'Problematic stuff': death, memory and the reinterpretation of cached objects

Journal article

Buster, L. 2021. 'Problematic stuff': death, memory and the reinterpretation of cached objects. Antiquity. 95 (382), pp. 973-985. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2021.81
AuthorsBuster, L.
Abstract

Deliberately deposited (or cached) objects are ubiquitous in the archaeological record, yet they are often classified under different categories, such as hoards, structured deposits, grave goods and cenotaph burials, and interpreted according to different criteria. Drawing on contemporary attitudes to death, dying and bereavement, and using later prehistoric Britain as a case study, this article brings the analysis of these objects together within a single interpretive framework, which asserts that much of this material represents the ‘problematic stuff’ left behind by the dead. This approach forces us to reconsider the traditional boundaries drawn between different aspects of the archaeological record and demonstrates the value that emotion has in our interpretations of past societies.

KeywordsCached objects; Archaeology; Death; Dying; Bereavement
Year2021
JournalAntiquity
Journal citation95 (382), pp. 973-985
PublisherCambridge University Press
Antiquity Publications
ISSN0003-598X
1745-1744
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2021.81
Official URLhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/problematic-stuff-death-memory-and-the-interpretation-of-cached-objects/FEFB14E4C357F336710BA78CF27048AF
Publication dates
Online22 Jun 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited17 Jan 2022
Accepted21 Sep 2020
Accepted author manuscript
License
Output statusPublished
Permalink -

https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/901z4/-problematic-stuff-death-memory-and-the-reinterpretation-of-cached-objects

Download files

Accepted author manuscript
AQY_RE_20_131.R1_Proof_hi.pdf
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

  • 78
    total views
  • 48
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 1
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Letting go of attachment objects: Insights from the ‘Problematic Stuff’ of later prehistoric Britain and beyond
Lindsey Buster 2024. Letting go of attachment objects: Insights from the ‘Problematic Stuff’ of later prehistoric Britain and beyond. in: Sana Lipkin, Taryn Bell and Tiina Vare (ed.) Archaeologies of Attachment: Emotional Attachments in the Archaeological Record Cham Springer. pp. 73-81
Rural settlement: relating buildings, landscape, and people in the European Iron Age rural settlement: relating buildings, landscape, and people in the European Iron Age, edited by D. C. Cowley, M. Fernández-Götz, T. Romankiewicz and H. Wendling, Leiden, Sidestone Press, 2019, 286 pp., Illus. 118, €135.00 (Hardback), ISBN 9789088908194, €45.00 (Paperback), ISBN 9789088908187, open access (e-book)
Buster, L. 2023. Rural settlement: relating buildings, landscape, and people in the European Iron Age rural settlement: relating buildings, landscape, and people in the European Iron Age, edited by D. C. Cowley, M. Fernández-Götz, T. Romankiewicz and H. Wendling, Leiden, Sidestone Press, 2019, 286 pp., Illus. 118, €135.00 (Hardback), ISBN 9789088908194, €45.00 (Paperback), ISBN 9789088908187, open access (e-book). Archaeological Journal. 180 (2), pp. 188-189. https://doi.org/10.1080/00665983.2023.2204699
Mediating worlds: the role of nurses as ritual specialists in caring for the dead and dying
Buster, L., Croucher, K., Green, L. and Faull, C. 2023. Mediating worlds: the role of nurses as ritual specialists in caring for the dead and dying. Mortality. 29 (3), pp. 554-571. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2198694
Kinship practices in Early Iron Age southeast Europe: genetic and isotopic analysis of burials from the Dolge njive barrow cemetery, Dolenjska, Slovenia
Armit, I., Fischer, C.-E., Koon, H., Nicholls, R., Olalde, I., Rohland, N., Buckberry, J, Montgomery, J., Mason, P., Črešnar, M., Buster, L. and Reich, D. 2023. Kinship practices in Early Iron Age southeast Europe: genetic and isotopic analysis of burials from the Dolge njive barrow cemetery, Dolenjska, Slovenia. Antiquity. 392 (7), pp. 403-418. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.2
Interview on Radio Melbourne: "Problematic stuff" article
Buster, L. Interview on Radio Melbourne: "Problematic stuff" article.
From human remains to powerful objects: Ancestor research from a deep-time perspective
Buster, L. 2022. From human remains to powerful objects: Ancestor research from a deep-time perspective. Genealogy. 6 (1), p. e23. https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy6010023
Signs from the Pictish underground: Early medieval cave ritual in Scotland
Buster, L. and Armit, I. 2022. Signs from the Pictish underground: Early medieval cave ritual in Scotland. in: Bergsvik, K. A. and Dowd, M. (ed.) Cave Rituals in Medieval Europe, AD 500-1500 Oxford Oxbow Books. pp. 85-96
Prospections géophysiques sur le plateau, en 2010 et 2011
Armit, I., Gaffney, C., Hayes, A., Parkyn, A., Friel, R. and Buster, L. 2022. Prospections géophysiques sur le plateau, en 2010 et 2011. in: Arcelin, P. and Congès, G. (ed.) Entremont, une agglomeration de Provence au IIe siècle avant notre ère pp. 732-740
Death, caves and DNA, with Dr Lindsey Büster
Buster, L. and Williams, H. 2021. Death, caves and DNA, with Dr Lindsey Büster .
Interview on Radio Melbourne Drivetime
Buster, L. 2021. Interview on Radio Melbourne Drivetime. Melbourne, Australia
Prospections géophysiques sur la plateau, en 2010 et 2011
Armit, I., Bryant, A., Gaffney, C., Parkyn, A., Friel, R. and Buster, L. 2021. Prospections géophysiques sur la plateau, en 2010 et 2011. in: Arcelin, P. (ed.) Entremont: Une Agglomération de Provence au IIe Siècle Avant Notre Ère Montpellier Éditions de l’Association de la Review Archéologique de Narbonnaise.. pp. 732-740
A summary round-up list of Scottish archaeological human remains that have been sampled/analysed for DNA between January 2019 and November 2021
Knight, M. G., Sheridan, A., Skoglund, P., Booth, T., Brown, L., Riech, D., Armit, I., Bonsall, C., Anastasiadou, K., Boyle, A., Buster, L., Carver, M., Gilardet, A., Kelly, M., McCabe, J., Montgomery, J., Pickard, C., Rhodes, D., Silva, M. and Williams, M. 2021. A summary round-up list of Scottish archaeological human remains that have been sampled/analysed for DNA between January 2019 and November 2021. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 21, pp. 201-207.
Why couldn’t Iron Age people throw some stuff away?
Buster, L. 2021. Why couldn’t Iron Age people throw some stuff away? Sapiens.
Manuel Fernández-Götz and Nico Roymans, eds. Conflict Archaeology: Materialities of Collective Violence from Prehistory to Late Antiquity (Themes in Contemporary Archaeology 5. Oxford: Routledge, 2018, xiv and 236 pp., 122 figs., 2 tables, hbk, ISBN 978-1-138-50211-6)
Buster, L. 2021. Manuel Fernández-Götz and Nico Roymans, eds. Conflict Archaeology: Materialities of Collective Violence from Prehistory to Late Antiquity (Themes in Contemporary Archaeology 5. Oxford: Routledge, 2018, xiv and 236 pp., 122 figs., 2 tables, hbk, ISBN 978-1-138-50211-6). European Journal of Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2020.60
Le projet COMMIOS. Un nouveau regard sue les populations de l’Age du Fer en Europe
Fischer, C-E., Bleasdale, M., Buster, L., Primeau, C., Booth, T., Reich, D. and Armit, I. 2021. Le projet COMMIOS. Un nouveau regard sue les populations de l’Age du Fer en Europe. Bulletin de l’Association française pour l’étude de l’âge du Fer. 39, pp. 69-70.
Iron Age mnemonics: A biographical approach to dwelling in later prehistoric Britain
Buster, L. 2021. Iron Age mnemonics: A biographical approach to dwelling in later prehistoric Britain. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 31 (4), pp. 661-674. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959774321000263
Materialising memories: Inheritance, performance and practice at Broxmouth hillfort, south-east Scotland
Buster, L. and Armit, I. 2021. Materialising memories: Inheritance, performance and practice at Broxmouth hillfort, south-east Scotland. in: Stoddart, S., Aines, E. D. and Malone, C. (ed.) Gardening time: Reflections on memory, monuments and history in Scotland and Sardinia Cambridge McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. pp. 27-36
Redefining the timing and circumstances of the chicken's introduction to Europe and north-west Africa
Best, J., Doherty, S., Armit, I., Boev, Z., Buster, L., Cunliffe, B., Foster, A., Frimet, B., Hamilton-Dyer, S., Higham, T., Lebrasseur, O., Mepham, L., Miller, H., Peters, J., Seigle, M., Skelton, C., Symmons, R., Thomas, R., Trentacoste, A., Maltby, M., Larson, G. and Sykes, N. 2021. Redefining the timing and circumstances of the chicken's introduction to Europe and north-west Africa. Antiquity. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2021.90
Large-scale migration into Britain during the Middle to Late Bronze Age
Patterson, N., Isakov, M., Buster, L., Booth, T., Fischer, C-E., Reich, D. and others 2021. Large-scale migration into Britain during the Middle to Late Bronze Age. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04287-4
A high-resolution picture of kinship practices in an Early Neolithic tomb
Fowler, C., Olalde, I., Cummings, V., Armit, I., Buster, L., Cuthbert, S., Rohland, N., Cheronet, O., Pinhasi, R. and Reich, D 2021. A high-resolution picture of kinship practices in an Early Neolithic tomb. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04241-4
Bone Detectives: Britain’s Buried Secrets
Buster, L. 2020. Bone Detectives: Britain’s Buried Secrets.
New light on the Covesea Caves, north-east Scotland
Buster, L., Armit, I. and Fitzpatrick, A. 2020. New light on the Covesea Caves, north-east Scotland. PAST: The Newsletter of the Prehistoric Society. 96, pp. 2-5.
A brief consideration of the later prehistoric appearance and possible significance of the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) in the Covesea Caves of north-east Scotland
Fitzpatrick, A., Bond, J., Buster, L. and Armit, I. 2020. A brief consideration of the later prehistoric appearance and possible significance of the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) in the Covesea Caves of north-east Scotland. The Glasgow Naturalist. 27 (2).
Archaeology and contemporary death: Using the past to provoke, challenge and engage
Karina Croucher, Buster, L., Jennifer Dayes, Laura Green, Justine Raynsford, Louise Comerford Boyes and Christina Faull 2020. Archaeology and contemporary death: Using the past to provoke, challenge and engage. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244058
Darkness visible: The Sculptor’s Cave, Covesea, from the Bronze Age to the Picts
Armit, I. and Buster, L. 2020. Darkness visible: The Sculptor’s Cave, Covesea, from the Bronze Age to the Picts. Edinburgh Society of Antiquaries of Scotland .
Mystic Britain
Buster, L. 2019. Mystic Britain.
Between worlds: bridging the divide between method and theory in understanding the ritual use of caves in later prehistory
Buster, L., Warmenbol, E. and Mlekuz, D. 2019. Between worlds: bridging the divide between method and theory in understanding the ritual use of caves in later prehistory. in: Büster, L., Warmenbol, E. and Mlekuz, D. (ed.) Between Worlds: Understanding Ritual Cave Use in Later Prehistory Cham Springer. pp. 1-6
The Sculptor’s Cave, Covesea: Shining new light on an old archive
Buster, L. and Armit, I. 2019. The Sculptor’s Cave, Covesea: Shining new light on an old archive. Archaeology Scotland Magazine . 19, pp. 20-21.
From macro to micro: multi-scalar digital approaches at The Sculptor’s Cave, NE Scotland
Buster, L., Evans, A., Armit, I., Kershaw, R., Sparrow, T. and Wilson, A. S. 2019. From macro to micro: multi-scalar digital approaches at The Sculptor’s Cave, NE Scotland. in: Buster, L., Warmenbol, E. and Mlekuž, D. (ed.) Between Worlds: Understanding Ritual Cave Use in Later Prehistory Cham Springer.
Underworld encounters: recent archaeological research at the Covesea Caves
Buster, L. and Armit, I. 2018. Underworld encounters: recent archaeological research at the Covesea Caves. in: Forgotten, Hidden and Lost: Unearthing Moray’s Archaeology. Proceedings of the Elgin Museum Archaeology Conference 2017 Elgin, Scotland Moray Society.
Animated worlds: digital capture technologies at the Sculptor’s Cave
Buster, L. and Armit, I. 2018. Animated worlds: digital capture technologies at the Sculptor’s Cave. Archaeology Scotland. 33, pp. 21-23.
The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe
Olade, I., Brace, S., Buster, L., Allentoft, M. and et al. 2018. The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe. Nature. 555, pp. 190-196. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25738
From plastered skulls to palliative care: what the past can teach us about dealing with death
Buster, Lindsey, Karina Croucher, Jennifer Dayes, Laura Green and Christina Faull 2018. From plastered skulls to palliative care: what the past can teach us about dealing with death. Online Journal in Public Archaeology. 8 (2). https://doi.org/10.23914/ap.v8i2.147
Bodies and embodiment
Buster, L. 2018. Bodies and embodiment. in: Lopez Varela, S. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences Hoboken, New Jersey John Wiley & Sons.
Radio broadcast regarding Bradford Dying Matters Week event
Buster, L. 2017. Radio broadcast regarding Bradford Dying Matters Week event. Bradford
What we can learn from death rites of the past will help us treat the dead and grieving better today?
Buster, L. and Dayes, J. 2017. What we can learn from death rites of the past will help us treat the dead and grieving better today? The Conversation.
What we can learn from death rites of the past will help us treat the dead and grieving better today?
Buster, L. and Dayes, J. 2017. What we can learn from death rites of the past will help us treat the dead and grieving better today? The Independent Online.
Past and present: 10 funeral rituals remembering the dead
Buster, L. 2017. Past and present: 10 funeral rituals remembering the dead. Funeral Zone.
Can the Victorians teach us to talk about death?
Buster, L. 2017. Can the Victorians teach us to talk about death? The Independent. p. 31.
Review: Underground Archaeology by Marion Dowd (ed)
Buster, L. 2017. Review: Underground Archaeology by Marion Dowd (ed). PAST: The Newsletter of the Prehistoric Society.
Death and Burial in Iron Age Britain, by D. W. Harding
Buster, L. 2017. Death and Burial in Iron Age Britain, by D. W. Harding. Archaeological Journal. 174 (2), pp. 482-483. https://doi.org/10.1080/00665983.2017.1294905
Review: Marion Dowd (ed.). 2016. Underground Archaeology: Studies on Human Bones and Artefacts from Ireland's Caves, Oxbow Books
Buster, L. 2017. Review: Marion Dowd (ed.). 2016. Underground Archaeology: Studies on Human Bones and Artefacts from Ireland's Caves, Oxbow Books. PAST: The Newsletter of the Prehistoric Society.
See the Sculptor’s Cave in 3D
Buster, L. 2017. See the Sculptor’s Cave in 3D. Minerva: Archaeology & Ancient Art. 28 (6), p. 5.
Habiter à Broxmouth : une approche biographique des roundhouses de l'âge du Fer
Buster, Lindsey 2017. Habiter à Broxmouth : une approche biographique des roundhouses de l'âge du Fer. in: Wilczek, Josef, Cannot, Anna, Le Cozanet, Thibault, Remy, Julie, Macháček, Jiří and Klápště, Jan (ed.) Interdisciplinarité et nouvelles approches dans les recherches sur l'âge du Fer Brno Masarykova univerzita. pp. 31-35
Meet the Barbarians: Taking a fresh look at the Iron Age of South-East Europe
Armit, I. and Buster, L. 2016. Meet the Barbarians: Taking a fresh look at the Iron Age of South-East Europe. Current World Archaeology. 80, pp. 38-42.
Developing the 3D imaging of Iron Age art in the ENTRANS Project
Buster, L., Evans, A., Armit. I. and Kershaw, R. 2016. Developing the 3D imaging of Iron Age art in the ENTRANS Project. in: Armit, I., Potrebica, H., Črešnar, M., Mason, P. and Buster, L. (ed.) Cultural Encounters in Iron Age Europe Budapest Archaeolingua. pp. 23-38
Ancestral homes? Roundhouses, memory and tradition at Broxmouth hillfort
Armit, I., Buster, L. and McKenzie 2015. Ancestral homes? Roundhouses, memory and tradition at Broxmouth hillfort. Current Archaeology.
The Covesea Caves Project
Armit, I. and Buster, L. 2015. The Covesea Caves Project. Moray Field Club Bulletin. 43, pp. 11-12.
Live radio broadcast on "Underground Britain"
Buster, L. 2014. Live radio broadcast on "Underground Britain". Bradford
Underground Britain
Buster, L. 2014. Underground Britain.
Caves as ritual spaces in later prehistoric Europe
Buster, L., Warmenbol, E. and Mlekuž, D. 2014. Caves as ritual spaces in later prehistoric Europe. The European Archaeologist. 42, pp. 47-49.
Encounters and Transformations in Iron Age Europe: the ENTRANS Project
Armit, I., Potrebica, H., Črešnar, M., Mason, P. and Buster, L. 2014. Encounters and Transformations in Iron Age Europe: the ENTRANS Project. Antiquity: A Review of World Archaeology. 88, p. 342.
CPD from both sides of the fence: Academic vs vocational training
Buster, L. 2013. CPD from both sides of the fence: Academic vs vocational training. The Archaeologist. 87, pp. 6-9.
Chapter 9 - Chronology: Radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modelling
Hamilton, D., McKenzie, J., Armit, I. and Buster, L. 2013. Chapter 9 - Chronology: Radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modelling. in: Armit, I. and McKenzie, J. (ed.) An Inherited Place: Broxmouth Hillfort and the South-East Scottish Iron Age Edinburgh Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . pp. 191-224
Chapter 7- Phase 6: The Late Iron Age village
Buster, L. 2013. Chapter 7- Phase 6: The Late Iron Age village. in: Armit, I. and McKenzie, J. (ed.) An Inherited Place: Broxmouth Hillfort and the South-East Scottish Iron Age pp. 115-186
Dennis W. Harding, The Iron Age Round-House: Later Prehistoric Building in Britain and Beyond (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, 350 pp., 16 pp. colour plates, 50 figs., hbk, ISBN 978-0-19-955857-5)
Buster, L. 2011. Dennis W. Harding, The Iron Age Round-House: Later Prehistoric Building in Britain and Beyond (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, 350 pp., 16 pp. colour plates, 50 figs., hbk, ISBN 978-0-19-955857-5). European Journal of Archaeology. 14 (1-2), pp. 323-326. https://doi.org/10.1179/eja.2011.14.1-2.323