Post-medieval archaeology
Encyclopedia
Post-medieval archaeology is a term used in Europe to describe the study of the material past over the last 500 years. Increasingly the field is referred to as Historical archaeology
, a term in international usage. It is closely related to Industrial archaeology
, although Post-medieval archaeology conventionally has not extended its studies past the mid 18th century. Such a 'cut-off' date is increasingly critiqued by work within Historical archaeology
and contemporary archaeology
.
The traditional date for the beginning of the post-medieval period in Britain has been 1485 when, following the Battle of Bosworth the Tudor dynasty
took the throne. In practice, the medieval period is now often extended into the reign of the Tudor monarchs and the boundary between the two eras is not precise. As with all attempts to divide the archaeological record into neat chunks, efforts to impose an exact date on the transition are doomed to be questioned by current and new findings.
Given the relatively strong historical record running alongside the archaeological one, post-medieval archaeology is often better positioned to study the effects of known social and political change. The immediacy of the period means that it appeals in fields such as genealogy
as well as to students of social history
.
Post-medieval sites include The Rose Theatre
in London
and Fort Amherst
in Chatham.
Historical archaeology
Historical archaeology is a form of archaeology dealing with topics that are already attested in written records. These records can both complement and conflict with the archaeological evidence found at a particular site. Studies tend to focus on literate, historical-period societies as opposed...
, a term in international usage. It is closely related to Industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times to the most recent...
, although Post-medieval archaeology conventionally has not extended its studies past the mid 18th century. Such a 'cut-off' date is increasingly critiqued by work within Historical archaeology
Historical archaeology
Historical archaeology is a form of archaeology dealing with topics that are already attested in written records. These records can both complement and conflict with the archaeological evidence found at a particular site. Studies tend to focus on literate, historical-period societies as opposed...
and contemporary archaeology
Contemporary archaeology
Contemporary Archaeology is a field of archaeological research that focuses on the most recent past, and also increasingly explores the application of archaeological thinking to the contemporary world. It has also been referred to as the archaeology of the 'contemporary past'...
.
The traditional date for the beginning of the post-medieval period in Britain has been 1485 when, following the Battle of Bosworth the Tudor dynasty
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
took the throne. In practice, the medieval period is now often extended into the reign of the Tudor monarchs and the boundary between the two eras is not precise. As with all attempts to divide the archaeological record into neat chunks, efforts to impose an exact date on the transition are doomed to be questioned by current and new findings.
Given the relatively strong historical record running alongside the archaeological one, post-medieval archaeology is often better positioned to study the effects of known social and political change. The immediacy of the period means that it appeals in fields such as genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
as well as to students of social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
.
Post-medieval sites include The Rose Theatre
The Rose (theatre)
The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre , the Curtain , and the theatre at Newington Butts The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre (1576), the Curtain (1577),...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Fort Amherst
Fort Amherst
Fort Amherst, in Kent, England, was constructed in 1756 at the southern end of the Brompton lines of defence to protect the southeastern approaches to Chatham Dockyard and the River Medway against a French invasion. Part of it is now open to the public....
in Chatham.