The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland provides a comprehensive overview of this exciting period, covering the last few hundred years of the Mesolithic and the arrival and spread of the Neolithic up to the start of the early Beaker period: roughly 2000 years of prehistory.
Drawing on the latest excavations and the results of new scientific techniques, this book considers what life was like for people in the Neolithic and how they were treated when they died. It explores in detail the monuments constructed from stone and wood, the most famous of which is Stonehenge, but also includes many other sites such as chambered tombs and causewayed enclosures. It considers some of the key ways we interpret evidence from the Neolithic to offer insights into social organisation and belief systems at this time. The new edition contains the results of the latest ancient DNA evidence, which has seen this period of prehistory undergoing considerable revision in the last few years. Exciting new finds and excavations are also included.
This is an accessible introduction for students new to the study of the Neolithic and also acts as a reference for students and scholars already researching this area.
By:
Vicki Cummings (Cardiff University UK.)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd edition
Dimensions:
Height: 246mm,
Width: 174mm,
Weight: 800g
ISBN: 9781032437934
ISBN 10: 1032437936
Series: Routledge Archaeology of Northern Europe
Pages: 330
Publication Date: 24 April 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgements; List of Figures; Chapter one. Introducing the Neolithic of Britain and Ireland; Chapter two. Britain and Ireland in the fifth millennium cal BC: the calm before the storm; Chapter three. All change. The transition to the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland; Chapter four. A brave new world: life in the early Neolithic of Britain and Ireland; Chapter five. Of earth, bone, timber and stone: mortuary practice and monumentality in the early Neolithic of Britain and Ireland; Chapter six. Circles and lines: the middle Neolithic of Britain and Ireland; Chapter seven. Lines and landscapes of descent: life in the late Neolithic of Britain and Ireland; Chapter eight. Ritual and religion in the round: mortuary practice and monumentality in the late Neolithic of Britain and Ireland; Chapter nine. Beakers, copper and bronze: the start of a new era in Britain and Ireland; Chapter ten. The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland: overview and future directions; Index.
Vicki Cummings is Professor of Neolithic Archaeology at Cardiff University. Her research has focused on the start and spread of the Neolithic in Britain, Ireland and north-west Europe. She has a particular research interest in Early Neolithic monumentality, especially chambered tombs, and has excavated sites in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. More recently her work has focused on the Early Neolithic of Orkney as well as Early Neolithic kinship. She is the author of Monuments in the Making: Raising the Great Dolmens in Early Neolithic Northern Europe (with Colin Richards).
