterns of association and symbolism in the Igbo-Ukwu corpus Keith Ray; Part III. Prehistoric archaeological studies: 8. Identifying gender representation in the archaeological record: a contextual study Liv Gibbs; 9. Material order and cultural classification: the role of bronze objects in the transition from Bronze Age to Iron Age in Scandinavia Marie Louise Stig Sorensen; 10. The inter-relationships of materials and meanings: some suggestions on housing concerns within Iron Age Noord-Holland Linda Therkorn; 11. Value and motivation in pre-history: the evidence for 'Celtic spirit' Nick Merriman; 12. Flying stags: icons and power in Thracian art Timothy Taylor.

This companion volume to Archaeology as Long-term History focuses on the symbolism of artefacts. It seeks at once to refine the theory and method relating to interpretation and show, with examples, how to conduct this sort of archaeological work. Some contributors work with the material culture of modern times or the historic period, areas in which the symbolism of mute artefacts has traditionally been thought most accessible.