Care in the Past
Archaeological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Published on 21. December 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-78570-335-5 (ISBN)
Description
Care-giving is an activity that has been practiced by all human societies. From the earliest societies through to the present, all humans have faced choices regarding how people in positions of dependency are to be treated. As such, care-giving, and the form it takes, is a central experience of being a human and one that is culturally mediated. Archaeology has tended to marginalise the study of care, and debates surrounding our ability to recognise it within the archaeological record have often remained implicit rather than a focus of discussion.
In order to address this, the 12 papers in this volume bring together archaeological, historical, and philosophical perspectives to examine the topic of care in past societies, and how we might recognise the provision of care in archaeological contexts. The topic of care is examined through three different strands: care throughout the life course, namely that provided to the youngest and oldest members of society; care-giving and attitudes towards impairment and disability; and the role of animals as both recipients of care and as tools for its provision.
In order to address this, the 12 papers in this volume bring together archaeological, historical, and philosophical perspectives to examine the topic of care in past societies, and how we might recognise the provision of care in archaeological contexts. The topic of care is examined through three different strands: care throughout the life course, namely that provided to the youngest and oldest members of society; care-giving and attitudes towards impairment and disability; and the role of animals as both recipients of care and as tools for its provision.
Reviews / Votes
I believe that Care in the Past will achieve its aim of becoming essential reading for both medical practitioners and medical historians. With the NHS still reeling from the revelations of the 2013 Francis Report, the Palaeolithic perspective brings both a comfort and a challenge. * British Society for the History of Medicine *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
b/w
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 170 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78570-335-5 (9781785703355)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2016
Oxbow Books
€27.99
Available for download
E-Book
11/2016
OXBOW BOOKS
€27.99
Available for download
Persons
Lindsay A. Powell recently completed a PhD in Archaeology at Durham University focusing on the health, diet and care of children in Roman London. Her research interests include subadult palaeopathology and bioarchaeology within the Roman Period. William Southwell-Wright is an independent researcher, who is interested in examining the social status of individuals with impairments and disabilities in the Late Roman Period of Britain. William's wider research interests include disability history, the development of archaeologies of disability, past body identities, and ancient medical history. Rebecca L. Gowland is a senior lecturer in human bioarchaeology at Durham University. Her research interests include exploration of the inter-relationship between the human skeleton and aspects of social identity; health and the life course in the Roman World; palaeopathology; and social perceptions of the physically impaired.
Content
Preface - Charlotte Roberts
1. Introduction
William Southwell-Wright, Rebecca Gowland and Lindsay Powell
Section 1: Care and the Life Course
2. Childcare in the Past
Mary Lewis
3. The "Terrible Tyranny of the Majority": Recognising Population Variability and Individual Agency in Past Infant Feeding Practices
Ellen Kendall
4.-Precious Things: Examining the Status and Care of Children in Late Medieval England Through the analysis of Cultural and Biological Markers
Heidi Dawson
5. "That Tattered Coat Upon a Stick the Ageing Body": Evidence for Elder Marginalisation and Abuse in Roman Britain
Rebecca L. Gowland
Section 2: Care Impairment and Disability
6. The Palaeolithic Compassion Debate - Alternative Projections of Modern Day Disability into the Distant Past
Nick Thorpe
7. Setting the Scene for an Evolutionary Approach to Care in Prehistory: A Historical and Philosophical Journey
David Doat
8. "A Long Waiting for Death": Dependency and the Care of the Disabled in a Nineteenth Century Asylum
Shawn Phillips
9 Prayers and Poultices: Medieval Health Care at the Isle of May, Scotland. C. AD 430-1580
Marlo Willows
Section 3: Animal and Plant Evidence for Care
10. Towards a Zooarchaeology of Animal 'Care'
Richard Thomas
11. Rare Secrets of Physicke: Insect Medicaments in Historical Western Society
Gary King
12. Conclusion
Lindsay Powell, William Southwell-Wright, Rebecca Gowland
1. Introduction
William Southwell-Wright, Rebecca Gowland and Lindsay Powell
Section 1: Care and the Life Course
2. Childcare in the Past
Mary Lewis
3. The "Terrible Tyranny of the Majority": Recognising Population Variability and Individual Agency in Past Infant Feeding Practices
Ellen Kendall
4.-Precious Things: Examining the Status and Care of Children in Late Medieval England Through the analysis of Cultural and Biological Markers
Heidi Dawson
5. "That Tattered Coat Upon a Stick the Ageing Body": Evidence for Elder Marginalisation and Abuse in Roman Britain
Rebecca L. Gowland
Section 2: Care Impairment and Disability
6. The Palaeolithic Compassion Debate - Alternative Projections of Modern Day Disability into the Distant Past
Nick Thorpe
7. Setting the Scene for an Evolutionary Approach to Care in Prehistory: A Historical and Philosophical Journey
David Doat
8. "A Long Waiting for Death": Dependency and the Care of the Disabled in a Nineteenth Century Asylum
Shawn Phillips
9 Prayers and Poultices: Medieval Health Care at the Isle of May, Scotland. C. AD 430-1580
Marlo Willows
Section 3: Animal and Plant Evidence for Care
10. Towards a Zooarchaeology of Animal 'Care'
Richard Thomas
11. Rare Secrets of Physicke: Insect Medicaments in Historical Western Society
Gary King
12. Conclusion
Lindsay Powell, William Southwell-Wright, Rebecca Gowland