Life amongst the rubbish: middening and conspicuous consumption at Durrington Walls
Life amongst the rubbish: middening and conspicuous consumption at Durrington Walls
Recent excavations at Durrington Walls have revealed a series of archaeological remains unparalleled in southern Britain. The most artefact-rich part of the site lies just outside the eastern entrance to the henge where a series of five houses was discovered flanking the Durrington Avenue. These houses were surrounded by a large midden that comprised a massive quantity of animal bone, pottery and worked flint. The number of articulated animal bones within the midden is suggestive of large-scale and 'wasteful' feasting episodes. This article presents the preliminary analysis of the worked stone from the midden. Durrington Walls represents a site of massive consumption: consumption of labour, wood, meat, pottery and worked stone. The material from the midden will be understood in these terms, as an act of massive, final and conspicuous consumption.
Chan, Ben
7fa328a9-d32c-4e6f-8b4e-01296ffe5138
September 2009
Chan, Ben
7fa328a9-d32c-4e6f-8b4e-01296ffe5138
Chan, Ben
(2009)
Life amongst the rubbish: middening and conspicuous consumption at Durrington Walls.
Internet Archaeology, 26.
Abstract
Recent excavations at Durrington Walls have revealed a series of archaeological remains unparalleled in southern Britain. The most artefact-rich part of the site lies just outside the eastern entrance to the henge where a series of five houses was discovered flanking the Durrington Avenue. These houses were surrounded by a large midden that comprised a massive quantity of animal bone, pottery and worked flint. The number of articulated animal bones within the midden is suggestive of large-scale and 'wasteful' feasting episodes. This article presents the preliminary analysis of the worked stone from the midden. Durrington Walls represents a site of massive consumption: consumption of labour, wood, meat, pottery and worked stone. The material from the midden will be understood in these terms, as an act of massive, final and conspicuous consumption.
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Published date: September 2009
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Local EPrints ID: 413841
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/413841
PURE UUID: d9e3a1db-a69e-4f59-b9ba-eeae689f0ae9
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Date deposited: 07 Sep 2017 16:32
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 15:54
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