The westhallstattkreis as spaces of contact

Abstract

The idea of the contact zone has already been of interest for archaeologists for a long time, but rarely had they been applied to the study of the so-called Westhallstattkreis. Both the ‘contact zone’ as well as the Westhallstattkreis have generally been understood as geographically definable spaces: the first one as a space where cultural encounter unfolded its transformative potential; the second one as a space where particular types of objects and features were found. Based on the understanding of spaces of encounter by Marie Louise Pratt and Richard White, the ‘contact zone’ will be redefined for the study of the Westhallstattkreis. We suggest dissolving the ‘contact zones’ from geographically defined spaces and seeing them — as well as the Westhallstattkreis — as performative spaces.