The Mesolithic in Britain proposes a new division of the Mesolithic period into four parts, each with its distinct character. The Mesolithic has previously been seen as timeless, where little changed over thousands of years. This new synthesis draws on advances in scientific dating to understand the Mesolithic inhabitation of Britain as a historical process. The period was, in fact, a time of profound change: houses, monuments, middens, long-term use of sites and regions, manipulation of the environment and the symbolic deposition of human and animal remains all emerged as significant practices in Britain for the first time. The book describes the lives of the first pioneers in the Early Mesolithic; the emergence of new modes of inhabitation in the Middle Mesolithic; the regionally diverse settlement of the Late Mesolithic; and the radical changes of the final millennium of the period. The first synthesis of Mesolithic Britain since 1932, it takes both a chronological and a regional approach. This book will serve as an essential text for anyone studying the period: undergraduate and graduate students, specialists in the field and community archaeology groups.

The general perception of the archaeology of the Mesolithic in Britain and Ireland is that the period is somewhat impoverished. Often assumed to have an exceptionally limited range of evidence, the period is also perceived as a theoretical backwater, devoid of the vibrant, engaging narratives that have transformed other branches of prehistoric archaeology over the last 20 years. However, new approaches, producing a distinctive 'Mesolithic' archaeology, are beginning to supersede the traditional accounts and demonstrate that such assumptions about the Mesolithic are wholly misplaced. This volume, aimed at a broader archaeological readership, introduces this new generation of researchers and offers an urgently needed teaching resource for students who want a deeper understanding of the period. The book provides up-to-date information on a variety of important topics: technology, gender, subsistence, analogy, ritual, landscape and death. Additionally, a range of important Mesolithic sites are discussed throughout the text, with new interpretations and theories being explored. The book's combination of high-quality academic research and comprehensive reading lists ensure that it will be of value to second or final-year students studying a module on the Mesolithic, and essential reading for post-graduate students.

Providing evidence about prehistoric life in Britain, this book focuses on the little studied communities of the South West and Wales. It offers useful case studies from nationally important Bronze Age sites such as Brean Down on the Somerset Levels.

Scotland's mesolithic past is varied and complex, yet its stories are rarely told. This book seeks to redress some of this loss.

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.

Star Carr is one of the most famous and important prehistoric sites in Europe. Dating from the early Mesolithic period, over 10,000 years ago, the site has produced a unique range of artefacts and settlement evidence. First excavated in 1949-51 by Professor Grahame Clark of Cambridge University, the site was buried in a deep layer of peat on the edge of prehistoric Lake Flixton. The peat has preserved an incredible collection of organic artefacts, including bone, wood and antler, as well as thousands of flint tools. This has allowed archaeologists to build up a detailed picture of life on the edge of the lake around 9000 BC. New excavations have now revealed the remains of what may be the earliest house ever found in Britain, and have shown that the settlement stretched for several hundred metres along the lake shore. This book tells the story of the discovery of Star Carr, and brings it up-to-date with details of the current excavations. It also discusses other important Mesolithic sites in Britain and Europe and how these are transforming our view of life after the Ice Age.

A pan-European overview of the archaeology of hunter-gatherer societies, written by experts in each region.