tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post2731561915919176041..comments2024-03-11T15:40:37.015+00:00Comments on Theoretical Structural Archaeology: 30. Not going with the flowGeoff Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-5958940830660104532017-11-30T18:29:56.169+00:002017-11-30T18:29:56.169+00:00Hi Jacquie,
Thanks for the comment; that is an int...Hi Jacquie,<br />Thanks for the comment; that is an interesting project - I would be very happy to discuss the issues involved.<br />For starters;<br />1. use only the archaeological evidence from a single site that is very well preserved / excavated so you are confident you have a complete plan;<br />2. decide at the start to follow the evidence - not your visual imagination; I have been asked before about these structures - but what people really want is what everyone else has got - [an African mud hut]; the pseudo-archaeology which underlies a lot of "scholarship" about the subject. <br />3. If you want to understand the engineering, I can help, but is on an individual case by case basis, and only if the structure is of reasonable size with evidence of posts etc.<br /><br />You are correct in part about about timber shortages, which show up initially in the use of stone in walls - imo a broch is a very poor imitation of timber building.<br /><br />I have looked at "roundhouses" in the North and can tell you that in the highlands, they seem to use a different measuring system [foot '] to that used further south. <br /><br />PS. In this article, I am posing questions that I have recently answered - but there is no constituency for anything other than generic mud huts like in the pictures in our collective heads.Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-52748961923029897262017-11-30T15:29:05.639+00:002017-11-30T15:29:05.639+00:00Well that was a quite an unexpected but enlighteni...Well that was a quite an unexpected but enlightening couple of hours - thank you. I am a archaeologist/heritage officer based in the Highlands of Scotland and I work for the museum Timespan, in Helmsdale. We are about to embark on a digital project to reconstruct a roundhouse with earth passage. Now that I have read some of your blogs and intend to read more, I am more aware about the pitfalls when using evidence to fall into the traditional interpretation trap and thinking more about alternative structural reconstructs. more reading to to. Do you have anything to add on upland roundhouses in the far North of Scotland and environmental conditions in the late Bronze Age? Does this affect roof structure and height? I'm more used to recording Post Medieval Highland longhouses where wood was often scare and roof timbers formed longer narrower roofs? JacquieJacquiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17726197893790871739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-67750232403264301942010-05-31T21:15:49.228+01:002010-05-31T21:15:49.228+01:00Hi Anon,
So pleased to read your comment, thank y...Hi Anon, <br />So pleased to read your comment, thank you so much. All archaeologists should talk to builders. I hope he is still with us, he would just love what lies behind this research.<br />I am just writing up the bit about Woodhenge, which I hope will explain precisely where the purlins were, and put this beyond doubt. <br /><br />I have found out how it worked in detail, and once you understand how these structures are put together, the ground plans make perfect sense. It is called 'Interlace theory', and it works!<br /><br />I am sure I can explain this to a builder or an architect, - it is the Prehistorians that are the problem!<br /><br />I am very excited by what we will be able to understand about buildings in the future, there is a whole world of interesting architecture out there. <br />However, the existing stakeholders are going to be horrified to realise they have been making up for years. I wish it could be otherwise, but some people are not going to share my enthusiasm.Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-31629398701986231942010-05-31T20:49:38.758+01:002010-05-31T20:49:38.758+01:00Wow, I wish I'd stumbled accross this thirteen...Wow, I wish I'd stumbled accross this thirteen years ago whilst doing my MA. I have a background in building, and when I started doing Celto-Roman studies I became convinced that standard interpretation of post hole data was erronious to say the least. I have a strong interest in experimental archaeology, but find that this also has become bogged down by industry preconceptions and is now as closed-minded as many of our other Ivory Towers. What a refreshing read. And yes the henges were roofed structures I'm with you there. As my Dad used to say when I was theorising to him (he'd been in the building trade for fifty years) "Just remember king and queen posts and that your purlins may not be where you think they are, and there is suddenly a wealth of things you can do with it all"<br />Keep up the good work!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-41001657288582295282010-02-24T17:28:16.566+00:002010-02-24T17:28:16.566+00:00Hi Richard,
Thanks for taking the time to read and...Hi Richard,<br />Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, that's what makes it worth the effort of writing.<br />The problem with Mount Pleasant, like a lot of complex sites, its architectural component was not fully understood. I hope to look at it in more detail in the future. It is at least one very interesting building.<br /><br />When I explain Woodhenge, I think it will put this site into perspective. It does not solve the problem of how interpret and present this type of site to the public, but I hope it will give the artists and model makers something to work with.Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-46011440512678365852010-02-24T16:01:13.893+00:002010-02-24T16:01:13.893+00:00Well, Geoff, Thank you for such a fascinating site...Well, Geoff, Thank you for such a fascinating site and for your comments and ideas! You should feel highly valued, for such an effort. Keep it up, for our childrens' sake!<br /><br />I stumbled across your site via a link from digital digging.<br /><br />Having moved back to the Dorchester, Dorset area, and having too much time on my hands, I eventually tried to find 'Mount Pleasant henge (or is it 'hall') which hadn't really appeared on my radar before, despite having lived in Dorset for 14 years.<br /><br />Having found the field, I can understand why - no signs, no indications of its presence, and the field, after the full dig 40 years ago (in 1970/71), is still being ploughed, and is presently being covered by a spreading of manure - what great conservation! It was just possible to determine the remnants of and earth bank, and soil markings when viewed from the next field. <br /><br />There is no great emphasis on it in the County Museum, either.<br /><br />And yet Mount Pleasant must be of major significance, especially with its close location to Maumbury Ring, and the massive Greyhound Yard timber ring in Dorchester.<br /><br />And that's an illustration of how we treat archaeology and archaeologists – it was an interesting exercise! End of exercise.<br /><br />The field should be out of agriculture, with a visitor centre, car park and 100,000 visitors a year adding to Dorset's economy, and perhaps jobs for you and others. (Yes, I know it is commercialisation, but that's what pays salaries and funds further research, and conserves what we have found). <br /><br />There are plenty of people looking for places to spend their money and educate their kids – especially in the rain, in summer, in Dorset, and plenty of other places too. What would you do if only you could find the funding?<br /><br />RichardUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922854961000786047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-45416407941425607992009-10-23T19:26:22.455+01:002009-10-23T19:26:22.455+01:00Thanks Robbie, welcome aboard. Yes, roofed social ...Thanks Robbie, welcome aboard. Yes, roofed social is a biggie, everybody is wedded to the idea of aged bearded men in white diaphanous robes waving at the sky; but it is not good for the old folk to be out in all weather. <br />Sorry, I am so slow with the new content, I find it frustrating, there I so much interesting stuff to look at; it’s the illustrations that take the time.Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-29945859069127854792009-10-23T17:47:24.185+01:002009-10-23T17:47:24.185+01:00I stumbled upon your blog by accident and I must s...I stumbled upon your blog by accident and I must say that your approach and writing are compelling. I'm looking forward to your piece on roofed social space.Robbiehttp://thoughtotherwise.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-53936491376933550202009-08-18T18:21:21.559+01:002009-08-18T18:21:21.559+01:00Hi Martha
Thanks for reading, I enjoy writing abou...Hi Martha<br />Thanks for reading, I enjoy writing about history, but it’s easy to slide off topic. <br /> I will be going over some of the constructions stuff again soon, (just for you!), in posts 34 & 35 I will look again at the basics, in relation to Neolithic Europe; that’s the great thing about postholes, they occur in most periods in European archaeology.<br />The wonderful thing about this form of publishing is that it can be interactive, so if it is felt I have not explained something properly, or missed something, I can react accordingly, so I am always happy to hear from readers.Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-46550511798713878382009-08-18T16:43:39.922+01:002009-08-18T16:43:39.922+01:00I enjoy your writing very much, and am trying to f...I enjoy your writing very much, and am trying to follow the construction information, although it's a challenge for me.<br /> I especially enjoyed the quick tour through British history in the previous chapter. We don't study it much in America. I learned more about it in literature classes than in history classes.<br /> I eagerly await the next installment.Martha Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02539396507098000692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-59172427833499576312009-06-20T22:53:54.092+01:002009-06-20T22:53:54.092+01:00Thank you for taking the time to read and comment,...Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, it really helps to know that people read what you write and care enough to comment.<br /><br />Thinking is what this blog all about, interestingly, what I bring to archaeology, the things that makes TSA different, have come from outside archaeology. It all started because I worked for a council, by luck across the corridor were the people who dealt with the old buildings, and others who dealt with trees, it was access to different ways of thinking that allowed me to progress my approach to the evidence and set it in a local context.<br />For the record I started with fortran4, and I do Access, and poor VBA, but dyslexics are dangerous to software, a very poor career choice; I love the creative bit at the beginning of software and application building, the rest of it is just a slog.Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-28565116916282318282009-06-20T18:13:59.362+01:002009-06-20T18:13:59.362+01:00I personally stumbled across your blog a couple of...I personally stumbled across your blog a couple of months ago and added it to my saw sharpening pile. <br /><br />My field is computers and programming but I've always enjoyed architecture and basic engineering. Much of what you say makes a lot of sense to me, perhaps because I have no preconceived notions of how to interpret what archealogists have found. And I use this blog to make myself think, not only about the excellent points you make but also to remind myself to rethink the assumptions of my field.<br /><br />Keep up the good workCarpDeushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14862276731978630017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-41623158017293970142009-06-16T13:18:42.762+01:002009-06-16T13:18:42.762+01:00Thanks Tim, hope you are enjoying summer up there....Thanks Tim, hope you are enjoying summer up there.<br />‘Commercial server rooms’ are temperature-controlled environments where companies keep everything that hums, their commuters, data/voice switches, and other electronic infrastructure, and it is where I spent a lot of my time after I left archaeology.<br />Universities are driven by money, - I’m a dyslexic with second class degree so I cannot be funded and don’t belong there – which is fair enough, however, it was not what I was told at interview, but I will leave that a tale of mendacious duplicity for another day.<br />I glad you enjoy the illustrations and humour, I decided early to try to make it accessible as possible, and try to write as if I was talking or presenting. I suspect that those who go for complexity, obscurity, and lexicographical overkill, are trying to hide the simplicity and superficiality of their underling ideas and logic, but what I do I know – Like you - I don’t get half it.Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-47873931070071006942009-06-16T00:40:14.422+01:002009-06-16T00:40:14.422+01:00Hi Geoff
Archaeology has indeed more often than n...Hi Geoff<br /><br />Archaeology has indeed more often than not been based on destroying what we believe and discovering how little both the trained and the amateur know, this being often because of our preconceptions entirely. <br /><br />True I am not the shiniest ball on the block so I would have to admit things go over my head many times perhaps a day but your use of images often helps even though I have no idea what a "commercial server room" is. <br /><br />Everyone has value, no one is worthless though the competition in intellectual studies often leaves noble thoughts in ruins for the aggressive ego of foe.<br /><br /> I have enjoyed your Theoretical Structural Archaeology with your many humorous insights and look forward to your next 40,000+ words.<br /><br />tim<br /><br />http://thearchaeologicalreview.blogspot.com/Timothy Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10027256238142330766noreply@blogger.com