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Ritual landscapes orceremonial landscapes are large archaeological areas that were seemingly dedicated to ceremonial purposes in theNeolithic andBronze Ages. Most are dated to around 3500–1800 BC, though amustatil in Arabia has been dated to between 5300 and 5000 BC. The term emerged in the early 1980s in British archaeology and was contrasted with more conventional studies of monument sites concerned withdating, classification, and political divisions. Ritual landscapes are often associated with origin myths, ancestors, homes of spiritual essences, or locales where mythical or historical events occurred while the landscape features includesocial memory and the preservation of the myths, histories, trusts, and the belongings of a people.[1] Aside from a place of origin and mythology, ritual landscapes were also considered places of protection and renewal.[1][2]
In Britain, many ritual landscapes were gradually built around the two earliest classes of Neolithic communal monuments:long barrows andcausewayed enclosures.[3] For instance, theAvebury ritual site featured a giant, flat-topped barrow calledSilbury Hill, which is considered the largest artificial mound in prehistoric Europe.[4] The evidence of contemporary settlement within these landscapes is often sparse or absent altogether; conversely, non-utilitarianstructures andartifacts are typically abundant.[5] TheRing of Brodgar, part of theHeart of Neolithic Orkney, as theWorld Heritage Site onOrkney, Scotland is called, is the other most famous site in Britain.
Ritual landscapes inIreland—such asBrú na Bóinne (another WHS),Tara andUisneach—include ancient tombs,stone circles,standing stones,enclosures,avenues, and natural features.
In Britain and Ireland, ritual landscapes went out of use relatively abruptly around 1500 BC and were replaced by smaller-scale shrines, which were often located near rivers, marshes, and springs. These smaller shrines usually feature offerings of food and metalwork and continued to be created and used into Roman and even Saxon times. Today they are often described as Celtic.[3]
In other cultures, the ritual landscape is strongly influenced by the environment. This is demonstrated in the case ofTibet, the verticality of the environment dominated the constructions of the ritual landscape and features therein such as structures and tombs, which were built to resemble the mountains.[6]
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