Table Of Contenti
Alternative Iron Ages
Alternative Iron Ages examines Iron Age social formations that sit outside
traditional paradigms, developing methods for archaeological characterisa-
tion of alternative models of society. In so doing it contributes to the debates
concerning the construction and resistance of inequality taking place in
archaeology, anthropology and sociology.
In recent years, Iron Age research on Western Europe has moved towards
new forms of understanding social structures. Yet these alternative social
organisations continue to be considered as basic human social formations,
which frequently imply marginality and primitivism. In this context, the
grand narrative of the European Iron Age continues to be defined by cul-
tural foci, which hide the great regional variety in an artificially homo-
genous area. This book challenges the traditional classical evolutionist
narratives by exploring concepts such as non-t riangular societies, heterarchy
and segmentarity across regional case studies to test and propose alternative
social models for Iron Age social formations.
Constructing new social theory both archaeologically based and
supported by sociological and anthropological theory, the book is perfect
for those looking to examine and understand life in the European Iron Age.
Brais X. Currás’s (postdoctoral researcher, Coimbra University) research
focuses on the understanding of the social and territorial organisation
of Iron Age communities with the onset of Roman domination in north-
western Iberia, employing both landscape archaeology and anthropological
perspectives. His particular interest is also the economy of the Roman
Empire, particularly the exploitation of gold and salt.
Inés Sastre (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) chairs the
Social Structure and Territory, Landscape Archaeology research group. She
also serves as scientific secretary of the Archivo Español de Arqueología and
director of the Bibliotheca Praehistorica Hispana. Her particular research
interest is the evolution of social structures in pre-R oman and Roman rural
territories of the north- western Iberian Peninsula.
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Routledge Studies in Archaeology
Exploring the Materiality of Food “Stuffs”
Transformations, Symbolic Consumption and Embodiment(s)
Edited by Louise Steel and Katharina Zinn
Archaeologies of “Us” and “Them”
Debating History, Heritage and Indigeneity
Edited by Charlotta Hillerdal, Anna Karlström and Carl- Gösta Ojala
Balkan Dialogues
Negotiating Identity between Prehistory and the Present
Edited by Maja Gori and Maria Ivanova
Material Worlds
Archaeology, Consumption, and the Road to Modernity
Edited by Barbara J. Heath, Eleanor E. Breen and Lori A. Lee
New Perspectives in Cultural Resource Management
Edited by Francis McManamon
Dwelling
Heidegger, Archaeology, Mortality
Philip Tonner
Visualising Skyscapes
Material Forms of Cultural Engagement with the Heavens
Edited by Liz Henty and Daniel Brown
Alternative Iron Ages
Social Theory from Archaeological Analysis
Edited by Brais X. Currás and Inés Sastre
For more information about this series, please visit www.routledge.com/
Routledge- Studies- in- Archaeology/ book- series/ RSTARCH
ii i
Alternative Iron Ages
Social Theory from Archaeological
Analysis
Edited by Brais X. Currás
and Inés Sastre
iv
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 selection and editorial matter, Brais X. Currás and Inés Sastre; individual chapters,
the contributors
The right of Brais X. Currás and Inés Sastre to be identified as the authors of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978- 1-1 38- 54102- 3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978- 1-3 51- 01211- 9 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Newgen Publishing UK
v
Contents
List of figures viii
List of tables xi
List of contributors xii
Preface xv
TIMOTHY EARLE
Introduction 1
INÉS SASTRE AND BRAIS X. CURRÁS
PART I
Theory from and for the field 7
1 Reconsidering egalitarianism for archaeological
interpretation 9
INÉS SASTRE AND BRAIS X. CURRÁS
2 Interpreting the dialectic of sociopolitical tensions in
the archaeological past: Implications of an anarchist
perspective for Iron Age societies 29
BILL ANGELBECK
3 Egalitarianism as an active process: Legitimacy
and distributed power in Iron Age West Africa 50
STEPHEN A. DUEPPEN
4 Anarchy in the Bronze Age? Social organisation
and complexity in Sardinia 74
RALPH ARAQUE GONZÁLEZ
vi
vi Contents
5 Reconstructing Iron Age societies: What went wrong 95
JOHN COLLIS
6 Egalitarianism in the southern British Iron Age: An
“archaeology” of knowledge 109
RICHARD HINGLEY
7 Segmentary societies: A theoretical approach from
European Iron Age archaeology 127
BRAIS X. CURRÁS AND INÉS SASTRE
PART II
The different Iron Ages: Critical insights in a comparative
perspective 149
8 All together now (or not): Change, resistance and
resilience in the NW Iberian Peninsula in the Bronze
Age– Iron Age transition 151
CÉSAR PARCERO- OUBIÑA, XOSÉ- LOIS ARMADA, SAMUEL NIÓN
AND FÉLIX GONZÁLEZ INSUA
9 Characterising “communities” in the Early Iron Age
of southern Britain 176
DAVID MCOMISH
10 Hierarchy to anarchy and back again: Social
transformations from the Late Bronze Age to the
Roman Iron Age in Lowland Scotland 195
IAN ARMIT
11 Confusing Iron Ages: Communities of the middle
Danube region between “tribal hierarchy”
and heterarchy 218
VLADIMIR D. MIHAJLOVIĆ
12 A bit of anarchy in the Iron Age: New perspectives
on social structure in the Dutch coastal area of
North- Holland 257
MARJOLIJN KOK
vi i
Contents vii
13 Iron Age religions beyond warrior ideologies 268
ALBERTO SANTOS CANCELAS
14 Monumentalising the domestic: House societies in
Atlantic Scotland 284
NIALL SHARPLES
PART III
From the core of the state: New visions on
Mediterranean societies 307
15 Social theory and the Greek Iron Age 309
JOHN BINTLIFF
16 The peasantry as a social theory, and its application to
Celtiberian society 322
FRANCISCO BURILLO- MOZOTA AND MA. PILAR BURILLO- CUADRADO
17 Social dynamics in Eastern Iberia Iron Age: Between
inclusive and exclusionary strategies 337
IGNASI GRAU- MIRA
Index 359
viii
Figures
2.1 Common principles of anarchism presented in polar
opposition to their dialectical opposites 38
2.2 Models for the “shape” of societies according to social
distance and proportion of population 44
3.1 Clockwise from upper left: Map of West Africa showing
location of Kirikongo; map of Kirikongo; vessels found near
pottery kiln at Mound 11; burned ritual structure at Mound 4 51
3.2 Kirikongo in Yellow I (left) and Yellow II (right) 58
3.3 Kirikongo prior to the revolution in Red I/ II (left) and after
the revolution in Red II/ III (right) 61
4.1 Sardinian bronzetti, artificially arranged in a “social
pyramid” including obviously mythological characters 80
4.2 Nuraghe Losa 82
4.3 Distribution of nuraghi: 1. high- plateau of Abbasanta;
2. Sinis- Montiferru region 83
4.4 Sanctuary of Santa Cristina- Paulilatino: meeting hut, sacred
well and precinct 85
5.1 Reconstruction of “Celtic Society,” after Cunliffe undated / c .
1989, drawing by David Salariya 98
5.2 The “Celtic warrior” in Andover Museum 99
5.3 Models for the possible social structures relating to Danebury 100
5.4 The “crisis model” 101
5.5 “Non- triangular” social structures 102
6.1 The distribution of (re)constructed roundhouses at open- air
museums and heritage venues across Britain 111
7.1 Segmentary lineage organisation 130
7.2 Distribution of the Iron Age castros of Northwest Iberia 140
7.3 Castro of Borneiro 142
8.1 Longhouses recently documented in different settlements 154
8.2 Hillforts with C- 14 dates 159
8.3 Hillforts with C- 14 dates before the fifth century BC 160
8.4 Time span (sum of probability of C- 14 dates) of the fortified
settlement across North- west Iberia 161
ix
List of figures ix
8.5 Interpolation of the probability of occurrence of fortified
settlements across the region in three moments in time
(1000, 900 and 800 BC) 162
8.6 Hilltop settlements in the Late Bronze Age 163
8.7 Distribution of “special places” in the Late Bronze
Age: Settlements with large storage facilities, settlements
with long houses and ceremonial enclosures 164
8.8 Distribution of Late Bronze Age metal objects 165
8.9 Distribution of Bronze Age gold objects 166
8.10 Comparative distribution of Bronze Age axes: Palstave axes
with casting jet vs. Samieira type 167
8.11 The economy of power in the Late Iron Age in North- west
Iberia, according to González-R uibal 169
9.1 Drone image of Cley Hill hillfort 177
9.2 Location plan showing the position of the main Early Iron
Age midden sites mentioned in the text 178
9.3 All Cannings Cross is located at the base of a steep
escarpment slope 179
9.4 Reconstructed short- necked furrowed bowl from All
Cannings Cross 182
9.5 Potterne was excavated by Wessex Archaeology between
1982 and 1985 184
9.6 Plan of the earthworks at East Chisenbury 185
9.7 The excavations at East Chisenbury, although covering
a small area, produced a substantial array of material
culture, largely of Early Iron Age date 190
9.8 Casterley Camp is located on a chalk plateau on
Salisbury Plain 191
10.1 Location map: East Lothian 196
10.2 Traprain Law, East Lothian 197
10.3 AMS dates from Traprain Law 198
10.4 (a) Iron Age enclosed settlements around Broxmouth
and Traprain Law. (b) Size range of enclosed settlements
(including those conventionally classed as hillforts) in East
Lothian. The two outliers relate to successive phases of
enclosure at Traprain Law 200
10.5 The development of the ramparts at Broxmouth from
Phases 2– 4 203
10.6 Multivallate hillforts in East Lothian comparable to
Broxmouth in size and general morphology: a. Broxmouth
itself; b. Easter Pinkerton; c. The Chesters, Spott;
d. Snawdon 2; e. Spott Dod; f. White Castle; g. Snawdon 3;
h. Sherrifside 1; i. Friar’s Nose; j. and k. Doon Hill 205
10.7 Cropmark enclosures in the vicinity of Broxmouth 206
10.8 Triangular and non- triangular societies 207
