ENGLISH

Death and Memory in Early Medieval Britain

By Howard Williams

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
2006
ISBN
0521840198, 9780521840194
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
5 MB (5632867 bytes)
Series
Cambridge Studies in Archaeology
Pages
271\271
Topic
History
Time added
2010-08-30 15:18:36

Description

How were the dead remembered in early medieval Britain? Originally published in 2006, this innovative study demonstrates how perceptions of the past and the dead, and hence social identities, were constructed through mortuary practices and commemoration between c. 400-1100 AD. Drawing on archaeological evidence from across Britain, including archaeological discoveries, Howard Williams presents a fresh 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 light on an important aspect of medieval society, this book is essential reading for archaeologists and historians with an interest in the early medieval period.

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