Death and Memory in Early Medieval Britain (Cambridge Studies in Archaeology)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: September 25, 2006
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 268
ISBN-13: 9780521840194
Subjects: British & Irish history: c 500 to c 1000; Medieval European archaeology; Social history; c 500 CE to c 1000 CE; History: World; History; History - General History; United Kingdom, Great Britain; Death & Dying; Europe - Great Britain - General; History / Great Britain; Medieval; Death; Funeral rites and ceremonies, Medieval; Great Britain; Memory; Social aspects
Description: "How were the dead remembered in early medieval Britain? This study demonstrates how perceptions of the past and the dead, and hence social identities, were constructed through mortuary practices and commemoration in the period c. AD 400-1100. Drawing on archaeological evidence from across Britain, including the latest archaeological discoveries, Howard Williams presents a new interpretation of the significance of portable artefacts, the body, structures, monuments and landscapes in early medieval mortuary practices. He argues that materials and spaces were used in ritual performances that served as technologies of remembrance, practices that created shared social memories intended to link past, present and future. Through the deployment of material culture, early medieval societies were therefore selectively remembering and forgetting their ancestors and their history. Throwing new light on an important aspect of medieval society, this book is essential reading for all archaeologists and historians with an interest in the early medieval period."--Jacket.