February 12  Scott Pletka, UCLA
The Evolution and Function of Monumental Construction in Prehistoric Denmark
I present and evaluate several models for why groups build monuments. The cultural significance of monuments motivated intermediate-scale societies to build and use them, but monumental construction spread and persisted because those monuments served various functions. Monuments created a social landscape.  Thus, they influenced how individuals and groups interacted with each other.  Groups that built monuments were more successful, ultimately, because monuments helped create important institutions.  Monuments in Thy, Denmark may have functioned as focal points for interaction or as territorial markers, depending on the kinds of social problems which existed during their period of construction and use.