The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca

• 98 • Timothy Champion
Perhaps the most important
changes in perceptions of the Later
Bronze Age, however, derive from
new theoretical approaches to the
understanding of the archaeological
record. Greater emphasis has been
placed on understanding the patterns
in the material record as evidence for
the nature of economy and society
rather than as an end in itself. Recent
studies have focused on questions of
economy, ritual and settlement
organization. Archaeologists have
tended to concentrate on such topics
as the changing nature of domestic
activities, for example food
preparation and consumption, as
shown by changes in the styles and
shapes of pottery; the development
of craft production witnessed by
increasing production of specialist
tools; or the meaning and value of
material culture such as items of
bronze and the social contexts in
which they were used.
Particular attention has also been
paid to the patterns of deposition
that have shaped the archaeological
record. It is clear that the burials and
other deposits of the Late Neolithic
and Early Bronze Age were carefully
selected and deposited in a highly
structured way, and that the meaning
of these patterns needs
interpretation. It would be easy to
Figure 6.2 Examples of bronzes of the Ewart Park assemblage. think that, with the appearance of
Source: Megaw and Simpson 1979, Fig. 6.32
settlements as one of the major
sources of evidence, much simpler
and more obvious processes of loss and waste disposal were involved. It is now clear, however,
that some deposits from domestic sites too were carefully structured by their inhabitants. Similarly,
recent work on bronze finds has focused on the recognition that these finds are more a product
of selective and structured deposition than an indication of production.
KEY SITES AND ASSEMBLAGES
The archaeological evidence for the Later Bronze Age varies greatly from region to region (Bradley
and Bradley 1980). This variation is mostly due to the very uneven coverage of modern
archaeological observation. Some regions, such as Wessex and the Thames Valley, have received