The perceptual validity of visuo-spatial approaches to landscape archaeology: implications for interpretation, site presentation and perceptual Research

Abstract

Visuo-spatial approaches have been a fundamental aspect of landscape archaeology since its inception. Such methods rely on the visual identification and presentation of spatial relationships, and therefore depend on visual perception. It has been argued that visual perception is affected by an individual’s cultural background. If this is the case, then landscape archaeologists will have a different perception of the landscape to the people that they study, and from many of those to whom they present the past. The former brings into question the validity of data used to form archaeological hypotheses. The latter raises concerns for engaging an increasingly diverse public in heritage.

Whilst the extent of cultural influence upon visual perception has been debated widely within archaeology, perceptual research has never been used to inform the discussion. This thesis applies perceptual research to landscape archaeology for the first time, in order to understand the effect of culture upon visual perception. Having established what may be learnt from existing perceptual research about modern populations, archaeological evidence which may give insight into the visual perception of past people is investigated.

In order to understand the effect of culture on visual perception of the landscape, a landscape based perceptual experiment was undertaken. Using the principle of Perceptual Uniformitarianism, the results of this experiment were used to argue that culture does not have an effect upon visual perception of the landscape. It was therefore concluded that the underpinnings of landscape interpretation and presentation were perceptually valid.

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ORCID for David W. Wheatley: orcid.org/0000-0002-7265-704X

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