The inverted dead of Britain’s Bronze Age barrows: a perspective from Conceptual Metaphor Theory
Published version
Peer-reviewed
Repository URI
Repository DOI
Change log
Authors
Wiseman, Robert
Allen, Michael J
Gibson, Catriona
Abstract
Barrows are a prominent feature of Britain’s Bronze Age. While they originated as burial monuments, they also appear to have acquired other roles. However, British prehistorians have been hampered in their interpretations, as they are wary of speculating how Bronze Age people conceptualised their dead. Here were suggest that a recurrent pattern of inversion is significant. We use Conceptual Metaphor Theory to argue that Bronze Age people saw their dead inhabiting an inverted underworld directly beneath the surface of the earth. This would help explain not only burial practices, but also barrows’ other apparent functions.
Description
Keywords
Bronze Age, barrows, archaeology of death, Conceptual Metaphor Theory
Journal Title
Antiquity: a quarterly review of archaeology
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0003-598X
1745-1744
1745-1744
Volume Title
95
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
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No external funding sources