Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

Books ( Source ) Hello & welcome once again to my continuing eclectic ramble through archaeology papers on Academia.edu that I find interesting and deserving of attention. Once again, I’d ask you to take a look at Stuart Rathbone’s latest book on Irish archaeology: Archaeological Boundaries. Discussions, Experiments and Unprovoked Attacks . I do realise that I’m somewhat biased (I’m his editor and general co-conspirator), but I do genuinely believe that this is among the most important books ever published on Irish archaeology and showcases Stuart’s abilities as a paradigm-altering thinker. As if that wasn’t enough, the book is available as a pay-what-you-think-is-fair downloadable PDF from Leanpub. If that whetted you taste for more, have a look at this latest collection of good reads (and start off with a couple of other Rathbone papers! Stuart Rathbone (re)Building Stonegenge. Investigating the curious desire to replicate a Wiltshire monument Stuart R...

We’re in the last days of 2015 and I just wanted to take a moment to say a sincere Thank You to everyone who has read and supported this blog over the last year. I enjoy writing for this blog, but there would be little point in continuing if there were no readers. So, thank you all for bearing with me and supporting my work. Going by the numbers, the following have been the ten most read pieces from the last 12 months. Inevitably, the crannog at Drumclay figures prominently, with two entries on the list. I'm afraid that this will be the case for 2016 too as there is much work to be done to secure answers and positive change from Government departments that seem more keen on pretending that all is well (who would have guessed it?). Thankfully, the rest of the list covers a broad selection of topics from aspects of data analysis (Ashley Madison & company accounts) to lightweight photo-essays (The Floral Hall & Poulnabrone), along with my IR&DD research pro...

When you put ‘solstice’ and ‘archaeology’ together in the same sentence, most people immediately think of that jewel of the Salisbury plain: Stonehenge. Throughout its long and varied career and multiple incarnations, the site has probably never been a quiet place at the solstice. Today, with competing claims for access from a variety of groups, including archaeologists, neo-pagans, neo-druids, and their assorted neophytes, you would be hard pressed to get within touching distance of the stones. With some 20,000 people expected this year , your chances of even seeing the solstice sunrise are limited, don’t mind finding any form of personal enlightenment or inner peace … or whatever you might journey there to seek. For the rest of the year, the stones are distinctly off limits to almost everyone. Unless you’re Gandalf or a high-ranking archaeologist with a superb research design your chances of getting close to those famous stones is vanishingly remote. End of story. Except … no...

[** If you like this post, please make a donation to the IR&DD project using the secure button at the right. If you think it is interesting or useful, please re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. To help keep the site in operation, please use the amazon search portal at the right - each purchase earns a small amount of advertising revenue **] I present the concluding segment of an epic trawl through an excellent conference! < Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V Parker Pearson in Sligo © Chapple Collection The final session of the Archaeology of Gatherings Conference was chaired by Fiona Beglane, who welcomed  Prof. Mike Parker Pearson  ( Institute of Archaeology, University College London ). Like many in archaeology, I only know him through his published works and television appearances. On TV, I’ve heard him speak and seen him wander about half of Salisbury plain. He is a respected authority on all things  Stonehenge  a...

[** If you like this post, please make a donation to the IR&DD project using the secure button at the right. If you think it is interesting or useful, please re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. To help keep the site in operation, please use the amazon search portal at the right - each purchase earns a small amount of advertising revenue **] Session 3 of the Archaeology of Gatherings Conference, Sligo, October 2013 < Part I | Part II | Part IV | Part V | Part VI > Suitably refreshed, entertained and educated by Simon O’Dwyer, [ Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | SoundCloud | YouTube ] we reassembled for the first afternoon session, again chaired by Sam Moore. This portion of the conference began with Prof. Clark McPhail ( University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign ). Prof. McPhail was also the Keynote Speaker (Sociology) for the conference. His chosen topic was The Life Course of Temporary Gatherings . His first observation was that archa...