Global Perspectives on the Archaeology of Ritually Mounded Landscapes

Mounds constructed of all sorts of materials (stone, earth, shell) in myriad forms have attracted archaeologists from the very foundations of the discipline. From some of archaeology’s most famous sites to humble features barely noted on the landscape, mounds offer opportunities to examine past behaviour from a variety of perspectives. One consensus that appears to emerge in the archaeology of mounded landscapes is that these features are often constructed in relation to ‘ritual’ of some sort. Yet ritual remains a remarkably slippery concept in archaeology. The meanings, symbolism, and contexts of these mounds often necessitate a detailed reading of the landscape and associated settlements and ecologies. This session pulls together recent archaeological research on mounded landscapes from around the world to examine some of the theoretical and methodological approaches currently being used to explore concepts of ritual in past societies. Specifically, case studies will explore the ritual activities in the past that resulted in the construction of the mounded landscapes that now form part of the archaeological record.