Repair, Recycle or Re-use? Creating Mnemonic Devices Through the Modification of Object Biographies During the Late Bronze Age in Switzerland
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2014-02Author
Jennings, Benjamin R.Keyword
Late Bronze AgeSwitzerland
Lake-dwellings
Ring jewellery
Razors
Object biographies
Social identities
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© 2014 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. Full-text reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.Peer-Reviewed
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openAccess
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Show full item recordAbstract
The biographical approach has been applied to many studies of European prehistoric metal working which frequently discuss the potential for recycling metalwork through melting to create new objects, drawing influence from the many ‘founders hoards’ known from across Europe. An agglomerate of half molten bronze objects from Switzerland suggests that such recycling practices occurred there, although previous archaeometallurgical analysis has indicated that such practices were temporally limited. This article focuses on an alternative form of recycling — the direct conversion of one object into another through cutting and reshaping — observed on several razors from Late Bronze Age (LBA) lake dwelling contexts in Switzerland. Atypical decorative motifs on these razors identify them as having been cut from arm or legring jewellery pieces. It is suggested that these ‘ringrazors’ were valued as individualized objects and created as personal mnemonic devices.Version
Accepted manuscriptCitation
Jennings BR (2014) Repair, Recycle or Re-use? Creating Mnemonic Devices Through the Modification of Object Biographies During the Late Bronze Age in Switzerland. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 24(1): 163-176.Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959774314000055Type
Articleae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959774314000055