Hoards, Fragmentation and Exchange in the European Bronze Age Summary wor a long time the state o... more Hoards, Fragmentation and Exchange in the European Bronze Age Summary wor a long time the state of sronze rge deposits in vurope was considered to indicate a pattern of concealmentk intact objects were seen as dedications, whereas fragmented bronzes were taken to be hidden raw metals. This article discusses a number of cases of depositions of fragmented objects from the sritish zsles to show that this dualism and differentiation between the social and practical value of things is highly problematic and should not be automatically assumed of sronze rge societies. rs it turns out, intentional fragmentation can provide clues to the biography of the objects and their owners, the nature of their circulation, the site of their deposition, and the chain of events before their deposition.
Engaging with the dead: exploring changing human beliefs about death, mortality and the human body, 2017
Bronze Age (c. 1100-800 BC)) engaged with the dead also allows us to rethink contemporary concept... more Bronze Age (c. 1100-800 BC)) engaged with the dead also allows us to rethink contemporary concepts of the body and the self.
Forging identies: the mobility of culture in Bronze Age Europe, 2015
This contribution explores the longstanding debate about the relative significance of gift and co... more This contribution explores the longstanding debate about the relative significance of gift and commodity exchange in the European Bronze Age. Anthropological research indicates that the contemporary market economy is itself a product of particular cultural values and social relationships, so that the distinction between gifts and commodities (seen as social and asocial respectively) might in fact not be useful. Although the presence of broken bronzes in hoards is usually interpreted as evidence for commodification, here it will be suggested that fragments of metal artefacts were curated and circulated precisely because they were meaningful objects with known histories. The final deposition of these objects occurred in the context of rituals that functioned to maintain social categories in the face of transformative practices such as the recycling of bronze.
Hoards, Fragmentation and Exchange in the European Bronze Age Summary wor a long time the state o... more Hoards, Fragmentation and Exchange in the European Bronze Age Summary wor a long time the state of sronze rge deposits in vurope was considered to indicate a pattern of concealmentk intact objects were seen as dedications, whereas fragmented bronzes were taken to be hidden raw metals. This article discusses a number of cases of depositions of fragmented objects from the sritish zsles to show that this dualism and differentiation between the social and practical value of things is highly problematic and should not be automatically assumed of sronze rge societies. rs it turns out, intentional fragmentation can provide clues to the biography of the objects and their owners, the nature of their circulation, the site of their deposition, and the chain of events before their deposition.
Engaging with the dead: exploring changing human beliefs about death, mortality and the human body, 2017
Bronze Age (c. 1100-800 BC)) engaged with the dead also allows us to rethink contemporary concept... more Bronze Age (c. 1100-800 BC)) engaged with the dead also allows us to rethink contemporary concepts of the body and the self.
Forging identies: the mobility of culture in Bronze Age Europe, 2015
This contribution explores the longstanding debate about the relative significance of gift and co... more This contribution explores the longstanding debate about the relative significance of gift and commodity exchange in the European Bronze Age. Anthropological research indicates that the contemporary market economy is itself a product of particular cultural values and social relationships, so that the distinction between gifts and commodities (seen as social and asocial respectively) might in fact not be useful. Although the presence of broken bronzes in hoards is usually interpreted as evidence for commodification, here it will be suggested that fragments of metal artefacts were curated and circulated precisely because they were meaningful objects with known histories. The final deposition of these objects occurred in the context of rituals that functioned to maintain social categories in the face of transformative practices such as the recycling of bronze.
Uploads
Papers by Joanna Bruck
(seen as social and asocial respectively) might in fact not be useful. Although the presence of broken bronzes in hoards is usually interpreted as evidence for commodification, here it will be suggested that fragments of metal artefacts were curated and circulated precisely because they were meaningful objects with known histories. The final deposition of these objects occurred in the context of rituals that functioned to maintain social categories in the face of transformative
practices such as the recycling of bronze.
(seen as social and asocial respectively) might in fact not be useful. Although the presence of broken bronzes in hoards is usually interpreted as evidence for commodification, here it will be suggested that fragments of metal artefacts were curated and circulated precisely because they were meaningful objects with known histories. The final deposition of these objects occurred in the context of rituals that functioned to maintain social categories in the face of transformative
practices such as the recycling of bronze.