Bulletin Board Information
HAS Member Meeting - Thursday, January 16th, 2024, 6:00 p.m.
Solid as a Rock: Ritual Reuse of Hearthstones and Monuments in Early Medieval Wales - Dr. Heather Para
Early medieval Wales was a fragmented political landscape, and the threat of incomers from Ireland and Scotland led to an increased sense of urgency amongst the Welsh uchelwyr (elites) to retain their hold on the land. To that end, ancient standing stone monuments were given secondary function as property boundary stones, lending legitimacy to land claims. Standing stones were also reused as sites for elite burial, suggesting connections to a mythic past. These elements of ritual reuse gave the uchelwyr deeper attachments to their lands, providing a perceived continuity built on assumed relationships with the past. This paper explores how these practices may have developed out of the ritual significance of hearthstones. The focus of household rituals of death and rebirth and apotropaic efforts to protect the residents of the home, hearthstones also offered evidence of land rights to a nomadic people; generations after departure, returning descendants had the right to claim ownership provided their ancestors’ hearthstone remained, even in places where the surrounding structure was in ruin
We have enjoyed knowing and working with Heather during her tenure at the Museum of the Coastal Bend in Victoria. Now she serves as Museum Curator in the Department of Anthropology at New Mexico State University. More information about the Museum and Department of Anthropology may be found at: https://univmuseum.nmsu.edu/; https://anthropology.nmsu.edu/. It will be our honor to have Dr. Para join us again, albeit via Zoom, so that we can learn more about her previous work in Wales. We also hope to hear more about her endeavors in New Mexico. For more information about this program or about the Houston Archeological Society, please contact Bob Sewell at president@txhas.org.
HAS JOURNAL 144 NOW AVAILABLE
HAS Journal No. 144 is now available. The Journal Number 144 The articles will focus on the San Felipe de Austin Dig by John Lohse, Horseshoes in Texas, a Thimble from the 18th or 19th century from France found in Frosttown, and another article about Camp Kirby in Dickenson, TX, a civil war camp by Charly Gordy, ceramics from Cottonfield by Tim Perttula, and information from Mike Woods about a Butted Knife Found in Comal County. Complimentary copies may be obtained by HAS members at the monthly meetings. Non-HAS members may purchase copies through Amazon.com. Go to the HAS Journals Section for a link to the publication on the Amazon.com website. Alternatively, copies may be purchased at the HAS Monthly Meetings.
To learn more about the history behind our archeological society contact president@txhas.org.