Ritual Practice and Topographic Context. Considerations on the Spatial Forms of Memory in the Central Alps During the Late Bronze Age

Abstract

This paper deals with the spatial parameters of two characteristic ritual practices of the Bronze Age in the Central Alps: the deposition of single bronze artifacts, and the activities at Brandopferplätze (sites for burnt offerings). I propose two (for some time coexistent) modes for the spatial dimension of cultural memory. While the first one relates to a geographically flexible ‘landscape’, essentially defined by the natural environment, the second one features locations of territorial significance. Considering the economic and social change in the Central Alpine region, I consequently postulate a trend towards a detachment of the cultural memory from the unaltered, natural terrain in favour of an increased collective use of ceremonial sites controlled by elites.