Hierarchy and Balance The Role of Monumentality in European and Indian Landscapes - An Archaeological and Anthropological Perspective

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Maria Wunderlich
Tiatoshi Jamir
Johannes Müller

Abstract

The use of ethnographic analogies for the construction of explanatory patterns and scientific narratives has a long history within archaeological research. While appropriate critique was raised with regard to the way analogies were used, the rise of critical perspectives within recent archaeological debates and discourses clearly highlights the need for a critical and reflective use of comparative analyses which will help us to go beyond a perception of archaeology as a cultural-historical science. The diversity and variability of the meaning of monumentality and megalith building in modern-day India shows the potential of such an approach and the importance of the integration of the perspectives of local communities without a direct link to scientific discourses. Monumentality and megalithic construction, due to the complexity and variance of this specific phenomenon, constitute a good example for the potential benefit and gain of the integration of comparative, ethnoarchaeological perspectives.

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How to Cite
Wunderlich et al. 2019: M. Wunderlich/T. Jamir/J. Müller, Hierarchy and Balance: The Role of Monumentality in European and Indian Landscapes - An Archaeological and Anthropological Perspective. JNA, 2019, 13–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12766/jna.2019S.2.