Placing the Pillar of Eliseg: Movement, Visibility and Memory in the Early Medieval Landscape
Abstract
The landscape context of the early 9th-century monument known as the Pillar of Eliseg is interrogated here for the first time with GIS-based analysis and innovative spatial methodologies. Our interpretation aims to move beyond regarding the Pillar as a prominent example of early medieval monument reuse and a probable early medieval assembly site. We demonstrate that the location and topographical context of the cross and mound facilitated the monument’s significance as an early medieval locus of power, faith and commemoration in a contested frontier zone. The specific choice of location is shown to relate to patterns of movement and visibility that may have facilitated and enhanced the ceremonial and commemorative roles of the monument. By shedding new light on the interpretation of the Pillar of Eliseg as a node of social and religious aggregation and ideological power, our study has theoretical and methodological implications for studying the landscape contexts of early medieval stone monuments.Citation
Murrieta-Flores, P., & Williams, H. (2017). Placing the Pillar of Eliseg: Movement, visibility and memory in the early medieval landscape. Medieval Archaeology, 61(1), 69-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2017.1295926Publisher
Taylor & FrancisJournal
Medieval ArchaeologyAdditional Links
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00766097.2017.1295926Type
ArticleLanguage
enDescription
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Medieval Archaeology on 19/06/2017, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2017.1295926ISSN
0076-6097EISSN
1745-817Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/00766097.2017.1295926
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/