Innovation and imitation
Subtitle: stone skeuomorphs of metal from 4th-2nd millennia BC northwest Europe
By: Catherine Frieman
Series: BAR international series -- 2365; BAR international series -- 2365.
Publisher: Archaeopress
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Oxford
Language: eng
Number of pages: 229
ISBN-13: 9781407309521
Subjects: Stone implements; Metal-work, Prehistoric; Prehistoric Tools; Antiquities; Prehistoric Antiquities; Excavations (Archaeology)
Description: "In this study of prehistoric innovation, the author argues that a range of technologies and practices need to be considered in order to place innovation into the pre-existing social and technological systems in which it functioned and to assess the means by which it was accepted and valued. In particular the study focuses on how archaeological interpretations of stone objects and stone-working can help understand the adoption and continued presence of metal and metallurgy in prehistoric Europe. The author compares traditionally identified stone skeuomorphs--that is, meaningful imitations--of metal with their putative prototypes. Three separate corpora of these stone skeuomorphs have been identified: polished stone shafthole axes from the Netherlands and surrounding areas, identified as copies of perforated, copper axes; flint daggers from Jutland, identified as copies of bronze, metal-hilted daggers; and jet spacer-plate ornaments from the British Isles, Ireland and Brittany, identified as copies of hammered gold lunulae."--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 210-229).
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Skeuomorphism in the archaeological record; title: A framework for analysis; title: Temporal, material and social context of the early metal-using era in northwest Europe; title: Ground stone knob-butted axes; title: Fishtail flint daggers; title: Crescentic jet necklaces; title: Innovation, imitation, metalworking and stone-working in the early metal-using era; title: Conclusion; title: Appendix A: Catalogue of ground stone knob-butted axes; title: Appendix B: Catalogue of fishtail flint daggers; title: Appendix C: Catalogue of jet bead assemblages with spacer plates; title: Appendix D: Data collected; title: Appendix E: Statistical analyses; title: Bibliography.