When Expediency Broaches Ritual Intention: The Flow of Metal Between Systemic and Buried Domains

Abstract

The current interpretation of Bronze Age metalwork deposits relies on an opposition between deposits made ritually and those made with the utilitarian objective of temporary safe keeping. Tied to this distinction were the intentions, respectively, to leave buried in perpetuity, or to retrieve. Contrasts in the character and burial location of hoard deposits are used to support the dichotomous interpretation. The article challenges this bipolar model by showing that hoard characterization often reflects a more complex spectrum and by disputing that the recovery of valuables by depositors would invalidate ritual objectives. Furthermore, in considering the flow of metal through the exchange systems of Bronze Age Europe, it is argued that flexibility of intention at and after deposition would have been an invaluable strategic device, enabling greater control over the local metal stock. To extract the full meaning locked up in these crucial archaeological deposits for the period, their interpretation is better centred on new questions relating to expression, occasion, enactment, and the social conditions triggering recovery.

Middle Bronze Age Burials in the Southern Levant: Spartan Warriors or Ordinary People?

“…While some scholars interpreted weapons in tombs as a direct reflection of common use by warriors in life, Burke interpreted the lack of spears in tombs as reflecting their common use in life. Compare Wengrow's () ‘archival’ and ‘sacrificial’ model – weapons in the archaeological record may relate to various economic, symbolic or ritualistic patterns (Needham ; Gauthier ; Hakulin , 25–6). However, Burke's words reflect agreement with those who see ‘warrior graves’ as evidence for a class of warriors.…”

“…The presence of weapons in tombs is not a guarantee of warriors either, since weapons may represent symbolic personae, deposits of wealth/status, ritualistic customs, etc. (Needham ; Gauthier ; Hakulin ). When Čivilyte (, 41) writes that any bronze weapon, even a simple spearhead, is ‘an inseparable element of elite society’, it may be true where bronze weapons are rare.…”

Late Bronze Age hoard studied by PIXE

“…Historically, according to which variables are considered, the interpretations of the nature of the hoards have been different, giving rise to a wide debate about the topic, still raging nowadays [1,2]. A first distinction is usually made between ritual and non-ritual (utilitarian) hoards.…”

Branded Axes, Thrown into a Pool? The Hoogeloon Hoard and the Shape‐Based Bronze Economy of the North‐West European Bronze Age

“…Hänsel and Hänsel ). This exclusive emphasis on ritual is problematic, however, as it downplays economic and everyday concerns (Needham , 277ff. ; Fontijn , 13–22).…”