H. Fokkens

The genesis of urnfields : economic crisis or ideological change ?

CC intro: The genesis of urnfield cemeteries and of Late Bronze Age culture change is often related to an economic and environmental crisis. In the Lower Rhine Basin, changes in burial rites, settlement structure and hoarding practices show a transformation of ideology, consistent with the dissolution of a society into smaller, more autonomous social units.

Martin Carver. Archaeological investigation. xxxviii+424 pages, 268 illustrations, 16 colour plates, tables. 2009. Abingdon & New York: Routledge; 978-0-415-48918-8 hardback £85; 978-415-48919-5 paperback £26.99.

Nonetheless, there are points of disagreement. In my opinion, Klejn criticises excessively the works of the New Archaeologists, giving Russian readers the impression that their approach is worse than is generally acknowledged. Indeed, processual archaeology had a profound effect not only on AngloAmerican but also on world archaeology. It was also of major importance for a generation of archaeologists who came to Soviet science in the 1980s. Many of us have used the ideas of the new archaeologists and neoevolutionist anthropologists in our works. I am also sorry that Klejn has given so much attention to problems of archaeological cognition. No doubt, epistemology is an important part of the research of ‘intelligent’ archaeologists but most archaeologists have dirty hands and fingernails. To them middle range theories — site catchment analysis, settlement archaeology, mortuary archaeology, chiefdoms and early civilisations — matter more. I would have liked to see in the concluding part or in a special chapter an evaluation of current archaeological procedures and post-processual criticism. It is important not only for the profession but also for students, as often the new generation is not sufficiently critical towards published sources. They may erroneously believe that these are Klejn’s most recent ideas. Only older colleagues will know that his fundamental book was 40 years in the making.