Inhabiting Broxmouth : biographies of a Scottish Iron Age settlement
Roundhouses are ubiquitous in prehistoric Britain, yet previous studies of these iconic features have tended to overlook their human occupants, focusing instead on their external morphology and structural engineering. Those studies which have attempted to move beyond functionalist frameworks, have often applied overarching and broad-scale cosmological models which, though re-orientating study towards social considerations, have likewise failed to shed light on the interaction between roundhouse and their inhabitants, particularly at a household level. This research reanalyses the Late Iron Age settlement at Broxmouth, East Lothian, using new theoretical approaches and advances in AMS dating to ask new questions of a 30 year old data-set. Biographical and materiality approaches, which draw heavily on relational analogy with the ethnographic record, have allowed for detailed reconstruction of the life-history of each structure, and important moments within these histories. Roundhouse replacement appears to have taken place on a roughly generational basis, as a means by which households renegotiated their social identities within the community. Structured deposition, and the materiality of the roundhouse fabric
BĂŒster, Lindsey Sarah
Iron Age ; Roundhouse ; Settlement ; Hillfort ; Biography ; Scotland
Inhabiting Broxmouth : biographies of a Scottish Iron Age settlement. Roundhouses are ubiquitous in prehistoric Britain, yet previous studies of these iconic features have tended to overlook their human occupants, focusing instead on their external morphology and structural engineering. Those studies which have attempted to move beyond functionalist frameworks, have often applied overarching and broad-scale cosmological models which, though re-orientating study towards social considerations, have likewise failed to shed light on the interaction between roundhouse and their inhabitants, particularly at a household level. This research reanalyses the Late Iron Age settlement at Broxmouth, East Lothian, using new theoretical approaches and advances in AMS dating to ask new questions of a 30 year old data-set. Biographical and materiality approaches, which draw heavily on relational analogy with the ethnographic record, have allowed for detailed reconstruction of the life-history of each structure, and important moments within these histories. Roundhouse replacement appears to have taken place on a roughly generational basis, as a means by which households renegotiated their social identities within the community. Structured deposition, and the materiality of the roundhouse fabric
biography scottish_iron_age settlement ubiquitous prehistoric britain yet previous_study iconic feature tend overlook human occupant focus_instead external morphology structural engineering study_attempt move_beyond functionalist framework often applied overarch broad scale cosmological model though study towards social consideration likewise fail shed_light interaction roundhouse inhabitant particularly household level settlement east_lothian use new theoretical_approach advance date ask new question data_set biographical materiality approach draw_heavily relational analogy ethnographic_record allow detailed reconstruction life_history structure important moment within history roundhouse replacement appear take_place roughly generational basis mean household renegotiate social_identity within_community structured_deposition materiality roundhouse fabric