Prehistoric Britain

Informed by the latest research and in-depth analysis, Prehistoric Britain provides students and scholars alike with a fascinating overview of the development of human societies in Britain from the Upper Paleolithic to the end of the Iron Age.

• Offers readers an incisive synthesis and much-needed overview of current research themes
• Includes essays from leading scholars and professionals who address the very latest trends in current research
• Explores the interpretive debates surrounding major transitions in British prehistory

List of Figures vii

List of Tables x

Notes on Contributors xi

Acknowledgements xv

1 The Construction of Prehistoric Britain 1
Joshua Pollard

2 The British Upper Palaeolithic 18
Paul Pettitt

3 The Mesolithic–Neolithic Transition in Britain 58
Julian Thomas

4 Foodways and Social Ecologies from the Early Mesolithic to the Early Bronze Age 90
Rick Schulting

5 Temporary Spaces in the Mesolithic and Neolithic: Understanding Landscapes 121
Lesley McFadyen

6 The Architecture of Monuments 135
Vicki Cummings

7 Lithic Technology and the Chaîne Opératoire 160
Chantal Conneller

8 How the Dead Live: Mortuary Practices, Memory and the Ancestors in Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Britain and Ireland 177
Andrew Jones

9 The Development of an Agricultural Countryside 202
David Field

10 Foodways and Social Ecologies from the Middle Bronze Age to Late Iron Age 225
Jacqui Mulville

11 The Architecture of Routine Life 248
Joanna Brück

12 Later Prehistoric Landscapes and Inhabitation 268
Robert Johnston

13 Ceramic Technologies and Social Relations 288
Ann Woodward

14 Exchange, Object Biographies and the Shaping of Identities, 10,000–1000 B.C. 310
Stuart Needham

15 Identity, Community and the Person in Later Prehistory 330
Melanie Giles

Index 351

"Prehistoric Britain provides a compact and generally very readable summary of the state of thought within a broad segment of the British archaeological community in the first decade of the 21st century." (Journal of Field Archaeology, 2009)

"Excellent chapters.... Needham's consideration of the exchange of objects over nine millennia to 1000 BC, informed by perspectives drawn in particular from Godelier, is a tour-de-force mixing generalization and pertinent case studies." (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, June 2009)

"What a grand surprise! Here is an important study of prehistoric Britain written in clear English!" (CHOICE, June 2009)

"Prehistoric Britain offers an excellent outline of the major themes and approaches that will, no doubt, be the main theatres of debate over the next few years.... A worthy addition to any bookshelf." (Rosetta, May 2009)

"This contains 14 excellent papers, mostly covering small-scale regional case studies from the early neolithic to the iron age.... Goldhahn's tale of barrows and the chapters on houses by Boriæ and Gerritsen are very readable." (British Archaeology, March 2009)

"This collection meets admirably the aims of the Blackwell Studies in Global Archaeology series, which seeks to 'immerse readers in fundamental archaeological ideas and concepts ... thereby exposing [them] to some of the most exciting contemporary developments in the field.' ... An excellent way of taking the pulse of recent British prehistory." (Antiquity, March 2009)

Joshua Pollard is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Bristol. Since 1999, he has been actively engaged in fieldwork on the late Neolithic monument complexes at Avebury and Stonehenge in southern England. Dr Pollard is the UK editor of the Journal of Social Archaeology and has published several books, including Avebury (with Mark Gillings, 2004), and Monuments and Material Culture (editor, with Rosamund Cleal, 2004). The momentum provided by ongoing fieldwork and innovative archaeological interpretation is pushing British prehistory to the forefront of contemporary archaeological research. Prehistoric Britain taps into and incorporates the very latest archaeological findings to provide a fascinating overview of the development of human societies in Britain from the Upper Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age.

Breaking free of the constraints of traditional, period-based narratives, Prehistoric Britain offers readers an incisive synthesis and much-needed overview of current research themes. The book presents a series of essays from leading scholars and professionals who address the very latest trends in current research. Drawing upon original, innovative fieldwork and in-depth analysis, Prehistoric Britain provides a thorough examination of the issues central to the study of British prehistory.

"The book provides a useful introduction to some of the current themes in British prehistoric archaeology. It is well suited to an international audience with an interest in archaeological theory."
—Richard Bradley, Reading University

"Wide-ranging, forward-thinking and thought-provoking, these essays will serve both as an excellent starting point for anyone interested in prehistoric Britain and as a stimulus to debate."
—Alasdair Whittle, Cardiff University