Settlement Structure and Social Space
Helena Hamerow
The way in which a community arranges its living space is only partly due to technical considerations: social relations also play major role determining the layout of settlements, as we can see from cross-cultural studies (Rapoport 1980, 9). A correlation exists, for example, between increased economic complexity and regularity settlement structure. Thus, while hunter-gatherer settlements tend have fairly flexible structure, societies emphasize concepts property territory are more likely develop fixed ‘rules’ regarding (Fraser 1968). early Middle Ages saw profound changes socio-political structures states were formed, well developments food-production strategies technology. We should, therefore, expect these reflected, at least indirectly, layouts settlements. Spatial order both reflects helps regulate relations; it provides, quite literally, ‘a framework living’ (Chapman 1989; Giddens 1979, 207; Leach 1976, 10). This presents archaeologist with daunting prospect, far easier explain arrangement medieval terms function or geometry than kinship household composition, marriage patterns, so on, factors best glimpse through documentary sources. If, interpret significance an exceptionally large house farmstead accurately, first need know whether power was vested heads households lineages, council elders, some form paramount chiefdom. Despite limitations, important source evidence communities. individual appears been basic unit agricultural production northwest Europe Roman Iron Age Carolingian/Viking periods. importance and, degree, independence underscored by fact that most cases each lay within own enclosure had storage facilities (in contrast, shared compounds earlier Age, seen, Hodde Denmark: Hvass 1985).
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