ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the importance and meaning of places as seen from an archaeological perspective. The concepts of place and place attachment are briefly reviewed and put into archaeological context, followed by a biographical discussion of four megalithic monuments situated on the island of Öland, southeast Sweden. The location as well as the long-term use of the tombs is discussed, and the distinction between primary and secondary use of megaliths is dismissed. It is argued that memory has been a vital factor in the ascription of meaning to these places, and that remembrance in the wide sense constitutes the key to our understanding of monumental location and clusters. Finally, the discussion is brought together in some brief notes on why archaeology matters.
