Relations of power : the Neolithic of central south-west England
This thesis argues that the traditional methods of archaeological research have had the effect of forcing the British Neolithic into a mould formed by modern western values. This orthodoxy might be challenged through the use of ethnographic material concerning the structure and operation of precapitalist societies. However, it is often the case that the variability of the ethnographic record is merely used to patch up archaeological explanations of the past. A methodology is therefore proposed in which anthropological theory is used in the construction of a model of Neolithic social relations in northwest Europe, and the archaeological evidence for the study area is used to detect contrasts with this model. It is recognised that lithic assemblages, faunal remains, mortuary practices and monuments cannot of themselves be sufficient for the development of an holistic view of a prehistoric society. Instead, each class of data can be used in much the same way as an historian might use a written text: to search for distortions and contradictions between each form of data and the general model. Having developed methodology, general theory and the European model in the first three chapters, each subregion of the
Thomas, Julian Stewart
Archaeology
Relations of power : the Neolithic of central south-west England. This thesis argues that the traditional methods of archaeological research have had the effect of forcing the British Neolithic into a mould formed by modern western values. This orthodoxy might be challenged through the use of ethnographic material concerning the structure and operation of precapitalist societies. However, it is often the case that the variability of the ethnographic record is merely used to patch up archaeological explanations of the past. A methodology is therefore proposed in which anthropological theory is used in the construction of a model of Neolithic social relations in northwest Europe, and the archaeological evidence for the study area is used to detect contrasts with this model. It is recognised that lithic assemblages, faunal remains, mortuary practices and monuments cannot of themselves be sufficient for the development of an holistic view of a prehistoric society. Instead, each class of data can be used in much the same way as an historian might use a written text: to search for distortions and contradictions between each form of data and the general model. Having developed methodology, general theory and the European model in the first three chapters, each subregion of the
relations power neolithic central south_west_england argues traditional_method archaeological effect force british_neolithic mould form modern_western value orthodoxy might challenge use_ethnographic material concerning structure operation society however often case variability ethnographic_record merely use archaeological explanation past therefore proposed anthropological_theory use construction model neolithic social_relation northwest_europe archaeological_evidence study_area use detect contrast model recognise lithic_assemblage faunal_remains mortuary_practice monument sufficient development holistic view prehistoric_society instead class data_use much way historian might use write_text search distortion contradiction form data general model develop general_theory european model first_three