Stepping stones to the Neolithic? Radiocarbon dating the Early Neolithic on islands within the ‘western seaways’ of Britain

The western seaways – an arc of sea stretching from the Channel Islands in the south, up through the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man and the Outer Hebrides to Orkney in the north – have long been seen as crucial to our understanding of the processes which led to the arrival of the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland in the centuries around 4000 BC. The western seaways have not, however, been considered in detail within any of the recent studies addressing the radiocarbon chronology of the Earliest Neolithic in that wider region. This paper presents a synthesis of all existing 5th and 4th millennia cal BC radiocarbon dates from islands within the western seaways, including 50 new results obtained specifically for this study. While the focus here is insular in a literal sense, the project’s results have far reaching implications for our understanding of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition across Britain and Ireland and beyond. The findings broadly fit well with Whittle et al.’s (2011) Gathering Time model, suggesting that the earliest dated Neolithic in this zone falls into the c. 3900-3700 cal BC bracket. However, it is also noted that our current chronological understanding is based on comparatively few dates spread across a large area. Consequently, it is suggested that both further targeted work and an approach that incorporates an element of typo-chronology (as well as absolute dating) is necessary if we are to move our understanding of the process of transition in this key region forward

Lithics

Evidence for earlier prehistoric activity in the vicinity of Iron Age settlements is common in the north-east region, and the sites of Morley Hill and Lower Callerton are no exceptions. Pre-Iron Age activity tends to be scattered and smaller in scale, often appearing as a series of discrete pits, only identified through period-specific finds such as stone tools or pottery. Evidence of a Mesolithic to Bronze Age presence was identified at Morley Hill with a range of artefacts recovered from pits and later features. Greater evidence of prehistoric activity was uncovered at Lower Callerton, comprising Neolithic pits and Bronze Age..

Review of: The Circular Archetype in Microcosm: the carved stone balls of late Neolithic Scotland. Chris L Stewart-Moffitt

Carved stone balls are on of Scotland's most intriguing Neolithic artefacts

Photogrammetry

The first book by megalith enthusiasts for megalith enthusiasts, drawing on the varied insights of contributors to The Megalithic Portal website, from archaeologists to ordinary site visitors. No other book covers such a wide range of prehistoric sites in Britain and Ireland or so many different and entertaining theories about them. This is the only book about standing stones created by the whole community of megalith enthusiasts, as represented by the archaeologists, photographers, theorists and stones aficionados who post on the Megalithic Portal. It offers unparalleled coverage of Britain and Ireland’s Neolithic and Bronze Age sites: where they are, what to look out for, how to understand them. Featuring 750+ sites (500 with full photographic profiles), the book includes many places not covered elsewhere. An introductory essay by archaeologist Vicki Cummings helps readers interpret the sites and surrounding landscape through prehistoric eyes. Throughout the book are feature articles by different contributors on a huge range of topics, from archaeological analysis of key sites (including Stonehenge, Avebury, Durrington Walls, the Dartmoor stone rows, Grimes Graves, the Cumbrian axe factories, Newgrange and many more), reports on cutting-edge excavations at sites such as Must Farm and Ness of Brodgar, as well as discussions of ‘mysteries’, such as otherworldly experiences, dowsing, healing sites, archaeoastronomy and sacred geometry. Up-to-date archaeological approaches, such as sensory and experimental archaeology, are also explained. Andy Burnham’s introduction offers tips for megalith enthusiasts in the field, as well as ‘how to’ features on drone photography and 3D modelling. With its stunning contemporary design combined with a durable flexi binding, this is a volume to gift and to treasure, to pore over at home and take out on expeditions

Round robins: Scotland's Neolithic carved stone balls

Hugo Anderson-Whymark has published digital 3D models of 60 carved stone balls in the collections of National Museums Scotland. He considers these eternally puzzling Neolithic objects

Maceheads

Archaeological excavations at the Ness of Brodgar are adding a new thread to ‘The Orkney Tapestry’. Set on a narrow isthmus between the Lochs of Stenness and Harray, this remarkable complex of stone buildings stands at the heart of an area long renowned for its Neolithic monuments. Drawing on evidence from more than a decade of fieldwork, this book explores the character, history and significance of the site, asking why it was that people over 5000 years ago came to create some of the most monumental stone buildings of their time. Beautifully illustrated, The Ness of Brodgar: As it Stands provides a wealth of information about the buildings and artefacts found during excavation, from flint tools and pottery to polished stone axes and maceheads. The huge amount of carved stone artwork on the site is stunning and mysterious; so much more than mere decoration. Here we find the animals that were farmed and hunted, the fish that were caught and shellfish gathered, as well as the cultivated crops and wild plants that were used for food. But Orkney was not isolated in the Neolithic (a modern, city-centric concept) and the chapters gathered here trace the connections between these islands and what we now recognise as Britain, Ireland and continental Europe. I once told a journalist that the discoveries at the Ness of Brodgar meant we had to tear up books on the Neolithic and start again. This exquisite study of an ongoing project is an excellent first step in that direction. Tom Muir Orkney Museu

Lithics

A total of seven flaked lithic artefacts and a flaked and ground stone axehead were recovered during the excavations at Morley Hill (Table 2.1)

'Polished stone axehead' In: Claire Christie, Magnar Dalland. The excavation of a prehistoric settlement at Lower Slackbuie, Inverness

The expansion of Inverness southwards has led to the uncovering of a landscape rich in archaeological activity, dating from the Neolithic period onwards. The abundance of archaeological evidence as been interpreted as indicating that the area was a hub for prehistoric activity (Hatherley & Murray 2021). The excavation of an area at Lower Slackbuie by Headland Archaeology in 2019 revealed evidence for Neolithic activity overlain by a series of seven roundhouses and a palisade enclosure. The later prehistoric activity likely occurred from the middle-late Bronze Age through to the Iron Age. The site at Lower Slackbuie can be linked to neighbouring sites, adding to an increasingly vibrant picture of prehistoric activity that took place south of Inverness

Neolithic and Early Bronze Age flint from the Area 10 watching brief

Between 2006 and 2009 Worcestershire Archaeology completed a series of investigations in advance of quarrying at Clifton Quarry, Worcestershire revealing one of the most important sequences of prehistoric to early medieval activity discovered to date from the Central Severn Valley. Well-preserved palaeoenvironmental deposits were recovered from features and associated abandoned channels of the River Severn. Analysis of this evidence is underpinned by a comprehensive programme of scientific dating, providing a record of changing patterns of landuse and activity from the Late Mesolithic onwards. Significant discoveries included a series of Grooved Ware pits and an extensive area of Early to Middle Iron Age activity. One of the Grooved pits was of particular importance as it contained an exceptionally rich material assemblage comprising two whole and four fragmentary polished axes, numerous flint tools and debitage, significant quantities of Durrington Walls and Clacton Style pottery, and abundant charred barley grains and crab apple fragments. The Early to Middle Iron Age activity was notable since unusually for a lowland site it was dominated by in excess of 100 four-post granary structures and 130 pits. The full extent of the activity was not established but it appears unenclosed and it is suggested that this represents the specialised storage zone of a much larger settlement. Phases of activity on the floodplain and terraces adjacent to the river also included a Bronze Age burnt mound with associated pits and a trough, a scatter of Romano-British features and an early medieval timber-lined structure associated with flax retting