This book explores the complex relationships between identities, artefacts and human agency during the dynamic period of the later Roman empire. Starting from a critical appraisal of the state of Roman studies in relation to archaeology as a discipline, the author sets out to develop a theory of identity, which is attentive to the temporal, material and social dimensions of human life. This approach, which emphasizes the role of practice in the shaping of identities, is sufficiently open-ended to be of relevance in many contexts. Here, though, the author pursues its elaboration in a particular study of life in Britain through the fourth and early fifth centuries AD, against the backdrop of changes in the wider Roman empire. This highlights the range of contextual data that archaeologists have to exploit in order to tell more sophisticated stories about the past. A broad spectrum of archaeological information is presented in the analysis of patterns at different scales, forming a picture of Roman Britain which is very different to traditional, text-led histories. Prominent in this picture is the community of the soldiers, and changes in the construction of military identity are a particular focus of the book. By exploring the relationships between this identity and others such as gender, status and ethnicity, the author highlights the different experiences that people across Britain had in the later Roman period, and offers a fresh perspective on the transition to the early Middle Ages.
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Explores the relationships between identities, artefacts and human agency during the dynamic period of the later Roman empire. Starting from a critical appraisal of the state of Roman studies in relation to archaeology as a discipline, this book sets out to develop a theory of identity, which is attentive to various dimensions of human life.
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Introduction: the Roman empire in the 21st century; Points of departure: The practice of identity; Identity of doing: artefacts and contexts; Identities of dwelling: structures and spaces; Worlds within worlds: the wider empire; Points of return: social stories; Epilogue: Whose Roman Britain?
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781844720644
Publisert
2006-08-15
Utgiver
Vendor
UCL Press
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
UU, UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
250

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Dr. Andrew Gardner is currently Lecturer in Roman Archaeology at Cardiff University. His previous publications include the edited volume Agency Uncovered: archaeological perspectives on social agency, power and being human (UCL Press), and his research interests include the social dynamics of Roman imperialism and the role of material culture in the expression of identity. From September 2005 he will be Lecturer in the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at University College London.