'Problematic stuff': death, memory and the interpretation of cached objects

Lindsey Sarah Buster

doi:10.15184/aqy.2021.81

'Problematic stuff': death, memory and the interpretation of cached objects

Lindsey Sarah Buster

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Deliberately deposited (or cached) objects are ubiquitous in the archaeological record, yet they are often classified under different categories, such as hoards, structured deposits, grave goods and cenotaph burials, and interpreted according to different criteria. Drawing on contemporary attitudes to death, dying and bereavement, and using later prehistoric Britain as a case study, this article brings the analysis of these objects together within a single interpretive framework, which asserts that much of this material represents the ‘problematic stuff’ left behind by the dead. This approach forces us to reconsider the traditional boundaries drawn between different aspects of the archaeological record and demonstrates the value that emotion has in our interpretations of past societies.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	973-985
Journal	Antiquity
Volume	95
Issue number	382
Early online date	22 Jun 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2021.81
Publication status	Published - Aug 2021

Bibliographical note

This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.

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10.15184/aqy.2021.81

AQY-RE-20-131.R1_Proof_hi
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Cite this

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'Problematic stuff': death, memory and the interpretation of cached objects

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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