Cummings Vicki - The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland

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The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland

Vicki Cummings here offers us a clearly structured narrative of the British and Irish Mesolithic and Neolithic that will be invaluable for the student, the general reader, or indeed the specialist seeking to keep up with the latest developments in this rapidly moving field. The well-known sites and monuments of Wessex and Orkney are amply described, but that is balanced by attention to other regions that have sometimes been neglected when considering British prehistory in its fullest geographical extent.

Professor Chris Scarre, Durham University, UK

The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland provides a synthesis of this dynamic period of prehistory from the end of the Mesolithic through to the early Beaker period. Drawing on new excavations and the application of new scientific approaches to data from this period, this book considers both life and death in the Neolithic. It offers a clear and concise introduction to this period but with an emphasis on the wider and on-going research questions. It is an important text for students new to the study of this period of prehistory as well as acting as a reference for students and scholars already researching this area.

The book begins by considering the Mesolithic prelude, specifically the millennium prior to the start of the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland. It then goes on to consider what life was like for people at the time, alongside the monumental record and how people treated the dead. This is presented chronologically, with separate chapters on the early Neolithic, middle Neolithic, late Neolithic and early Beaker periods. Finally it considers future research priorities for the study of the Neolithic.

Vicki Cummings is a Reader in Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire, UK, where she has worked since 2004. She specialises in the Mesolithic and Neolithic of Britain and Ireland, with a particular focus on the transition period, monuments and landscape. She has a broader interest in hunting and gathering populations and stone tools. She has excavated a series of Neolithic monuments including Clyde cairns, Bargrennan monuments and dolmens.

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Routledge Archaeology of Northern Europe

The British Palaeolithic
Paul Pettitt and Mark White

The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland
Vicki Cummings

Forthcoming

The Mesolithic in Britain: Landscape and Society in Times of Change
Chantal Conneller

Iron Age Lives in Britain and Ireland: 800 bc ad 400
Ian Armit

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The Neolithic of
Britain and Ireland

Vicki Cummings

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First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2017 Vicki Cummings

The right of Vicki Cummings to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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A catalog record for this book has been requested

ISBN: 978-1-138-85716-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-85718-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-71886-6 (ebk)

Typeset in Helvetica Neue
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK

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When Routledge wrote to me asking if I would be interested in writing a new synthesis on the British Neolithic for their new Archaeology of Northern Europe series I had not considered undertaking such a project. But the more I thought about it the more attractive the proposition became. From my own point of view I had always been slightly frustrated by the dominance of Wessex in accounts of the Neolithic. My own work had focused instead on areas bordering the Irish Sea and, in the last few years, central and western Ireland and northern Scotland. For me the inclusion of Ireland was essential in such a project, because the two landmasses shared so many common features in the start and development of the Neolithic way of life. Routledge were happy for me to include Ireland and so I designed a book which covered, I hoped, the whole of Britain and Ireland in equal measure. Of course, as soon as I started writing it was clear that there is a reason Wessex (and the Boyne and Orkney to a lesser extent) were so dominant in accounts of the Neolithic this is where so much fieldwork has been done over the years. This book is an attempt to shift the focus, or at least try to include, all other parts of Britain and Ireland the success of which the reader can judge for themselves. If nothing else it highlights the gaps in our knowledge and where future fieldwork should be targeted.

In terms of practicalities the University of Central Lancashire has been very supportive of archaeology over the last decade and in particular I would like to thank successive heads of school Alison Jones, Gary Bond and Carol Cox for investing in archaeology. Much of this book was written during a university-funded sabbatical and I am very grateful for this support. I have reproduced a number of images provided by colleagues: many thanks to Hugo Anderson-Whymark, Dot Boughton, Fraser Brown, Nick Card, Andrew Cochrane, Bryony Coles, Dan Lee, Mark Lewis at Tenby Museum, Kathleen McLeod at the Tomb of the Eagles, Donald Murphy of Archaeological Consulting Services, Mike Parker Pearson, Adam Parsons, Rick Peterson, the late Alan Saville, Antonia Thomas, Mike Seager Thomas, Adam Stanford, Peter Style and Mick Wysocki. At Routledge I would like to thank Matthew Gibbons for asking me to write the book in the first place and Lola Harre for editorial assistance.

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Over the years I have discussed various aspects of the Neolithic with colleagues and I would like to offer thanks to: Richard Bradley, Kenny Brophy, Jane Downes, Chris Fowler, Chris Gee, Ollie Harris, Robert Hensey, Andy Jones, Sam Moore, Jim Morris, Mike Parker Pearson, Josh Pollard, Rick Peterson, Guillaume Robin, David Robinson, Gary Robinson, Julian Thomas, Graeme Warren and Mick Wysocki. Rick Peterson suffered endless questions on different aspects of the Neolithic as well as lending me virtually all of his books. Draft chapters have been read by Kenny Brophy, Chris Fowler, Ollie Harris, Sam Moore, Josh Pollard and Colin Richards and I am very grateful for their comments: of course any mistakes are my own. I have also discussed many ideas with Colin Richards who deserves a special mention not only for these discussions but also for some top-notch trips to various Neolithic sites the length and breadth of Britain, Ireland and beyond. I must also extend my gratitude to Richard Holmes for all his support throughout the writing of this book.

My greatest thanks are to Alasdair Whittle who first introduced me to the Neolithic and who has been enormously supportive ever since. Alasdair taught me both the Neolithic and theory as an undergraduate at Cardiff, nurtured me through my masters degree then took me on as a research student. After that I worked with Alasdair first as a Research Assistant and then as a Research Associate at Cardiff and together we wrote Places of Special Virtue and edited Going Over , along with penning various other papers along the way. Even after I moved to my present institution Alasdair continued to provide endless support, references and advice. In relation to this book he offered comments on the overall structure of the book which was invaluable at the design stage and then read and commented on various chapters subsequently. Since this book is published in the year of his retirement it seemed only fitting to dedicate it to him with thanks for all his help over the years.