
The Materiality of Stone
Explorations in Landscape Phenomenology
Christopher Tilley(Author)
Berg Publishers
1st Edition
Published on 1. July 2004
Book
Paperback/Softback
260 pages
978-1-85973-897-9 (ISBN)
Description
With Wayne Bennett From the silky wax qualities of the surfaces of some quartz menhirs to the wood-grain textures of others, to the golden honeycombed limestones of Malta, to the icy frozen waves of the Cambrian sandstone of south-east Sweden, this book investigates the sensuous material qualities of stone. Tactile sensations, sonorous qualities, colour, and visual impressions are all shown to play a vital part in our understanding of the power and significance of prehistoric monuments in relation to their landscapes. In The Materiality of Stone, Christopher Tilley presents a radically new way of analyzing the significance of both 'cultural' and 'natural' stone in prehistoric European landscapes. Tilley's groundbreaking approach is to interpret human experience in a multidimensional and sensuous human way, rather than through an abstract analytical gaze. The studies range widely from the menhirs of prehistoric Brittany to Maltese Neolithic temples to Bronze Age rock carvings and cairns in southern Sweden. Tilley leaves no stone unturned as he also considers how the internal spaces and landscape settings are interpreted in relation to artifacts, substances, and related places that were deeply meaningful to the people who inhabited them and remain no less evocative today. In its innovative approach to understanding human experience through the tangible rocks and stone of our past, The Materiality of Stone is both a major theoretical and substantive contribution to the field of material culture studies and the study of European prehistory.
Reviews / Votes
This is an intriguing and original contribution to the study of ancient monuments and places. It relies on a sophisticated blend of social theory and fieldwork and will surely influence the ways in which landscape archaeology develops in the future. -- Richard Bradley, University of Reading, UK [A]rchaeology needs thinkers of Tilley's original cast of mind. -- Andrew Jones, University of Southampton, UKMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
400 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85973-897-9 (9781859738979)
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

Book
06/2020
1st Edition
Berg Publishers
€215.41
Shipment within 3-4 weeks

E-Book
06/2020
1st Edition
Routledge
€52.49
Available for download

E-Book
06/2020
1st Edition
Routledge
€52.49
Available for download
Person
Christopher Tilley Professor of Anthropology,University College London
Content
Contents1 From Body to Place to Landscape: A Phenomenological Perspective2 Sprouting Rhizomes and Giant Axes: Experiencing Breton Menhirs3 From Honey to Ochre: Maltese Temples, Stones, Substances and the Structuring of Experience4 Frozen Waves and Anomalous Stones: Rock Carvings and Cairns in a Southern Swedish Landscape5 Conclusions: The Past as Dreamwork