Ritual and Rubbish in the Iron Age of Wessex : A Study of Formation of a Specific Archaeological Record

The author has been a familiar speaker at Theoretical Archaeology Group meetings in Britain for a number of years and his general approach must now be familiar to many people. His specific argument that pit deposits usually interpreted as `rubbish' are in fact structured in a meaningful way is sure to be of interest to all archaeologists involved with the investigation of middens or faunal `rubbish' deposits, though taphonomists may remain sceptical. The wider implications for the study of the Iron Age in Britain (especially his historiographical critique of past `culture-historical' approaches) are also stimulating.