Megasites in Prehistoric Europe

by Bisserka Gaydarska

This is an Element about some of the largest sites known in prehistoric Europe – sites so vast that they often remain undiscussed for lack of the theoretical or methodological tools required for their understanding. Here, the authors use a relational, comparative approach to identify not only what made megasites but also what made megasites so special and so large. They have selected a sample of megasites in each major period of prehistory – Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages – with a detailed examination of a single representative megasite for each period. The relational approach makes explicit comparisons between smaller, more 'normal' sites and the megasites using six criteria – scale, temporality, deposition / monumentality, formal open spaces, performance and congregational catchment. The authors argue that many of the largest European prehistoric megasites were congregational places.

124 pages, Paperback

Published October 27, 2022

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book bought in the mistaken belief that it was a beginner's guide - in this case, to the development of cities in prehistoric Europe. What can I say? The length (115 pages) and the tone of the title fooled me. I can hardly object to their argument that the sites discussed were built for large ritual gatherings generally centered on burials, although I do object to the unneeded social science-speak ("Digging a pit or ditch into nature meant establishing an exchange with an undifferentiated past"), the lack of information about the interpretations they oppose, and the occasional how-do-they-know-that moment ("The scale of performances and celebrations of the annual meeting made Valencina one of the most famous sites in Western Europe"). Back to the bibliographies to find the 101-level stuff.