TY - BOOK

T1 - Defining Wetlands

T2 - New perspectives on wetland living with casestudies from early Iron Age in North Zealand, Denmark

AU - Pantmann, Pernille

N1 - Ph.d.-afhandling forsvaret 21. februar 2020.

PY - 2020/2

Y1 - 2020/2

N2 - Wetlands in Danish Iron Age contexts are generally understood as remote cult places separated from everyday life, or they are considered as settlement boundaries. Based on the recent wetland excavations in North Zealand and the multifaceted results, this thesis introduces a different approach to wetlands. The thesis suggests that wetlands should not be treated as special, exalted or marginalized areas.Instead, they should be integrated into general archaeological practices like all other archaeological features. The only difference is the excavation method and preservation conditions. In NorthZealand, the wetlands’ preservation conditions are considered as one of the wetlands’ potentials through which we can optimize our knowledge of everyday life, subsistence economy and settlements structure to mention a few. However, it does not rule out the significance of the sacred functions of the wetlands. Rather, it means that the sacred and profane functions and meanings are understood to be woven together and considered equally important. Thus, a previous discussion of the relationship between the sacred and the profane is renewed. Nevertheless, this discussion has only superficially influenced the traditional perception of wetland life in Danish Iron Age research. This is one of several dogmas attached to the wetlands, but these dogmas also reflect more general dogmas within Danish archaeology, which are consequently addressed and challenged by this thesis.

AB - Wetlands in Danish Iron Age contexts are generally understood as remote cult places separated from everyday life, or they are considered as settlement boundaries. Based on the recent wetland excavations in North Zealand and the multifaceted results, this thesis introduces a different approach to wetlands. The thesis suggests that wetlands should not be treated as special, exalted or marginalized areas.Instead, they should be integrated into general archaeological practices like all other archaeological features. The only difference is the excavation method and preservation conditions. In NorthZealand, the wetlands’ preservation conditions are considered as one of the wetlands’ potentials through which we can optimize our knowledge of everyday life, subsistence economy and settlements structure to mention a few. However, it does not rule out the significance of the sacred functions of the wetlands. Rather, it means that the sacred and profane functions and meanings are understood to be woven together and considered equally important. Thus, a previous discussion of the relationship between the sacred and the profane is renewed. Nevertheless, this discussion has only superficially influenced the traditional perception of wetland life in Danish Iron Age research. This is one of several dogmas attached to the wetlands, but these dogmas also reflect more general dogmas within Danish archaeology, which are consequently addressed and challenged by this thesis.

M3 - Ph.D. thesis

BT - Defining Wetlands

PB - Det Humanistiske Fakultet, Københavns Universitet

ER -