The Neolithic and Bronze Ages of Aberdeenshire : a study of materiality and historical phenomenology
It is suggested that previous interpretations of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages of Aberdeenshire have, in the main, been flawed due to a pre-occupation with placing the remains of these periods within models still grounded in cultural historical frameworks. Consequently, I abandon period divisions within the thesis, and instead use the changing nature of human inhabitation of landscape, based on the available radiometric dating, as the temporal basis for the study. Thus, recent phenomenological approaches in archaeology are highlighted as a significant development to the study of past remains. Such phenomenological approaches, however, do suffer from a lack of consideration of the role ofperception in constituting social meanings in the past. The theory of the cultural sensoria is developed, therefore, and the significance of material culture, during ontogenesis, in the maintenance of social meanings is stressed. The thesis explores how human understanding of their material conditions (landscape and material culture) changed through the fourth to second millennia BC. Study of the sensory qualities of material culture indicates that a shift in balance of sensory orders, from haptic to visual dominance, took
MacGregor, Gavin
CC Archaeology
The Neolithic and Bronze Ages of Aberdeenshire : a study of materiality and historical phenomenology. It is suggested that previous interpretations of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages of Aberdeenshire have, in the main, been flawed due to a pre-occupation with placing the remains of these periods within models still grounded in cultural historical frameworks. Consequently, I abandon period divisions within the thesis, and instead use the changing nature of human inhabitation of landscape, based on the available radiometric dating, as the temporal basis for the study. Thus, recent phenomenological approaches in archaeology are highlighted as a significant development to the study of past remains. Such phenomenological approaches, however, do suffer from a lack of consideration of the role ofperception in constituting social meanings in the past. The theory of the cultural sensoria is developed, therefore, and the significance of material culture, during ontogenesis, in the maintenance of social meanings is stressed. The thesis explores how human understanding of their material conditions (landscape and material culture) changed through the fourth to second millennia BC. Study of the sensory qualities of material culture indicates that a shift in balance of sensory orders, from haptic to visual dominance, took
study materiality historical phenomenology suggest previous_interpretation main flaw due pre occupation placing remain period within model still ground cultural_historical framework consequently abandon period division_within instead use change_nature human inhabitation landscape base available dating temporal basis study thus recent phenomenological approach_archaeology highlight significant development study past remain phenomenological approach however suffer lack consideration role constitute social_meaning past theory cultural develop therefore significance material_culture ontogenesis maintenance_social meaning stress explores human material condition landscape material_culture change study sensory quality material_culture indicate shift balance sensory order visual dominance take