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Hillforts, Emotional Metaphors, and the Good Life: a Response to Armit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Gary Lock
Gary Lock
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, 36 Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2PG
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Abstract

Hillforts have always been central to interpretations of Iron Age society and Ian Armit's paper in this journal (2007) re-introduces the question of whether or not they represent ‘endemic warfare’. This response will critique claims for warfare in the Early and Middle Iron Age of Wessex and present an alternative view of hillforts and how they may have been used. It is argued that within dispersed small scale agricultural societies the communal building, maintenance, and use of hillforts can act to structure the sociality of people whose interests are in creating a harmonious existence. Within this view, hillforts act as metaphors for the managing of emotional relationships within groups of people as they go about their daily lives.

Résumé

Les forteresses de sommet de colline ont toujours été au centre des interprétations de la société de l'âge du fer et l'étude d'Ian Armit dans cette revue (2007) réintroduit la question de savoir si oui ou non elles représentent ‘un état de guerre endémique’. Cette réponse fera la critique des prétentions en faveur de la guerre à l'âge du fer ancien et moyen dans le Wessex et met en avant une vision différente des forteresses et de la manière dont elles avaient peut-être été utilisées. On argumente qu'à l'intérieur des sociétés agricoles dispersées de petite taille, la construction, l'entretien et l'utilisation en commun des forteresses peuvent avoir contribué à donner une structure à la socialisation des peuples dont l'intérêt était de créer une existence harmonieuse. De ce point de vue, les forteresses jouent le rôle de métaphores pour la gestion des relations émotionnelles à l'intérieur de groupes d'individus alors qu'ils vaquent à leurs occupations quotidiennes.

Zussamenfassung

Höhenbefestigungen waren immer von zentraler Bedeutung für die Interpretation der Gesellschaft der Eisenzeit, und Ian Armits Artikel in dieser Zeitschrift (2007) wirft erneut die Frage auf, ob sie für eine „endemische Kriegführung‟ sprechen. Die hier vorgelegte Antwort kritisiert Aussagen, die sich für Kriege in der Frühen und Mittleren Eisenzeit in Wessex aussprechen, und legt einen alternativen Ansatz vor, wie Höhenbefestigungen genutzt worden sein können. Es wird argumentiert, dass in zerstreut lebenden agrarischen Gesellschaften geringer Größe das gemeinschaftliche Errichten, Unterhalten und Nutzen von Höhenbefestigungen helfen kann, die Sozialität von Menschen zu strukturieren, deren Interesse in der Schaffung einer harmonischen Existenz liegt. In diesem Ansatz werden Höhensiedlungen als Metaphern verstanden für die Pflege emotionaler Beziehungen zwischen sozialen Gruppen in ihrem alltäglichen Leben.

Resumen

Los fuertes han sido siempre centrales a las interpretaciones de la sociedad de la Edad del Hierro y el trabajo presentado por Ian Armit en esta misma publicación (2007) re-introduce el tema de si son representativos o no de ‘guerras endémicas’. Esta respuesta critica las afirmaciones de guerra en la Primera y Segunda Edad del Hierro en Wessex, y presenta una visión alternativa de los fuertes y de cómo pueden haber sido utilizados. Se argumenta que dentro de las dispersas pequeñas sociedades agrícolas la construcción comunal, mantenimiento y uso de los fuertes pudo actuar para estructurar la socialidad de grupos interesados en crear una coexistencia armoniosa. Desde esta postura, los fuertes actúan como metáforas para la conducción de las relaciones emocionales dentro de los grupos de gente en su vida diaria.

Type
Shorter contributions
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 77 , 2011 , pp. 355 - 362
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2011

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