8th June 2011, 01:20 PM
Now this is a truly entertaining life of brian-esq 'discussion'.
To gwyl...................as a prehistorian I feel your arguments are unsound, the reason why much 'grot-pot' is undated is due to the lack of routine multiple-determination radiocarbon dating and use of Baeysian statistics to refine the dating of recognisable forms. Many projects are working on sorting this out but it takes time and money. Also plenty of medieval pottery is just as useless for dating due to the same reasons. I'm forever getting pot back from the specialists as early 13th to late 14th maybe 15th century date! - just as 'useless'.
Medieval archaeology has just as many gaps in knowledge as prehistory.......as you should know........for instance where are all the early medieval settlements in East Yorkshire to go with all the cemeteries?
To pick a specific (modern defined) period and say its all rubbish is just silly. After all these 'periods' didn't, don't and never will actually exist.
I'm fairly convinced that the Iron Age Britons on the 'arrival' of 'Roman Civilisation' didn't suddenly sigh contently and say. 'Ah its all right now, prehistory is over!'
Its all one long continium segmented by those things we call years.....any other definition is arbitrary.
To gwyl...................as a prehistorian I feel your arguments are unsound, the reason why much 'grot-pot' is undated is due to the lack of routine multiple-determination radiocarbon dating and use of Baeysian statistics to refine the dating of recognisable forms. Many projects are working on sorting this out but it takes time and money. Also plenty of medieval pottery is just as useless for dating due to the same reasons. I'm forever getting pot back from the specialists as early 13th to late 14th maybe 15th century date! - just as 'useless'.
Medieval archaeology has just as many gaps in knowledge as prehistory.......as you should know........for instance where are all the early medieval settlements in East Yorkshire to go with all the cemeteries?
To pick a specific (modern defined) period and say its all rubbish is just silly. After all these 'periods' didn't, don't and never will actually exist.
I'm fairly convinced that the Iron Age Britons on the 'arrival' of 'Roman Civilisation' didn't suddenly sigh contently and say. 'Ah its all right now, prehistory is over!'
Its all one long continium segmented by those things we call years.....any other definition is arbitrary.