Scottish archaeologists working near Strathearn, in the lowlands north of Edinburgh, have uncovered the remains of a Pictish broch dating to the 1st to 2nd centuries AD. Brochs were the homes of chieftains, each centered on a massive stone tower. This large site was probably home to one of the most important families in Scotland.Among the finds is an artifact obtained by trade with the Romans. What could this object be? An ornamented helmet, perhaps? An elaborate bronze lamp? A jeweled necklace?
A saucepan. Of all the things to ship from southern Gaul to Britain, and then carry overland across the border of Roman rule to a barbarian chieftain's stone tower on a hilltop at the edge of the civilized world. What does it mean?
3 comments:
not to sound snarky, but why must this mean something? i disagree that objects must have meaning. in fact i'll propose that objects + context = meaning, and without context, objects have no meaning. so in this case, the dig team found an object normally used for food prep, and now it's going to be cataloged, possibly displayed, possibly carefully boxed and put into a collection. that lends a different meaning (or possibly message) -- that we cherish artifacts.
isn't it sufficient to appreciate that someone went to the trouble to make (or commission the manufacture of) this elegant saucepan and then transport it all around...to make sauce? to fry an egg? to make a portion of gruel? if anything, the message is simply an affirmation that humans are tool-users and we tend to go out of our way to make pretty, useful things. why must there be *meaning*?
It could have been looted. Early modern Highlanders used to take such war-spoils as kettles, books, furniture, and similar stuff, and actually take it home and use it. Obviously Picts don't necessarily have much in common with Highlanders, but clearly not all goods need be trade goods.
As for meaning, well, three of us are finding it interesting enough to speculate about.
I almost always use the word "meaning" in a semi-ironical fashion, because of its abuse by partisans of various kinds. I don't imply that this saucepan says anything important about ancient civilization. It is just, as David said, fascinating to think about this object's journeys. And to think about how this utilitarian object might have seemed to the people who used it; perhaps to the women of this noble household the saucepan was a really great thing, better than any implement they had for some purpose we can only guess at. Or maybe it made them feel cool to be cooking with the same sort of gear as Romans. Perhaps the lady of this broch, or the chief cook, or whoever was responsible for the meals, would rather have had this saucepan than a gold pin.
The appearance of objects like this is one of the joys of archaeology. After all, 99 percent of what we find is entirely predictable. But sometimes an object turns up that suggests a story, and who can resist speculating?
Post a Comment