Chapman - Iconoclasm and later prehistory

Iconoclasm and Later Prehistory

Iconoclasm, or the destruction of images and other symbols, is a subject that has significant resonance today. Traditionally focusing on examples such as those from late Antiquity, Byzantium, the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution, iconoclasm implies intentioned attacks that reflect religious or political motivations. However, the evidence highlights considerable variation in intentionality, the types and levels of destruction and the targets attacked. Such variation has been highlighted in recent iconoclasm scholarship and this has resulted in new theoretical frameworks for its study.

This book presents the first analysis of iconoclasm for prehistoric periods. Through an examination of the themes of objects, the human body, monuments and landscapes, the book demonstrates how the application of the approaches developed within iconoclasm studies can enrich our understanding of earlier periods in addition to identifying specific events that may be categorised as iconoclastic.

Iconoclasm and Later Prehistory combines approaches from two distinct disciplinary perspectives. It presents a new interpretative framework for prehistorians and archaeologists, whilst also providing new case studies and significantly extending the period of interest for readers interested in iconoclasm.

Henry Chapman is Reader in Archaeology at the University of Birmingham. His principal research interests are later prehistory, bog bodies, iconoclasm, wetland archaeology and the application of digital technologies to the study of the past. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

For Jackie, Sam, Freddie and Kittie

Iconoclasm and Later Prehistory

Henry Chapman

First published 2018

by Routledge

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2018 Henry Chapman

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ISBN: 9781138038707 (hbk)

ISBN: 9781315177236 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman

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Contents

My exploration of iconoclasm in later prehistory began in 2011 when I was invited to join the AHRC-funded Iconoclasms Network by Leslie Brubaker and Richard Clay. The discussions that took place over the subsequent two years of the network, and at locations including Tate Britain and the University of Notre Dame, highlighted that frameworks being developed by iconoclasm scholars were not only applicable to the study of prehistory, but could provide a foundation for enriching interpretation. This book is my attempt at realising the potential for bringing together the two disciplinary approaches of iconoclasm studies and later prehistory.