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The language of lineage: reading Irish court tomb design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Andrew B. Powell
Andrew B. Powell*
Affiliation:
Wessex Archaeology, UK
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Abstract

The Neolithic court tombs of Ireland display variation in the ways that their component parts – concave courts, linear galleries and individual cells – were combined and arranged. This variation has been interpreted in the past in terms of both the diffusion of ideas and the design requirements of their builders. In this article it is suggested that the analysis of these formalized components points to central themes of the social and ritual discourse that accompanied the tombs' construction and use, the symbolism of the tombs expressing alleged lineage relationships between the living community, its ancestors and the land. It is suggested that these communities were based on one or more corporate descent groups, in some cases combining with other social units to appropriate and exploit territory, the relationships between them being symbolized and idealized in the spatial layout of the tombs' orthostatic structures.

Les cairns à avant-cour néolithiques d'Irlande présentent des variations quant à la façon dont leurs différentes parties – cours concaves, galeries linéaires, et cellules individuelles – sont combinées et arrangées. Ces variations furent traduites dans le passé en termes de diffusion d'idées et d'exigences architecturales de la part de leurs constructeurs. Cet article suggère que l'analyse de ces éléments formalisés amène à des thèmes centraux du discours social et rituel accompagnant la construction et l'utilisation des tombes; leur symbolisme exprime une présumée relation de parenté entre la communauté vivante, ses ancêtres et le pays. On admet que ces communautés se fondaient sur un ou plusieurs groupes unis par des liens de descendance, et se joignaient parfois à d'autres unités sociales afin de s'approprier et d'exploiter le territoire. Leurs rapports étaient symbolisés et idéalisés dans l'aménagement spatial des structures orthostatiques des tombes.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Die neolithischen Court tombs Irlands variieren in der Art und Weise, in der ihre Bestandteile – konkave Höfe, lineare Galerien und einzelne Zellen – kombiniert und angeordnet wurden. Diese Variation ist in der Vergangenheit zweifach – als Diffusion von Ideen und als Gestaltungsanforderungen ihrer Erbauer – interpretiert worden. In diesem Aufsatz wird vorgeschlagen, dass die Analyse dieser formalisierten Komponenten auf zentrale Themen des sozialen und rituellen Diskurses hindeutet, der die Errichtung und Nutzung begleitete: den Symbolismus der Gräber, der das angenommene Abstammungsverhältnis zwischen der lebenden Gemeinschaft, ihrer Ahnen und dem Land ausdrückt. Es wird vorgeschlagen, dass diese Gemeinschaften auf einer oder mehreren Gruppen mit gemeinsamer Herkunft basierten, was in manchen Fällen mit anderen sozialen Einheiten kombiniert sein konnte, um Territorium anzueignen und auszubeuten, und die Beziehungen zwischen ihnen werden durch das räumliche Layout der orthostatischen Strukturen der Gräber symbolisiert und idealisiert.

Keywords

court tombdescentIrelandlineageNeolithicpassage tombportal tombcairn à avant-courdescendanceIrlandelignageNéolithiquecairn à couloirdolmenCourt tombHerkunftIrlandAbstammungNeolithikumanggrabPortalgrab
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , 2005 , pp. 9 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 Sage Publications 

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