Ancient Lives
Object, people and place in early Scotland. Essays for David V Clarke on his 70th birthday
1st Edition
Published on 15. October 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
382 pages
978-90-8890-375-5 (ISBN)
Description
Ancient Lives provides new perspectives on object, people and place in early Scotland and beyond. The 19 papers cover topics ranging from the Neolithic to the Medieval period, and from modern museum practice to ancient craft skills. The material culture of ancient lives is centre stage - how it was created and used, how it was rediscovered and thought about, and how it is displayed.
Dedicated to Professor David V Clarke, former Keeper of Archaeology in National Museums Scotland, on his 70th birthday, the book comprises three sections which reflect some of his many interests. "Presenting the past" offers perspectives on current museum practice, especially in relation to archaeological displays. "Ancient lives and multiple lives" looks at antiquarian approaches to the Scottish past and the work of a Scottish antiquary abroad, while "Pieces of the past" offers a series of authoritative case-studies on Scottish artefacts, as well as papers on the iconic site of Skara Brae and on the impact of the Roman world on Scotland.
With subjects ranging from Gordon Childe to the Govan Stones and from gaming pieces to Grooved Ware, this scholarly and accessible volume provides a show-case of new information and new perspectives on material culture linked, but not limited to, Scotland.
Dedicated to Professor David V Clarke, former Keeper of Archaeology in National Museums Scotland, on his 70th birthday, the book comprises three sections which reflect some of his many interests. "Presenting the past" offers perspectives on current museum practice, especially in relation to archaeological displays. "Ancient lives and multiple lives" looks at antiquarian approaches to the Scottish past and the work of a Scottish antiquary abroad, while "Pieces of the past" offers a series of authoritative case-studies on Scottish artefacts, as well as papers on the iconic site of Skara Brae and on the impact of the Roman world on Scotland.
With subjects ranging from Gordon Childe to the Govan Stones and from gaming pieces to Grooved Ware, this scholarly and accessible volume provides a show-case of new information and new perspectives on material culture linked, but not limited to, Scotland.
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
50bw/86fc
Dimensions
Height: 257 mm
Width: 182 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
831 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-8890-375-5 (9789088903755)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dr Fraser Hunter is Principal Curator in the Department of Scottish History and Archaeology at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Fraser's research focuses on the Iron Age and Roman periods, and seeks to put Scottish finds into their European context.
Research interests include archaeological approaches to Celtic art, the carnyx in Iron Age Europe, hoarding practices, Iron Age material culture, and the impact of the Roman world. Recent publications include edited volumes on "A Roman frontier post and its people: Newstead 1911-2011" (with Lawrence Keppie, 2012), "Late Roman silver: the Traprain Treasure in context" (with Kenneth Painter; 2013), "Scotland in later prehistoric Europe" (with Ian Ralston; 2015) and "Celts: art and identity (with Julia Farley; 2015). Fraser has been a leading curator in creating the Celts exhibition at the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. Dr Alison Sheridan is Principal Curator in the Department of Scottish History and Archaeology at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Alison's research focuses on the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland within their wider European context.
She has written extensively on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, and as Co-Ordinator for Britain and Ireland in the French-led Projet JADE she has published on Neolithic axeheads from the Alps. She also specialises in the use of of jet and jet-like materials, faience, amber and gold. Recent publications include "Jade. Grandes haches alpines du Neolithique europeen. Ve et IVe millenaires av. J.-C. (with Pierre Petrequin et al, eds, 2012 ); "Is there a British Chalcolithic?" (with Mike Allen and Julie Gardiner, eds, 2012), sections in "Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods" (Ann Woodward and John Hunter, eds, 2015), and "Amazing Amber" (with Andrew Ross, 2013). Alison was President of the Prehistoric Society 2010-2014.
Research interests include archaeological approaches to Celtic art, the carnyx in Iron Age Europe, hoarding practices, Iron Age material culture, and the impact of the Roman world. Recent publications include edited volumes on "A Roman frontier post and its people: Newstead 1911-2011" (with Lawrence Keppie, 2012), "Late Roman silver: the Traprain Treasure in context" (with Kenneth Painter; 2013), "Scotland in later prehistoric Europe" (with Ian Ralston; 2015) and "Celts: art and identity (with Julia Farley; 2015). Fraser has been a leading curator in creating the Celts exhibition at the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. Dr Alison Sheridan is Principal Curator in the Department of Scottish History and Archaeology at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Alison's research focuses on the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland within their wider European context.
She has written extensively on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, and as Co-Ordinator for Britain and Ireland in the French-led Projet JADE she has published on Neolithic axeheads from the Alps. She also specialises in the use of of jet and jet-like materials, faience, amber and gold. Recent publications include "Jade. Grandes haches alpines du Neolithique europeen. Ve et IVe millenaires av. J.-C. (with Pierre Petrequin et al, eds, 2012 ); "Is there a British Chalcolithic?" (with Mike Allen and Julie Gardiner, eds, 2012), sections in "Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods" (Ann Woodward and John Hunter, eds, 2015), and "Amazing Amber" (with Andrew Ross, 2013). Alison was President of the Prehistoric Society 2010-2014.
Content
Introduction: 'If I can put it like that.'
Alison Sheridan and Fraser Hunter
Section 1 - Presenting the past
Museums and their collections
Mark Jones
Presenting someone else's past: the Caithness Broch Centre
Andrew Heald
Reading Govan Old: interpretative challenges and aspirations
Stephen T Driscoll
Section 2 - Ancient lives and multiple lives
Robert Innes Shearer: a lost antiquary from Caithness
Stratford Halliday
'Thanks to you the best has been made of a bad job': Vere Gordon Childe and the Bronze Age cairn at Ri Cruin, Kilmartin, Argyll & Bute
Trevor Cowie
Mary Boyle (1881-1974): the Abbé Breuil's faithful fellow-worker
Alan Saville
Evidence and artefact: utility for protohistory and archaeology in Thomas the Rhymer legends
Hugh Cheape
Expiscation! Disentangling the later biography of the St Andrews Sarcophagus
Sally M Foster
Section 3 - Pieces of the past
Scottish Neolithic pottery in 2016: the big picture and some details of the narrative
Alison Sheridan
Skara Brae life studies: overlaying the embedded images
Alexandra Shepherd
The earlier prehistoric collections from the Culbin Sands, northern Scotland: the construction of a narrative
Richard Bradley, Aaron Watson and Ronnie Scott
The provision of amulets and heirlooms in Early Bronze Age children's burials in Scotland
Dawn McLaren
On the edge: Roman law on the frontier
David J Breeze
The Colour Purple: lithomarge artefacts in northern Britain
Martin Goldberg
'Coal money' from Portpatrick (south-west Scotland): reconstructing an Early Medieval craft centre from antiquarian finds
Fraser Hunter
Silver handpins from the West Country to Scotland: perplexing portable antiquities
Susan Youngs
Gleaming eyes and the elaboration of Anglo-Saxon sculpture
Alice Blackwell
Combs and comb production in the Western Isles during the Norse period
Niall Sharples and Ian Dennis
Playing the dark side: a look at some chess and other playing pieces of jet and jet-like materials from Britain
Mark A Hall
Alison Sheridan and Fraser Hunter
Section 1 - Presenting the past
Museums and their collections
Mark Jones
Presenting someone else's past: the Caithness Broch Centre
Andrew Heald
Reading Govan Old: interpretative challenges and aspirations
Stephen T Driscoll
Section 2 - Ancient lives and multiple lives
Robert Innes Shearer: a lost antiquary from Caithness
Stratford Halliday
'Thanks to you the best has been made of a bad job': Vere Gordon Childe and the Bronze Age cairn at Ri Cruin, Kilmartin, Argyll & Bute
Trevor Cowie
Mary Boyle (1881-1974): the Abbé Breuil's faithful fellow-worker
Alan Saville
Evidence and artefact: utility for protohistory and archaeology in Thomas the Rhymer legends
Hugh Cheape
Expiscation! Disentangling the later biography of the St Andrews Sarcophagus
Sally M Foster
Section 3 - Pieces of the past
Scottish Neolithic pottery in 2016: the big picture and some details of the narrative
Alison Sheridan
Skara Brae life studies: overlaying the embedded images
Alexandra Shepherd
The earlier prehistoric collections from the Culbin Sands, northern Scotland: the construction of a narrative
Richard Bradley, Aaron Watson and Ronnie Scott
The provision of amulets and heirlooms in Early Bronze Age children's burials in Scotland
Dawn McLaren
On the edge: Roman law on the frontier
David J Breeze
The Colour Purple: lithomarge artefacts in northern Britain
Martin Goldberg
'Coal money' from Portpatrick (south-west Scotland): reconstructing an Early Medieval craft centre from antiquarian finds
Fraser Hunter
Silver handpins from the West Country to Scotland: perplexing portable antiquities
Susan Youngs
Gleaming eyes and the elaboration of Anglo-Saxon sculpture
Alice Blackwell
Combs and comb production in the Western Isles during the Norse period
Niall Sharples and Ian Dennis
Playing the dark side: a look at some chess and other playing pieces of jet and jet-like materials from Britain
Mark A Hall