Summarise: 'Elemental Bodies: the nature of transformative practices during the late third and second millennium BC in Scotland by Gavin MacGregord

ELEMENTAL BODIES: THE NATURE OF TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICES DURING THE LATE THIRD AND SECOND MILLENNIUM BC IN SCOTLAND Name of Student Course Name of Professor University Date Elemental Bodies: The Nature of Transformative Practices during the Late Third and Second Millennium BC in Scotland The Summary In his article, Gavin MacGregor analyzes some standard social practices in Scotland during the late third and second millennia BC, focusing on elemental transformations. As MacGregor points out, several activities at this time were considered elementally transformative due to their alleged power over material change (MacGregor, 2008). Using case examples from southwest Scotland, he studies the interdependencies between these activities, particularly mortuary and funerary and burnt mound traditions. The article starts by describing the concept of essential categories and their importance for comprehending previous social actions. MacGregor discusses how the ancient communities, especially Neolithic and Bronze Age British societies, may have perceived elemental categories like fire, air, water, and soil (MacGregor, 2008). He argues that society saw these elemental forces as potent beings capable of generating, transforming, and possibly destroying, having significant roles in cosmology and ceremony. MacGregor studies transformational behaviors in Scotland’s late third and second millennia BC, which are actions that led to significant changes in material or object qualities. Such methods include s...