This thesis investigates stylistic and technological changes in the production of Attic Geometric and Orientalising finewares (c. 900 – 620 BC), and their relationship with society. The transition from the abstract motifs of the Early and Middle Geometric styles to the figurative representations of the Late Geometric and Orientalising styles are examined in conjunction with the technological advances in the ceramic chaîne opératoire, and the social changes that characterise these periods. According to previous studies, the social developments in the Athenian polis between the 9th and 7th centuries BC left traces in the archaeological record suggesting competition among different elite groups. This social competition was expressed through funerary rites, which were subject to continuous changes all across the Attic Early Iron Age. The consumption of decorated finewares in such rites and other important social occasions demarcated the social position of the consumers/users of fine decorated pottery, while ceramic styles adapted to accommodate the changing nature of social demands. An important manifestation of stylistic change was the dominance of the figurative style in pottery decoration during the beginning of the Late Geometric period (c.760 BC). The original hypothesis of this research project is based on the fact that decoration was only part of the total production sequence of Attic Geometric and Orientalising pottery; therefore, it could be likely that the social changes noted during these periods triggered broader advances in ceramic technologies employed for the production of such finewares. This thesis moves away from traditional stylistic approaches and employs a technological approach based on the chaîne opératoire theory in order to explore the behaviour of Attic Early Iron Age potters and their response towards changing consumption demands during an era of significant social transformations.

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Critical evaluation of the actions involved in conservation practice reveals that the limitations of traditional approaches for examination and treatment influence decision-making and affect the artefacts’ interpretation and display. Such problems demonstrate the technological needs and underlie the research aims for the development of scientific conservation and practice. This research evaluates the application of digital technology in conservation of antiquities and works of art by proposing alternative digital methodologies for examination, restoration and conservation documentation. Its value is demonstrated by case studies, covering a broad range of artefacts types and a variety of materials. The key elements of the proposed methodology are the following: • Development and application of computational imaging, computer vision and digitization techniques for enhanced examination and visual analysis • Graphical 3d modelling and physical 3d reproduction for interventive treatment • Workflows for digital and conventional conservation documentation This thesis addresses to what extent 3D technologies contribute to conservation objectives, defined as the balance of preservation, investigation and display, considering also the ethical and theoretical aspects.

This thesis is one outcome of research aimed to raise the awareness of textiles excavated in Greece. The inherently sensitive nature of excavated textiles accounts for the rarity and poor condition of the finds, making them more often than not unidentifiable for the archaeologists, a conservation challenge and a puzzle for textile historians/curators. Conservators are often the intermediary between the objects they care for and the people for whom these objects are preserved. Analytical methods of investigation provide a means of increasing understanding of excavated textiles, and in this way enhance their conservation. Hence, it was decided to experiment with certain nondestructive, instrumental analytical methods of investigation, namely stereo, optical and electron microscopy, coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (ESEM-EDS), FTIR and Raman microspectroscopy, and XRF spectroscopy, with the aim of material characterisation and identification. A survey through the Archives of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture revealed 65 different cases where textiles had been preserved in burial contexts. Four different environments favorable for the preservation of textiles in Greece were identified and four finds representative of these conditions were selected and subjected to instrumental analysis. The finds are the main case study, ‘Argos’ (found in association with copper), and ‘Theva’ (found in a charred state), ‘Kalyvia’ (found impregnated with calcium salts) and ‘Nikaia’ (found in association with copper and in anoxic conditions). The quality of the results varied according to the type of preservation and the condition of the finds. The combination of stereomicroscopy, ESEM-EDS, XRF and FTIR gave the most reliable results. The outcomes of the experimentation formed the basis for the development of guidelines, designed to help archaeologists, conservators and textile historians/curators to understand and thereby conserve excavated textiles in Greece.

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This work deals with "special" burials among the Anglo-Saxon and Slavs in the early medieval period. The individuals in these graves are frequently labelled as "deviant", "criminals", as "socially other". This dissertation aims to focus more on the possible danger which "special" individuals represented for their communities after their death and on the possibility that the “special” burials were those of potential revenants or vampires. The introduction begins with a brief sketch of the evolution of approaches to burial by archaeologists and historians writing in English. It goes on to argue that “deviant burial” is not a self-explanatory category, but can be applied to a variety of very different inhumations. It suggests it might be better termed “special’ burial or the burial of the “special’ dead and formed part of regular inhumation practice; and it argues that the best way to understand these practices is an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural framework. In particular, it discusses the possible insights offered by the development of the cognitive study of religion and belief, with particular reference to death and burial practices and introduces a “theoretical alternative model” for accessing how the deceased was treated from corpse to the grave. Chapter 1 examines Anglo-Saxon "special" burials, focusing on selected cemeteries where we can observe multiple occurrences of "special" burials or the employment of several "special" practices in one locality. These will first be analyzed with regard to the location of deposition and secondly compared within the wider framework of Anglo-Saxon "special" burial practices. Comparison with "special" funerary rites recorded elsewhere in the world by anthropologists will lead to the proposal of an alternative approach to some of recent and current interpretations of these practices. Chapter 2 focuses on Slavic archaeological material represented by the "special" graves excavated in Slovakia and the Czech Republic: both burials from cemeteries and also a group of individuals deposited in a range of objects found during excavation of Slavic settlements - in grain silos, wells or pits. As with Anglo-Saxon graves, the Slavic "special" burials are analyzed from the point of view of location and then in more global context of Slavic society. The possible interpretations of these findings are discussed. Chapter 3 focuses on the primary sources and their descriptions of "pagan" funerary rituals. It charts shifts in ideas and attitudes towards "special" funeral practices ranging from descriptions of these "pagan" practices, through efforts to delimit and penalize them in the law codes, to narratives of revenant sightings and descriptions of how to recognize and destroy them. This chapter will indicate some of the theories and new approaches proposed in the thesis. The concluding chapter brings these strands together. In particular, it discusses the possible insights offered by the development of the cognitive study of religion and belief, with particular reference to death and burial practices. It examines the changing patterns of religion - from traditional or "pagan" to Christianity – and the ways in which this change influenced both "special" burial practices and perceptions of vampires and revenants, with particular reference to the Christian doctrine of Purgatory. This chapter concludes with a discussion of the theories proposed on the basis of the material collected in this work and reference to corresponding interpretative shifts in present day archaeology and history.

This study presents a re-evaluation of the ceramic material from the sanctuary of the Kabeiroi at Thebes in Boeotia. The lack of relevant literary evidence necessitates a reliance on the archaeology as the primary means of interpretation. In particular the archaeological context and iconography of the ceramics offer an interesting and highly unusual perspective into the secretive and often peculiar nature of the Kabeiric cult. Previous studies conducted on the ceramic material have only considered it in iconographic terms, yet by reappraising the data using an analytical approach and socio-archaeological theory it is possible to acquire a deeper understanding of the operation of this cult. By examining the form and function of the ceramics we can elicit inferences relating to the role of wine and intoxication within the rituals of the sanctuary. Comparative studies between form and iconography can further develop our interpretations of the scenes as representations of cult practices. The evidence is further scrutinised for indications as to whether the Theban site is characteristic of the Kabeiric cult as a whole, or if its unique iconography demonstrates its individuality within the ancient world. The data from other Kabeiric and non-Kabeiric sanctuaries clearly indicates that cults within the Greek world were experiencing parallel development in relation to their ceramic usage. Furthermore, the ceramic material from purely Kabeiric sites also shows the same biases in the archaeological record with an emphasis on the preparation and consumption of wine. Extending this research to other archaeological material also implies a common iconographic heritage stretching beyond the boundaries of the Theban site. By considering the ceramics in a more analytical manner than that of previous research – combining archaeological, anthropological and art historical models – we can move away from the premise that the decorated Greek vase is merely a work of art. Instead it is possible to detail the sanctuary’s evolution through the development of the ceramics and to offer insights into the society that produced and utilised them.

This thesis considers the geochemical links between geophysical survey results from, and responses of barley crop growth to, the existence of plough-levelled archaeological sites. It takes as a starting point the results of magnetic and resistivity surveys undertaken at three sites in the Upper Clyde Valley, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Two of the three sites produced geophysical results that closely matched the evidence for archaeological remains recorded using oblique aerial photography. The third site was largely unresponsive to geophysical prospection techniques. These mixed responses prompted a closer examination of why barley crops respond to plough-levelled remains, and why the geophysical data gathered tend to correlate with the growth responses. To allow an examination of the growth responses, a series of pot-based growth experiments were carried out under glasshouse conditions, and these were followed up by ICP-MS analysis of the plants and the archaeological soils in which they had grown, in an attempt to link any changes in elemental compositions with the growth responses, and to the geophysical responses recorded at the soil sampling points or for the features from which the soils were taken. The results of the experimental work revealed that although soil moisture content has a role in the development of both crop marks and geophysical anomalies, other factors are also involved, including changes in elemental concentrations in soils and plant material, soil pH changes and the redox potential of the archaeological soils.

The present study analyses Roman-native interaction from a landscape perspective in a core territory of both Iron Age and Roman Dacia. The study are includes the royal Dacian heartland (the Orastie Mountains) and its surrounding lowlands, and also the hinterlands of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa and Apulum, the two most important Roman towns in the province. The research considers the nature and distribution of lower-order settlements in the pre-Roman and Roman periods, human impact on the local landscape and the changes which occurred as a result of the Roman occupation. Also, it addresses previous biases of interpretation through re-evaluation of earlier data and consideration of new datasets provided by the interpretation and mapping of recent oblique aerial photographs. New detailed plans of the sites discovered through aerial photography have been integrated within a significant amount of scattered published data (excavation and field walking reports; gazetteers) and relevant information from historical maps. Al the material has been analysed utilising a relational database linked to a GIS. The results provide a complex reconsideration on a more realistic and up-to-date basis of previous theories regarding the native settlement pattern and the impact of Roman colonisation in the chronological and geographical context specified. Also, through the resulting database and GIS, it provides a methodological framework and a customised tool for further analysis of the landscape and of the evolution of the settlement pattern which can be extended throughout the province of Dacia and into the neighbouring areas. Finally, it creates a useful source of analogy or contrast for Empire-wide studies of Romanisation and Roman-native interaction.

This thesis explores the process of archaeological interpretation by considering how we can interpret the Iron Age settlement in Wigtownshire, SW Scotland. Traditional images of Iron Age warfaring hierarchical societies have persisted through the use of well-established classifications, such as ‘fort’ or ‘roundhouse’ and by the uncritical acceptance of the definition and identification of ‘settlement’ in the archaeological record. Alternative interpretations of Iron Age settlement landscapes are possible by considering a variety of other observations, which traditional classifications ignore, such as the landscape context of specific monuments. This thesis presents a critical review of these alternative interpretations and other more traditional classifications used to define Iron Age settlement and illustrates how multiple narratives of the past can co-exist. This thesis emphasises the essential part classification plays in archaeological interpretation. Interpretation is a complex and ongoing process and it is important to be aware of the assumptions that we make and how these may affect further interpretations of the archaeological evidence. Common standardised classifications stress the importance of certain morphological characteristics over other observations and the interpretations of the archaeological evidence are therefore restricted. Traditional approaches neglect the importance of context, which is integral to the interpretation of the archaeology on many levels. Understudied, but archaeologically rich, Wigtownshire is an ideal case-study. Rather than limiting the discussion of archaeological features by only comparing them through traditional ‘typologies’, here experiential observations of the evidence – within their landscape context – offer an alternative approach by which the iron Age in Wigtownshire can be considered. A flexible process of classification is advocated – dependent upon the research questions that are addressed in particular studies. My approach to the re-evaluation of the Iron Age settlement in Wigtownshire is also influenced by a critique of the definition of the term ‘settlement’ in archaeology. The identification of ‘domestic’ practices in contrast to ‘ritualised’ ones in the Iron Age evidence is questioned and from a variety of perspectives the complex processes of settlement in the Iron Age are explored.