Early European Castles: Aristocracy and Authority, AD 800-1200 (Debates in Archaeology)

First published in 2012 by Bristol Classical Press an imprint of Bloomsbury Academic. Reprinted by Bloomsbury Academic 2013. Medieval castles were, alongside the great cathedrals, the most recognisable buildings of the medieval world. Closely associated with concepts of justice, lordship and authority as well as military might, castles came to encapsulate the period's very essence. Looking at above and below-ground evidence and examining a wide variety of sites - from towering donjons to earth and timber castles - in different parts of western Europe, this book explores the relationship between early castle building and the emergence of a new aristocracy and investigates the impact of authority on the organisation of the landscape. A particular focus is on the social context of early private fortifications: Europe's earliest castles came to embody a new and radically different form of power – an aristocratic authority that was highly personal in nature, glaringly visible in its presence, and enforceable through violence, both threatened and real. The volume reassesses traditional models of castle origins; examines aspects of elite lifestyle in and around these structures, including pastimes and diet; considers medieval visual experiences of sites and their settings; and explores some future directions for research. Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Castle Studies in Transformation -- Medieval archaeologies of Europe? -- Summary -- 3. Debating the European Castral Revolution -- Defining the castle: the eternal question -- Castles and the 'new aristocracy' -- Early castles: multiple origins -- Confronting the narrative of castle origins -- Summary -- 4. Nailing the Valley: Early Towers -- Introducing the European donjon -- Rebuilding Rome: Classical and Carolingian antecedents -- Early European donjons: plans and functions -- Points of origin: innovation and emulation -- Summary -- 5. Early Castle Archaeologies: Themes and Debates -- The European timber castle? -- Excavation of early castles: challenges and lessons -- Summary -- 6. Theatres of Lordship: Noble Lifestyles -- Artefacts: seigneurial material culture? -- Aristocratic diet and the ecology of early lordship -- Viewing early castles: looking at, looking out -- Summary -- 7. The Broader Context: Landscape and Townscape -- Putting early castles in their places -- Castles and the making of settlement landscapes -- Summary -- 8. Conclusions: The Rise of the Seigneury -- Bibliography -- Index Early European Castles shows how our understanding of the origins and growth of medieval castles is currently being transformed and develops a framework for deepening our understanding of Europe's 'castral revolution' in the period AD 800-1200