Consolidation, reconstruction and the interpretation of megalithic monuments

Megalithic monuments are visible and enduring marks upon the landscape. From this it follows that the archaeologist who excavates one cannot simply close the project by backfilling the trenches and returning the site to arable or pasture: the preservation and consolidation of the monument itself must be addressed. This obligation raises major ethical and practical issues, above all as to what form the preservation should take, and how far archaeologists or others are justified in intervening and modifying the extant remains. Then there is the further issue of visitor access. It is generally recognised that archaeologists have a responsibility to convey the results of their researches to the wider audience. It is, after all, on behalf of the public that most of their work is undertaken, and much of it is funded by national or local government institutions. For many kinds of site, archaeologists may discharge their public obligation by explaining (in print or in person) the importance and significance of the work that they have done. Where a visible and enduring monument is concerned, however, the responsibility extends much further, and includes arrangements for public presentation and visitor access

Modelling prehistoric populations: the case of Neolithic Brittany

The study of prehistoric demography draws inevitably on evidence both imperfect and incomplete, yet is essential for a satisfactory understanding of past communities. It is particularly valuable in addressing controversial questions such as the nature of early farming communities in western Europe, in the period between the adoption of domestic plants and animals and the establishment, centuries or millennia later, of permanent villages and regular field systems. In this article the demography of prehistoric Brittany is considered in light of evidence presented by monumental tombs and stone settings, artifact distributions, palaeoenvironmental determinations, and domestic remains. Whereas the megalithic monuments of Brittany are well known and have been the focus of systematic research since the mid-19th century, relatively little attempt has been made to situate them in their demographic context. The results of this study reveal that while Brittany is, like every region, unique in terms of climate, soils, and social traditions, it shares several significant features of demographic patterning—notably its cyclical character—with other areas of Neolithic Europe. This study also demonstrates how incomplete data sources can be used in combination to provide new interpretations of prehistoric demographic patterning and to frame new research questions

A pattern of islands: the Neolithic monuments of north-west Brittany

Coastal distributions such as that of the Neolithic chambered tombs of Brittany raise important questions about prehistoric beliefs and understandings relating to sea and shoreline. Concepts of liminality come particularly to the fore where headlands and islands are selected as places for the disposal of human remains. The density of chambered tombs recorded by Du Châtellier on the islands of the Molène archipelago, with its rocks, inlets and small islands exposed and covered by the tides, provides a prominent example of this coastal emphasis. The analysis presented here includes assessment of the reliability of the Du Châtellier inventory and of the topographic changes resulting from sea-level rise. It is argued that the dramatic transformative effect of the tides on the shallow waters of this archipelago will have enhanced the liminality of the setting and may have endowed the islands with special mythological or symbolic associations that may explain the density of the monuments. Ethnographic accounts of coastal beliefs from North America and northern Europe provide additional indications of the likely symbolic importance of such shoreline settings for Breton Neolithic communities

The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World. The Great Monuments and How They Were Built

Книга содержит объяснения строительных технологий древних цивилизаций, описания памятников, составленные ведущими специалистами из разных стран. Временной охват: от мегалитов V тысячелетия до н.э. до Великого храма ацтеков XVI века.Прилагаются фотографии, макеты, диаграммы и схемы

Los huesos olvidados del dolmen de Carrascal (Agualva, Sintra, Portugal). Examinando los restos humanos antiguos

El dolmen de Carrascal (Sintra, Portugal) fue descubierto a finales del siglo XIX. Los restos óseos humanos depositados en el Museu dos Serviços Geológicos (Lisboa) han sido re-analizados con un programa que investiga el estilo de vida de las poblaciones del Neolítico Final de las regiones del centro/sur de Portugal.Según los recientes trabajos de campo enmarcados en el proyecto de Recuperación y Valorización del monumento llevados a cabo por el Municipio de Sintra, estos han permitido clarificar aspectos de la construcción y la recuperación del material osteológico y arqueológico.Los datos de radiocarbono de los restos óseos humanos nos permiten encuadrar las prácticas funerarias en una fase inicial del megalitismo en el oeste de la península ibérica. La colección comprende un mínimo de 9 adultos (ambos sexos) y 5 no adultos.Se han observado evidencias de enfermedades infecciosas, cambios degenerativos, alteraciones metabólicas y una trepanación remodelada realizada en un parietal derecho.Los restos dentales ofrecen información particularmente interesante con respecto a otros usos no masticatorios de los dientes. Esto se manifiesta en forma de astillas y agujeros en los dientes anteriores.Estos datos han sido comparados con otras colecciones contemporáneas de Portugal con el objetivo de observar la salud y el comportamiento de estas poblaciones prehistóricas

Provenancing antiquarian museum collections using multi-isotope analysis

Many of the most significant archaeological sites in Europe were excavated by antiquarians over one hundred years ago. Modern museum collections therefore frequently contain human remains that were recovered during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here we apply multi-isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δ13C, δ15N) and 14C dating to evaluate the provenance of human remains within a collection that is thought to have been recovered from one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain. Excavated in 1910, the site of Coldrum in Kent is a megalithic burial monument that may be one of the earliest sites associated with the transition to farming in Britain. The interpretation of this site is therefore key to understanding how agriculture began. Using isotope analysis we show that although the human skeletal collections attributed to Coldrum do contain some of the earliest dated Neolithic human remains in Britain, they also contain the remains of individuals of fifth to seventh centuries AD date. We evaluate subsistence and mobility patterns of early Neolithic populations and provide new information about the origins of those individuals in the collection that date to the fifth to seventh centuries AD. We demonstrate the utility of employing isotope analysis to provide direct and independent information about the provenance of human remains in museum collections