Andrew Sherratt

Andrew Sherratt, British archaeologist.

Andrew Sherratt (born May 8, 1946 in Oldham , Lancashire , † February 24, 2006 in Witney , Oxfordshire ) was a British prehistoric archaeologist.

Life and career

Sherratt studied archeology and anthropology at Cambridge University and graduated there in 1968. He received his doctorate in 1976 with David Clarke with a dissertation on "The Beginning of the Bronze Age in South-East Europe". At that time he was after Oxford moved, where he 1973 "Assistant Keeper of Antiquities" (Deputy. Curator of the Collection of Classical Antiquities) at the Ashmolean Museum was. At Oxford University he was appointed lecturer in 1997 and professor in 2002. Oxford remained his academic home until 2005 when he took up a chair in "Old World Prehistory" at Sheffield University . Sherratt traveled extensively and received international recognition for his work. In 1998 he was invited to deliver the prestigious series of lectures “Human Context and Society” at the University of Boston, and he chose the topic “Between Evolution and History: long-term change in human societies” (Zwischen Evolution and History: Long-Term Changes in Human Societies).

Work, main areas of interest and importance

Sherratts may most frequently cited publication was "Plow and pastoralism: aspects of the secondary products revolution " (plow and pasture management : aspects of the secondary product revolution), in 1981, in "Pattern of the Past: Studies in Honor of David Clarke “(Patterns of the Past, Festschrift for David Clarke) appeared. This was the first article in which he his idea of a revolution of secondary products described (secondary products revolution).

Outside of his main field of work, he was now regularly involved, for example as co-editor of the historical magazine Past and Present . His strong ability to analyze in a continental, even global context has even led to comparisons with Vere Gordon Childe .

His analysis of continental relationships led him to apply Wallerstein's world system theory to long-term changes in prehistory, especially an article in the first volume of the Journal of European Archeology ("What would a Bronze Age world system look like? Relations between temperate Europe and the Mediterranean in later prehistory "; German: What would a Bronze Age world system look like? Relationships between the temperate zone of Europe and the Mediterranean in recent prehistory, Journal of European Archeology 1/2, 1993, 1–57), also in 1995 in his" David Clarke Memorial Lecture ”, also published in the Journal of European Archeology . Such interests in transcontinental relations meant that Sherratt's attention was drawn to all of the great changes in human history, from the human settlement of the earth to the spread of agriculture to the development of metal-age technology and the emergence of cities including the Indo-European problem and development new forms of subsistence . A collection of his most important publications in many of these areas appeared in 1996 under the title "Economy and Society in Prehistoric Europe: changing perspectives".

Sherratt's interest in large-scale patterns in prehistory was arguably also responsible for one of the highest honors he received when William Hardy McNeill , historian at the University of Chicago , presented Sherratt with part of the prestigious Erasmus Prize he had received in 1996. The Erasmus Prize is awarded annually by the Dutch Praemium Erasmianum Foundation for “exceptionally important contributions to European culture” and requires the prize winner to pass on the prize money to selected nominees.

Sherratt also recognized the importance of psychodrugs and medicine for early cultures and wrote "Consuming Habits, Drugs in History and Anthropology". He was then invited to introduce the four-part television series Sacred Weeds , which aired to critical acclaim in 1998.

Teaching

Sherratt has always been a compelling and inspiring teacher. He had a skilled hand in designing the basic Oxford courses in archeology and anthropology. As a discussion partner, he played a key role in the formation of a new generation of archaeologists, both from the social anthropological and from the actual archaeological discipline.

It has always been a constant challenge for him to present his ideas in an appropriate setting, such as in a work he published in 1980, the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Archeology , which subsequently translates into German, French, Italian, Dutch and Swedish has been.

Shortly before his cardiac death in Witney (near Oxford), he had started a project "ArchAtlas", which uses modern remote sensor technologies to convey graphically complex patterns of change and interaction in space and time together with image material and text.

Works

• Economy and Society in Prehistoric Europe: changing perspectives. Princeton, Princeton University Press 1997.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Past and Present Society
2. ^ "Reviving the grand narrative: Archeology and long-term change" (Again, the big question: Archeology and long-term changes), JEA 3/1, 1995, 1-32
3. ↑ Erasmus Prize
4. ↑ Erasmus success for prehistorian ( Memento of the original from November 18, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ^ "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Archeology", German edition Christian Verlag, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-88472-035-X
6. ↑ ArchAtlas ( Memento of the original from April 9, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

Videos

• Sacred Weeds: Salvia Divinorum
• Sacred Weeds: Henbane
• Sacred Weeds: Blue Lily
• Sacred Weeds: Amanita Muscaria

Web links

• Paul Halstead, Professor Andrew Sherratt, Radical Old World prehistorian. Obituary in The Independent , March 6, 2006
• Anon. Obituary ( Memento of May 4, 2006 on the Internet Archive ) on the University of Sheffield website
• Jeremy Pearce, Andrew Sherratt, 59, Who Studied Animal Husbandry, Is Dead. Obituary in the New York Times .