Killian Driscoll
Biographic Data
| ID | 297390 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Killian Driscoll |
| GIVEN NAMES | Killian |
| FAMILY NAME | Driscoll |
| SIGNATURE | DRISCOLL K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Utrecht University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4654-4666 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 169 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 23 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Civilization and Its Elephants
Humanimalia is a biannual journal devoted to the study of humananimal relations.It is interdisciplinary, open-access, and peer-reviewed, publishing original articles from a wide range of cultural, historical, philosophical, political, and aesthetic perspectives.Humanimalia has three aims: (1) to explore and advance the vast range of scholarship on human-animal relations; (2) to encourage exchange among scholars working from a variety of disciplin…
Crow Time
Slowly, slowly
World, war, zoo
This article explores the implications of the recent proliferation of ‘zoo-break’ narratives in relation to the discourse on the Anthropocene and the figure of the sacrifice zone in particular. Taking the zoo cage as a manifestation of what Agamben calls the ‘inclusive exclusion’ of zoē within bíos, and hence of the sacrificial logic that constitutes the human subject at the expense of the animal, the article explores how in these ‘zoo-break’ nar…
Das eigentliche Problem vom Menschen”
In 2019, a new strategy in wildlife conservation was announced: so-called “rhino impact bonds,” designed to support the conservation of African black rhinos, with the ultimate aim of establishing a global “conservation debt market.” This essay takes this development in the financialization of wildlife conservation as an object lesson in the mutual imbrication of guilt, debt, and the (non)human in the age of the Anthropocene. To this end, it trace…
Introduction
Little House in the Mountains? A small Mesolithic structure from the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland
An Unheard, Inhuman Music
In The Animal That Therefore I Am, Derrida wonders whether it would be possible to think of the discourse of the animal in musical terms, and if so, whether one could change the key, or the tone of the music, by inserting a “flat”—a “blue note” in other words. The task would be to render audible “an unheard language or music” that would be “somewhat inhuman” but a language nonetheless. This essay pursues this intriguing proposition by means of a …
Book Presence in a Digital Age
Contrary to the apocalyptic pronouncements of paper media’s imminent demise in the digital age, there has been a veritable surge of creative reimaginings of books as bearers of the literary. From typographic experiments (Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, Steven Hall’s The Raw Shark Texts) to accordion books (Anne Carson’s Nox), from cut ups (Jonathan Safran Foer’s Tree of Codes) to collages (Graham Rawle’s Woman’s World), from erasures (Mary…
Introduction
In ‘The Preserving Machine’, an early Philip K. Dick story published in 1953, an unnamed narrator pays a visit to his friend, the rather implausibly named Doctor Labyrinth, who, ‘like most people w
Introducing LIR (Lithotheque Ireland), a reference collection of flaked stone tool raw materials from Ireland
The LIR (Lithotheque Ireland) reference collection of flaked stone tool raw materials from Ireland began in 2013, and is based on the geological prospection from two projects. The first (2013-2015) focused attention primarily on Carboniferous cherts from the northwest of Ireland, collecting 405 samples. The second (2015-2017) is currently collecting samples of the Cretaceous flint primarily from in situ contexts in the northeast of Ireland, but a…
The role of quartz in Neolithic lithic traditions
Killian Driscoll*, The role of quartz in Neolithic lithic traditions: a case study from the Thornhill Early Neolithic palisaded enclosure, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature, Vol. 116C (2016), pp. 3-29
Trampled under foot
Animals, Mimesis, and the Origin of Language
L'essai est axé sur une scène pivot de l'opéra Siegfried de Richard Wagner, dans laquelle le héros tente de communiquer avec un oiseau de la forêt en imitant son chant. Ce point de départ mène vers l'exploration des théories sur l'origine des langues développées au siècle des Lumières, plus spécifiquement celles de Rousseau et de Herder. La tentative de Siegfried d'imiter le chant de l'oiseau et son échec font concurrence aux thèmes avancés par c…
Their lips are sealed
New materials, traditional practices
A lithic assemblage is described from numerous localities on the shores of Lough Allen, part of the River Shannon system in Ireland. By macroscopic and microscopic comparison with locally collected rock, the vast majority of the 869 artefacts are determined to be worked from a type of silicified dolomite—a fine-grained rock type with nearly isotropic fracture properties not previously recognised amongst Irish prehistoric lithic assemblages. The g…
Coastal communities in earlier prehistoric Ireland
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature - Volume 113C, 2013
Copia Nostri
Through a reading of Kafka's “Der Ausflug ins Gebirge” and the story of Echo and Narcissus in Ovid's Metamorphoses , this paper explores the strategies employed by Kafka in creating a poetic self. Central to this maneuver are the complementary tropes of aphanisis , the “fading” of the subject upon contact with language, and prosopopoeia , the lending of a voice to a voiceless entity Kafka's text stages a “Ruf ohne Klang,” uttered by a silent “I” …
Recognising burnt vein quartz artefacts in archaeological assemblages
Identifying and Classifying Vein Quartz Artefacts
Worldwide, vein quartz was used as a raw material for stone tools, and in many regions quartz was the dominant raw material, if not the only raw material. While using quartz was not necessarily problematic for the communities in question, and was often preferred over other materials, the ‘problem’ with quartz is for archaeologists attempting to analyse the material, especially with coarse‐grained quartz. This paper presents the results of a quart…
Vein quartz in lithic traditions
Exploring the Chaîne Opératoires in Irish Quartz Lithic Traditions
This article explores the use of quartz as a raw material in the early prehistoric period in Ireland. Archaeologists have invariably ignored quartz as a raw material because of its perceived difficulty in analysis. The basis of the research is the development, through experimental knapping, of an analytical framework for quartz working in Ireland and testing this framework by a detailed analysis of Later Mesolithic quartz assemblages
They wrought almost any material that came in their way
The title's quote comes from Knowles' 1889 paper on his fieldwork, where he collected lithics made from various raw materials. He commented on the difficulty of identifying such lithics and the consequent biases produced in the archaeological record. However, these comments were effectively overlooked, and flint continued until recently to be perceived as the premier lithic raw material: the Antrim flint deposits were regarded as the lynchpin of …
Vein quartz in lithic traditions
Their lips are sealed
Trampled under foot
Little House in the Mountains? A small Mesolithic structure from the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland
Introducing LIR (Lithotheque Ireland), a reference collection of flaked stone tool raw materials from Ireland
The LIR (Lithotheque Ireland) reference collection of flaked stone tool raw materials from Ireland began in 2013, and is based on the geological prospection from two projects. The first (2013-2015) focused attention primarily on Carboniferous cherts from the northwest of Ireland, collecting 405 samples. The second (2015-2017) is currently collecting samples of the Cretaceous flint primarily from in situ contexts in the northeast of Ireland, but a…
Introduction
In ‘The Preserving Machine’, an early Philip K. Dick story published in 1953, an unnamed narrator pays a visit to his friend, the rather implausibly named Doctor Labyrinth, who, ‘like most people w
Identifying and Classifying Vein Quartz Artefacts
Worldwide, vein quartz was used as a raw material for stone tools, and in many regions quartz was the dominant raw material, if not the only raw material. While using quartz was not necessarily problematic for the communities in question, and was often preferred over other materials, the ‘problem’ with quartz is for archaeologists attempting to analyse the material, especially with coarse‐grained quartz. This paper presents the results of a quart…
They wrought almost any material that came in their way
The title's quote comes from Knowles' 1889 paper on his fieldwork, where he collected lithics made from various raw materials. He commented on the difficulty of identifying such lithics and the consequent biases produced in the archaeological record. However, these comments were effectively overlooked, and flint continued until recently to be perceived as the premier lithic raw material: the Antrim flint deposits were regarded as the lynchpin of …
Recognising burnt vein quartz artefacts in archaeological assemblages
Exploring the Chaîne Opératoires in Irish Quartz Lithic Traditions
This article explores the use of quartz as a raw material in the early prehistoric period in Ireland. Archaeologists have invariably ignored quartz as a raw material because of its perceived difficulty in analysis. The basis of the research is the development, through experimental knapping, of an analytical framework for quartz working in Ireland and testing this framework by a detailed analysis of Later Mesolithic quartz assemblages
Animals, Mimesis, and the Origin of Language
L'essai est axé sur une scène pivot de l'opéra Siegfried de Richard Wagner, dans laquelle le héros tente de communiquer avec un oiseau de la forêt en imitant son chant. Ce point de départ mène vers l'exploration des théories sur l'origine des langues développées au siècle des Lumières, plus spécifiquement celles de Rousseau et de Herder. La tentative de Siegfried d'imiter le chant de l'oiseau et son échec font concurrence aux thèmes avancés par c…
New materials, traditional practices
A lithic assemblage is described from numerous localities on the shores of Lough Allen, part of the River Shannon system in Ireland. By macroscopic and microscopic comparison with locally collected rock, the vast majority of the 869 artefacts are determined to be worked from a type of silicified dolomite—a fine-grained rock type with nearly isotropic fracture properties not previously recognised amongst Irish prehistoric lithic assemblages. The g…
Coastal communities in earlier prehistoric Ireland
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature - Volume 113C, 2013
Exploring the Chaîne Opératoires in Irish Quartz Lithic Traditions
This article explores the use of quartz as a raw material in the early prehistoric period in Ireland. Archaeologists have invariably ignored quartz as a raw material because of its perceived difficulty in analysis. The basis of the research is the development, through experimental knapping, of an analytical framework for quartz working in Ireland and testing this framework by a detailed analysis of Later Mesolithic quartz assemblages
They wrought almost any material that came in their way
The title's quote comes from Knowles' 1889 paper on his fieldwork, where he collected lithics made from various raw materials. He commented on the difficulty of identifying such lithics and the consequent biases produced in the archaeological record. However, these comments were effectively overlooked, and flint continued until recently to be perceived as the premier lithic raw material: the Antrim flint deposits were regarded as the lynchpin of …
Vein quartz in lithic traditions
Copia Nostri
Through a reading of Kafka's “Der Ausflug ins Gebirge” and the story of Echo and Narcissus in Ovid's Metamorphoses , this paper explores the strategies employed by Kafka in creating a poetic self. Central to this maneuver are the complementary tropes of aphanisis , the “fading” of the subject upon contact with language, and prosopopoeia , the lending of a voice to a voiceless entity Kafka's text stages a “Ruf ohne Klang,” uttered by a silent “I” …
Recognising burnt vein quartz artefacts in archaeological assemblages
Identifying and Classifying Vein Quartz Artefacts
Worldwide, vein quartz was used as a raw material for stone tools, and in many regions quartz was the dominant raw material, if not the only raw material. While using quartz was not necessarily problematic for the communities in question, and was often preferred over other materials, the ‘problem’ with quartz is for archaeologists attempting to analyse the material, especially with coarse‐grained quartz. This paper presents the results of a quart…
Coastal communities in earlier prehistoric Ireland
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature - Volume 113C, 2013
Their lips are sealed
New materials, traditional practices
A lithic assemblage is described from numerous localities on the shores of Lough Allen, part of the River Shannon system in Ireland. By macroscopic and microscopic comparison with locally collected rock, the vast majority of the 869 artefacts are determined to be worked from a type of silicified dolomite—a fine-grained rock type with nearly isotropic fracture properties not previously recognised amongst Irish prehistoric lithic assemblages. The g…
Trampled under foot
Animals, Mimesis, and the Origin of Language
L'essai est axé sur une scène pivot de l'opéra Siegfried de Richard Wagner, dans laquelle le héros tente de communiquer avec un oiseau de la forêt en imitant son chant. Ce point de départ mène vers l'exploration des théories sur l'origine des langues développées au siècle des Lumières, plus spécifiquement celles de Rousseau et de Herder. La tentative de Siegfried d'imiter le chant de l'oiseau et son échec font concurrence aux thèmes avancés par c…
Introducing LIR (Lithotheque Ireland), a reference collection of flaked stone tool raw materials from Ireland
The LIR (Lithotheque Ireland) reference collection of flaked stone tool raw materials from Ireland began in 2013, and is based on the geological prospection from two projects. The first (2013-2015) focused attention primarily on Carboniferous cherts from the northwest of Ireland, collecting 405 samples. The second (2015-2017) is currently collecting samples of the Cretaceous flint primarily from in situ contexts in the northeast of Ireland, but a…
The role of quartz in Neolithic lithic traditions
Killian Driscoll*, The role of quartz in Neolithic lithic traditions: a case study from the Thornhill Early Neolithic palisaded enclosure, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature, Vol. 116C (2016), pp. 3-29
An Unheard, Inhuman Music
In The Animal That Therefore I Am, Derrida wonders whether it would be possible to think of the discourse of the animal in musical terms, and if so, whether one could change the key, or the tone of the music, by inserting a “flat”—a “blue note” in other words. The task would be to render audible “an unheard language or music” that would be “somewhat inhuman” but a language nonetheless. This essay pursues this intriguing proposition by means of a …
Book Presence in a Digital Age
Contrary to the apocalyptic pronouncements of paper media’s imminent demise in the digital age, there has been a veritable surge of creative reimaginings of books as bearers of the literary. From typographic experiments (Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, Steven Hall’s The Raw Shark Texts) to accordion books (Anne Carson’s Nox), from cut ups (Jonathan Safran Foer’s Tree of Codes) to collages (Graham Rawle’s Woman’s World), from erasures (Mary…
Introduction
In ‘The Preserving Machine’, an early Philip K. Dick story published in 1953, an unnamed narrator pays a visit to his friend, the rather implausibly named Doctor Labyrinth, who, ‘like most people w
Introduction
Little House in the Mountains? A small Mesolithic structure from the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland
Das eigentliche Problem vom Menschen”
In 2019, a new strategy in wildlife conservation was announced: so-called “rhino impact bonds,” designed to support the conservation of African black rhinos, with the ultimate aim of establishing a global “conservation debt market.” This essay takes this development in the financialization of wildlife conservation as an object lesson in the mutual imbrication of guilt, debt, and the (non)human in the age of the Anthropocene. To this end, it trace…
World, war, zoo
This article explores the implications of the recent proliferation of ‘zoo-break’ narratives in relation to the discourse on the Anthropocene and the figure of the sacrifice zone in particular. Taking the zoo cage as a manifestation of what Agamben calls the ‘inclusive exclusion’ of zoē within bíos, and hence of the sacrificial logic that constitutes the human subject at the expense of the animal, the article explores how in these ‘zoo-break’ nar…
Slowly, slowly
Civilization and Its Elephants
Humanimalia is a biannual journal devoted to the study of humananimal relations.It is interdisciplinary, open-access, and peer-reviewed, publishing original articles from a wide range of cultural, historical, philosophical, political, and aesthetic perspectives.Humanimalia has three aims: (1) to explore and advance the vast range of scholarship on human-animal relations; (2) to encourage exchange among scholars working from a variety of disciplin…
Crow Time
Archaeology (13 works) · Geology (11 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (11 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (10 works) · Geography (9 works) · Paleontology (8 works) · History (7 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (6 works) · Quartz (6 works)