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Social and monumental space in Neolithic Thessaly, Greece

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Stratos Nanoglou
Stratos Nanoglou*
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
*
[email: nanoglou@hist.auth.gr]
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Abstract

The article considers the ways in which material culture and especially architecture is used in the negotiation of social relationships in Neolithic settlements in Thessaly, Greece. Thus it reconstructs the possibilities past agents had to form an identity in relation to houses and subsequently the consequences of two different habitation strategies, i.e. rebuilding on the same spot or relocation to another area, in relation to the conceptualization of time and the past. It is suggested that the different entanglement of memories with the material culture played an important role in the negotiation of relationships, by allowing agents to use the past as cultural capital and, even more, in the late Neolithic, to appropriate its reference points spatially and thus lay preferential claims over it.

Cet article veut étudier les différentes manières dont on se réfère à la culture matérielle – en particulier l'architecture – pour définir les relations sociales dans les villages néolithiques de la Thessalie (Grèce). Par conséquent on essaie de reconstruire les moyens dont disposaient les hommes pour se former une identité en relation aux maisons et, par la suite, de définir les conséquences de deux stratégies d'habitation différentes: à savoir reconstruction au même endroit ou réimplantation dans une autre région, en relation à la conceptualisation du temps et du passé. Il est suggéré que les différents enchevêtrements de la mémoire et de la culture matérielle jouaient un rôle prépondérant dans la définition des relations et rapports, en permettant aux hommes d'utiliser le passé comme capital culturel et de plus, au cours du néolithique récent, de s'approprier ses points de références dans l'espace et de sorte revendiquer ce passé.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, wie man in den neolithischen Siedlungen Thessaliens (Griechenland) die materielle Kultur und besonders auch die Architektur dazu nutzte, um das soziale Beziehungsgeflecht zu etablieren. Es werden die Möglichkeiten eruiert, die damals gegeben waren, “Identitäten” durch Häuser auszudrücken und die daraus resultierenden Konsequenzen zweier unterschiedlicher Siedlungsstrategien, der Wiedererrichtung eines Hauses am alten Platz oder der Verlagerung an einen neuen Standort, in Verbindung zur Konzeptualisierung von Zeit und Vergangenheit. Es wird darauf hingedeutet, daß die unterschiedliche Verknüpfung von Erinnerungen mit der materiellen Kultur eine besondere Rolle in der Bildung von Beziehungen spielte, indem es den Kulturträgern erlaubte, die Vergangenheit als kulturelles “Kapital” zu nutzen und so auch besonders im Spätneolithikum sich räumliche Bezugspunkte anzueignen und damit einen bevorrechtigten Anspruch zu erheben.

Keywords

householdmemoriesmonumentsNeolithic Greecesocial spacetellsuses of the pastapplication du passéespace socialGrèce néolithiquemémoireménagesmonumentstellsBräuche der VergangenheitErinnerungenHaushaltMonumenteneolithisches Griechenlandsozialer RaumTellsiedlungen
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 4 , Issue 3 , 2001 , pp. 303 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 Sage Publications 

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