DOI Artikel:
Editorial
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49004#0145
EDITORIAL
This issue of Tools & Tillage completes vol-
ume VII and therefore includes an index for
the whole of the volume. There are only three
issues in the volume, instead of the usual four,
but the present one is a double issue, so that
the overall number of pages in the volume is
nearly the same as usual.
On this occasion, we are fortunate in hav-
ing two important articles on swidden culti-
vation, as carried out by people in totally dif-
ferent parts of the world. The respective au-
thors present their material with much in-
sight, describing an agricultural practice
which involves very few tools. Nevertheless
the technical details, particularly those from
Northern Europe, can lead to some under-
standing of the spiritual perspectives of the
people who practised such techniques in ear-
lier times. The light it throws on their mental-
ity can be quite astonishing, and we are glad
to be able to lift the edge of the veil in this
way for our readers. The Indian and North-
ern European practices show that this is not
only a sophisticated technique, but also an
integral part of different ways of life.
In the previous issue, Tools & Tillage
looked at Celtic fields in Estonia, and carried
a review of the substantial publication by
Viggo Nielsen of his excavations in the Celtic
fields in Store Vildmose in Denmark. Now,
Viggo Nielsen and Niels-Christian Clem-
mensen present modern techniques for sur-
veying Celtic fields in Northern Europe, and
for making comparative studies, through
making surveys with similar data bases, based
on the use of a special computer programme.
This flows from computerisation of the icons
for banks, boundaries etc, in the system de-
veloped by Gudmund Hatt and Axel Steens-
berg in their early work in the 1930s. Though
the authors base their methods on their expe-
rience of recent work in Denmark, neverthe-
less they are fully capable of being generalised
to any part of the world.
From a modest start in 1968, Tools & Till-
age has published radiocarbon dates of agri-
cultural implements through the years. Re-
finements and new dating methods, especially
through the development of dendrochronol-
ogy, have made it necessary within the last
years to adjust the calibrations into calender
years several times. To make things easier for
the readers of Tools & Tillage, Grith Lerche
has reorganized the whole, into a fresh list of
all datings that have appeared so far in Tools
& Tillage. In this way new datings can be
compared with the old ones, with a full de-
gree of confidence. We are, of course, always
glad to hear from readers about any new
dated implements. The time is also getting
close for us to consider implements dated by
dendrochronology as well.
We continue to invite contributions relat-
ing to the results of fresh research, focused on
cultivation processes. We have a special in-
terest in the ways in which the techniques and
processes of tillage, harvesting and other
preparation processes interconnect with the
preparation of edible food, and we are con-
cerned to locate new finds, to hear of new
experiments, and generally to pinpoint new
local evidence regarding methods which have
been investigated, and which will broaden
our knowledge of the relationships between
techniques, tools, and sustainability. Our fo-
cus is the whole world, and our canvas re-
mains all historical periods.
This issue of Tools & Tillage completes vol-
ume VII and therefore includes an index for
the whole of the volume. There are only three
issues in the volume, instead of the usual four,
but the present one is a double issue, so that
the overall number of pages in the volume is
nearly the same as usual.
On this occasion, we are fortunate in hav-
ing two important articles on swidden culti-
vation, as carried out by people in totally dif-
ferent parts of the world. The respective au-
thors present their material with much in-
sight, describing an agricultural practice
which involves very few tools. Nevertheless
the technical details, particularly those from
Northern Europe, can lead to some under-
standing of the spiritual perspectives of the
people who practised such techniques in ear-
lier times. The light it throws on their mental-
ity can be quite astonishing, and we are glad
to be able to lift the edge of the veil in this
way for our readers. The Indian and North-
ern European practices show that this is not
only a sophisticated technique, but also an
integral part of different ways of life.
In the previous issue, Tools & Tillage
looked at Celtic fields in Estonia, and carried
a review of the substantial publication by
Viggo Nielsen of his excavations in the Celtic
fields in Store Vildmose in Denmark. Now,
Viggo Nielsen and Niels-Christian Clem-
mensen present modern techniques for sur-
veying Celtic fields in Northern Europe, and
for making comparative studies, through
making surveys with similar data bases, based
on the use of a special computer programme.
This flows from computerisation of the icons
for banks, boundaries etc, in the system de-
veloped by Gudmund Hatt and Axel Steens-
berg in their early work in the 1930s. Though
the authors base their methods on their expe-
rience of recent work in Denmark, neverthe-
less they are fully capable of being generalised
to any part of the world.
From a modest start in 1968, Tools & Till-
age has published radiocarbon dates of agri-
cultural implements through the years. Re-
finements and new dating methods, especially
through the development of dendrochronol-
ogy, have made it necessary within the last
years to adjust the calibrations into calender
years several times. To make things easier for
the readers of Tools & Tillage, Grith Lerche
has reorganized the whole, into a fresh list of
all datings that have appeared so far in Tools
& Tillage. In this way new datings can be
compared with the old ones, with a full de-
gree of confidence. We are, of course, always
glad to hear from readers about any new
dated implements. The time is also getting
close for us to consider implements dated by
dendrochronology as well.
We continue to invite contributions relat-
ing to the results of fresh research, focused on
cultivation processes. We have a special in-
terest in the ways in which the techniques and
processes of tillage, harvesting and other
preparation processes interconnect with the
preparation of edible food, and we are con-
cerned to locate new finds, to hear of new
experiments, and generally to pinpoint new
local evidence regarding methods which have
been investigated, and which will broaden
our knowledge of the relationships between
techniques, tools, and sustainability. Our fo-
cus is the whole world, and our canvas re-
mains all historical periods.