Archaeology of Identity ‒ Archäologie der Identität

Can archaeological finds and findings provide information on identities from the past? This volume discusses a central problem for the historical interpretation of material remains: to what extent and under what conditions do the results of excavations allow us to draw conclusions about past ownership? Is the archaeology of identity in this sense even possible, and what methodological requirements does it impose? These questions tie in with the current debates on the ethnic interpretation of archeology, but attempt to move them to a slightly different context. Firstly, this work deals mainly but not exclusively with ethnic identity, and social, religious, cultural and gender identity are also examined. Secondly, the authors deliberately look at the conflict between historians with an interest in archaeology and archaeologists interpreting history. In the third place, this enables the authors to discuss the comparative roles of text and material remains.