Gordon Childe Research Articles

Gordon Childe and Broadcasting: Archaeology, Science, and Politics

Gordon Childe and Broadcasting: Archaeology, Science, and Politics

On not seeing like a state: rethinking ancient Honduras (The Gordon Childe Lecture for 2023)

This article exemplifies the way that moving from perspectives on inequality to questions of the exercise of freedom can change archaeological interpretation. Using a case study from Honduras, where conventional models suggest that social evolution stagnated at the level of chiefdoms, the article draws on recent advances in theories of anarchic social organisation to rethink the data relating to occupation during the equivalent of the Maya Classic and Terminal Classic periods (c. 500–1000 ad). Settlement pattern data from northern Honduras have previously been interpreted as exemplifying heterarchy, understood as the expression of multiple overlapping hierarchies, in distinct aspects of social life. Most settlements conform to the needs of farming, with small towns that are roughly evenly spaced providing opportunities for rural populations to participate in seasonal ceremonies, ball games and possibly markets. Considering the structuring role of freedom to move, to refuse commands and to create new forms of social life enables understanding underlying dynamics that the heterarchy model was missing. It allows for an account of the growth and decline of settlements as outcomes of strategies by leading families and refusal of these by the broader population. Central to these strategies are the roles of visual media, specifically art works, through which social values were created among this politically anarchic population.

About Caucasian Migration and Ukrainain Neolithization

In recent years, Ukrainian archaeologist V. O. Manko has been boldly revising key positions in traditional ideas about the Mesolithic and Neolithic of South-Eastern Europe, to which his latest article in the journal Arheologia, written in co-authorship with the Georgian researcher G. L. Chhatarashvili, is devoted. The article begins with a call to abandon the traditional definition of the Neolithic, proposed by the classic scholar of prehistory V. Gordon Childe (the Neolithic is the era of the invention and spread of the reproductive economy) and replace it with an innovative one: the Neolithic is an information system. Since everything in the world is a system, the question arises: What is the meaning and benefit of such an innovative definition of the Neolithic? The co-authors of the article resolutely reject the Balkan-Danube version of the neolithization of Central-Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine, founded by the already mentioned G. Child, as the brainchild of “improper research methodology”. Of course, the classics are also wrong, but a discussion with serious scientists requires serious argumentation, which, unfortunately, is catastrophically lacking in V. O. Manko’s constructions. The researcher proposes to replace the classical version of the neolithization of Europe from the Balkans through the Danube to the Caucasian route of the movement of Neolithic colonists to the Northern Black Sea; however, the arguments for his alternative are clearly insufficient. V. O. Manko boldly solves the complex problems of the genesis of a number of Mesolithic cultures of Ukraine and the Caucasus: Hrebenyky, Kukrek, Shpan-Koba, Swider, Mariupol and others. Loud revolutionary statements not supported by proper arguments and facts look like unconvincing declarations, which give rise to doubts and a skeptical attitude of the reader towards them. I will not claim that all the cultural communities highlighted in the article are illusory, and the migration routes from the Middle East through the Caucasus to the Black Sea region are ephemeral. However, the scant information on the typology of the flint inventory of cultural communities provided by its authors and clearly insufficient illustrative material in most cases does not allow imagining what it is actually about. Therefore, the topic chosen by the authors of the article of systematization of the cultural communities of the Mesolithic of the Caucasus and their cultural connections with the Black Sea region is definitely relevant, but its solution is complicated by the significant defects of the source base of the region and poor argumentation of the proposed hypotheses. Perhaps if the authors did not try to solve all the problems of the Mesolithic of the Caucasus and its neighboring regions in one article, then their conclusions would be more thorough, convincing and understandable for the readers.

Against Method

Against Method

V. Gordon Childe and Arnold Hauser on the social origins of the artist

Vere Gordon Childe’s theory of craft specialisation was an important influence on Arnold Hauser’s book The Social History of Art, published in 1951. Childe’s Marxist interpretation of prehistory enabled Hauser to establish a material foundation for the occupation of the artist in Western art history. However, Hauser’s effort to construct a progressive basis for artistic labour was complicated by art’s ancient connections to religion and superstition. While the artist’s social position and class loyalties were ambiguous in Childe’s accounts of early civilisations, Hauser consigned artists to the lower echelons of society. This relegation did not imply that Hauser had a low regard for artistic skills. Quite the opposite, the artist’s inferior social status enabled Hauser to distance artists from the ruling class, and consequently, to separate artistic handiwork from the dominant ideology that works of art manifested.

The social reproduction of labour in the context of the work of women: Past and present

After the primary role that Gordon Childe assigned to women in prehistory in both the beginnings of agriculture and cattle-domestication, women have been placed at an inferior position in both the realms of production and consumption. Even when they were employed in factories after the Industrial Revolution, they were paid much lower wages than men workers. As Marx pointed out, however, wages have to cover the entire family expenses, and, on this count, wage-levels in colonial countries, even after ‘decolonisation’, have not reached appropriate levels. In colonial India, owing both to tribute and free trade, Indian labouring women, for example, spinners, suffered very grievous hardship. Today it is essential that poverty-lines should be raised and minimum wages adjusted to subsistence needs.

Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past

Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past

The emergence of ceramics in Southwest Asia: Early pottery in farming communities

In Southwest Asia, early ceramics are generally associated with sedentary farming communities. This is unlike many other parts of Asia, where ceramics were first manufactured by hunter-gatherers. Radiocarbon evidence indicates that sustained production of ceramic containers (pottery) began at several sites in Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia and the northern Levant around 7000 BC or slightly later, although there are indications that very small-scale production of pottery sometimes occurred at even earlier dates. In other regions (e.g. the southern Levant, Cyprus) pottery does not become common until centuries later. This paper examines Southwest Asian ceramic production in terms of its timing, technology and use, as well as its social and economic contexts. It also considers the legacy of early archaeological studies of Southwest Asian pottery for our general understanding of the emergence of ceramics. For example, Gordon Childe's concept of a ‘Neolithic package’ promoted a close association between the emergence of farming and pottery, which cannot be supported for many parts of Asia.

The Invention of Prehistory and the Rediscovery of Europe: Exploring the Intellectual Roots of Gordon Childe’s ‘Neolithic Revolution’ (1936)

This article re-examines the ‘neolithic revolution’—Gordon Childe’s great contribution to prehistoric archaeology. Childe first articulated his model of three revolutions in history—neolithic, urban and industrial—in 1936. Many authors have sought to understand it in the light of subsequent archaeological theory; here I proceed differently. A broader appreciation of the context in which Childe operated, in Britain and the rest of Europe, is necessary if we are to grasp fully the content of his model and the theoretical strands that influenced it. This article aims to elucidate the Neolithic as a historical construct and Childe’s archaeology as a continuation of his politics. The facts are viewed from four perspectives: (a) personal, with biographical information about the young Gordon Childe; (b) institutional, through a description of the 1920s research landscape in London; (c) ideological, through an attempt to retrace the European Weltanschauung; and (d) conceptual, with a discussion of the ‘neolithic revolution’. Childe’s love-hate relationship with Germany and Austria heavily influenced his model, which is essentially a grand synthesis between the Kulturkreislehre (of Grabner) and the Dreistufenlehre (probably of Karl Bucher, through its critique by the Functionalists in London). The model’s revolutionary structure comes from dialectical materialism. All three main building blocks of the ‘neolithic revolution’—diffusionist, evolutionist and Marxist—ultimately derive from the great nineteenth century German historical tradition. An anti-fascist his entire life, Childe tried to rescue German ideas in face of the impending catastrophe—Hitler’s arrival to power, and the destruction of Central European intellectual traditions.

The First University Positions in Prehistoric Archaeology in New Zealand and Australia

University Departments employing prehistoric archaeologists have a long history in the United States and the United Kingdom, going back to the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. Developments in prehistoric archaeology in Australia and New Zealand, however, began only in the 1950s, generally within Anthropology or History Departments. The initial appointments of prehistoric archaeologists in New Zealand and Australia are considered here, involving the Universities of Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, New England and the Australian National University. While circumstances and influences varied between these places, there was also considerable cross-fertilization. British Universities, particularly the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics were the main influences on developments in Australia and New Zealand. Individuals, such as Raymond Firth, were also important. Similarly, Gordon Childe played an unacknowledged role in the creation of a position in prehistoric archaeology at the Australian National University.

The Agricultural Revolution, Childe’s Theory of Economic Development as Outlined in Man Makes Himself, and Contemporary Economic Theories

This article assesses Childe’s theory of the impact of the commencement of agriculture on Neolithic economic development and its socioeconomic consequences, as outlined in his book Man Makes Himself. It also relates his theory to contemporary views on economic development, paying attention to current theories of sustainable economic development. After providing a biographical note on V. Gordon Childe (an Australian-born archaeologist and anthropologist) and introducing his basic ideas, it examines Childe’s criterion of successful economic development. Subsequently, the essence of Childe’s two-phase model of early agricultural development is summarized and its validity is evaluated. Childe is identified as a Marxist. The influence of Marxism on his life and theories is given careful consideration. It is suggested that contemporary economists should pay greater attention to the ‘big’ history of economic change, as Childe did.

‘A Work from an Unknown Member of the Proletariat’: Digitising and Re-examining Vere Gordon Childe’s ‘Dawn of European Civilization’.

This article presents a detailed examination of Gordon Childe’s The Dawn of European Civilization, one of the best known books in European Archaeology. An overview of the book, its scope and influence is provided, as well as an analysis of its complex theoretical structures and philosophical context. Detailed sequential analysis of all six editions reveals how the original was repeatedly reinvented by Childe over a thirty year period in response to advances in European archaeology, his own theoretical interests and external political factors. The importance of the book for the history of 20th century archaeology and its role as an ‘ancestral text’ are assessed.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Angus Graham and Gordon Childe (1935–46)

This paper explores the story of Scotland’s national survey body, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, between 1935 and 1946, with reference to Angus Graham, their Secretary, and Vere Gordon Childe, perhaps the best-known archaeologist of the 20th century. Much of the narrative describes the Commission’s survey of Orkney and Shetland, an eight year project which brought close contact with Childe, and special attention is given to debate over the Neolithic sites at Skara Brae and Rinyo. The outbreak of war in 1939 delayed their report for some seven years, but the government supported a major programme of rescue recording to mitigate damage caused by enemy bombing and the training of allied troops. In 1938 Childe was passed over for membership of the Commission, who felt that they had sufficient archaeological expertise. His extreme anger at this snub was to be reflected in a negative review of their forthcoming report, but was allayed by neat footwork on the part of the chairman. In 1942, when the Commissioners did indeed put Childe forward as a member it was the Secretary of State for Scotland that stood in their way. Dedicated efforts by the Commission finally persuaded him that Childe was not in fact a Communist threat, and he and Graham went on to record some 636 ancient monuments, while Graham alone took 2,200 images of historic buildings. The archive material (and Graham’s diaries in particular) shine a light on what was a pioneering project in testing times. The circumstances of the war, and the short duration of Childe’s membership, meant that his influence was in fact felt through fieldwork and not, as one may have expected, in the development of the Commission’s over-arching syntheses.

Aarne Michaël Tallgren and the International Discussion on the Bronze Age of Russia

This paper is on international scholarly discussion on the Bronze Age of Russia from 1908 until 1939, and in particular on the related role of the internationally renowned Finnish archaeologist Aarne Michael Tallgren (1885–1945). How did a social network of researchers produce new interpretations and what were the key factors that distinguished the participants in the discussion? Was it a continuous process or a series of sudden changes? How did different ideological backgrounds influence the interpretations? In Western Europe, Tallgren’s most important interlocutors were Gero von Merhart, V Gordon Childe and Ellis H Minns, and in Russia V A Gorodcov and A A Spicyn. The paper is mainly based on correspondence between Tallgren and his colleagues.

A Russian Perspective on Theoretical Archaeology: The Life and Work of Leo S. Klejn. Stephen Leach. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2015, 221 pp. $79.00, cloth. ISBN 978-1-62958-138-5.

<i>A Russian Perspective on Theoretical Archaeology: The Life and Work of Leo S. Klejn</i>. Stephen Leach. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2015, 221 pp. $79.00, cloth. ISBN 978-1-62958-138-5.

Digitising and Re-examining Vere Gordon Childe’s ‘Dawn of European Civilization’: a celebration of the UCL Institute of Archaeology’s 80th Anniversary

This article presents a detailed examination of Gordon Childe’s The Dawn of European Civilization, one of the best known books in European Archaeology. An overview of the book, its scope and influence is provided, as well as an analysis of its complex theoretical structures and philosophical context. Detailed sequential analysis of all six editions reveals how the original was repeatedly reinvented by Childe over a thirty year period in response to advances in European archaeology, his own theoretical interests and external political factors. The importance of the book for the history of 20th century archaeology and its role as an ‘ancestral text’ are assessed.

A Person of Interest: Gordon Childe and MI5

A Person of Interest: Gordon Childe and MI5

Comparing Pathways to Agriculture

The transition from foraging systems to agricultural dependence is a persistent focus of archaeological research, and the focus of a major research project supported by the European Research Council (ERC grant no. 323842, ’ComPAg’). Gordon Childe, director of the Institute of Archaeology 1947–1957, influentially defined the Neolithic revolution as that which instigated a series of changes in human societies towards sedentism (settling in one place), larger populations, food production based on domesticated plants and animals, transformed cosmologies and the dawn of new malleable technologies such as ceramics and textiles (Childe 1936).

Binford versus Childe: What makes an archaeologist influential?

This article asks whether Lewis Binford or V. Gordon Childe was the most influential archaeologist of the twentieth century. This is, quite frankly, a question that has no objective answer, but asking it leads us to consider what makes an archaeologist influential. The answer lies in knowing the field widely and well, in thinking about big questions, and in providing what the field needs, in its current historical condition, to answer those big questions.

Placing Asia in the Anthropocene: Histories, Vulnerabilities, Responses

In the nineteenth century, the Mekong, Red, and Chao Phraya river deltas in Southeast Asia underwent a massive expansion in agricultural settlement and engineering (Dao and Molle 2000). Contending with crocodiles and herds of wild elephants in addition to more prosaic insect and bird pests (Terwiel 1989), settlers struggled successfully to make these deltas highly productive centers of rice and other agriculture. Such struggles, which were until very recently confidently labeled as “Man's Conquest of Nature,” used to be seen as representing Progress with a capital P. Historically, few men or women had doubts about the real struggle involved in making a living from Nature. In a lecture given in 1877, William Morris explained that “the race of man must either labour or perish. Nature does not give us our livelihood gratis; we must win it by toil of some sort or degree” (W. Morris 2008, 1). Human evolution could thus be summarized as a story in which “Man struggled with nature, and he is conquering it gradually through his intelligence, inventiveness, and skill” (Sigerist 1936, 597). Progress was the process by whichMan Makes Himself, to cite the title of Gordon Childe's influential 1936 book on archaeology. By the nineteenth century, the problem for socialists such as Morris was that “the fruits of our victory over Nature [have] been stolen from us” (W. Morris 2008, 10); the basic necessity of “conquering” Nature was not disputed.