ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book also presents a series of case studies on conflict archaeology in ancient Europe, based on the results of both recent fieldwork and older excavations. It describes sufficiently cohesive and that it will stimulate the further development of this particular field of study. The book concentrates on the study of warfare and collective violence, since this is the field in which important advances have been made in the past two decades. It refers to recent work in the field of memory studies – points to the important role of the collective remembrance of specific battles for the identity construction of both individuals and communities in ancient societies. The book considers the ritual destruction and deposition of weapons in public ceremonies on Northern European moors as the equivalent of Roman triumphal processions.
