ABSTRACT
The use of phenomenological theory has become somewhat of a taboo within archaeological research. Once a common characteristic of post-processual approaches to space, and to a much lesser extent time, the last number of years have seen its application grind almost to a halt, amidst increasing criticism regarding what is perceived to varying degrees as its incompatibility with archaeological inquiry (Brück 1998; 2005; Fleming 1999; 2005). Taking this criticism as a point of departure, this chapter asks whether in abandoning phenomenological principles altogether we would, perhaps, be throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Can phenomenology in fact play a significant and fruitful role in the multiscalar approach to space and time that is advocated in this volume? In exploring this possibility, I briefly consider what drew archaeologists to this particular strand of philosophy in the first instance and how it has typically been employed in relation to spatial and temporal aspects of material culture. Referring back to the primary philosophical texts, it becomes apparent that phenomenological archaeology, as we know it, is a less than accurate reflection of the underlying principles of the philosophy. Indeed, it is argued here that so-called landscape phenomenology, rather than illustrating the potential value of phenomenologically driven investigations into space and time, has worked to obscure it. To remedy this, I suggest a reimagining of our conventional understanding of phenomenology, one that I feel shows a greater appreciation of what Thomas (2006: 43) has described as “the subtlety of phenomenological thought”; and one that, I propose, has much to offer as a means of engaging with, and thinking through, the convergence or inter-weaving of space, time, and action in the past; and the many scales at which this interplay worked. Taking monumental construction in Late Neolithic Malta as a case study, this proposition is put to the test as the spatiality and temporality of temple building are viewed through a recalibrated phenomenological lens.
