Overview

The rise to prominence of pits within narratives of the British and Irish Neolithic is well-documented in recent literature. Pits have been cropping up in excavations for centuries, resulting in a very broad spectrum of interpretations but three main factors have led to the recent change in our perception and representation of these features: a broad shift in people's expectations as to what a Neolithic settlement should be; the development of the concept of 'structured deposition', within which pits have played a key role; and a dramatic rise in the number of pits actually known about. Development-led archaeology, and the often very large areas its excavations expose, has simply revealed many more pits. The 15 papers in this volume explore these inter-related factors and present new thoughts and interpretations arising from new analysis of Neolithic pits and their contents.

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9781842174685

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Reviews

Fifteen papers offer wide-ranging discussion on the context of pit digging, pit contents and depositional practices, their relationship to settlement events, place markings and commemoration... There is good regional coverage, with overviews of recent discoveries across Britain and Ireland, including areas such as South Wales and the English Midlands which are often marginalised in accounts of the period. -- British Archaeology British Archaeology The book is well produced and should be in the library of any organization involved in fieldwork. The Seminar Papers of the Neolithic Studies Group have already made a valuable contribution to European archaeology, and this volume is a worthwhile addition to the series. -- European Journal of Archaeology European Journal of Archaeology

Fifteen papers offer wide-ranging discussion on the context of pit digging, pit contents and depositional practices, their relationship to settlement events, place markings and commemoration... There is good regional coverage, with overviews of recent discoveries across Britain and Ireland, including areas such as South Wales and the English Midlands which are often marginalised in accounts of the period. -- British Archaeology British Archaeology ""The book is well produced and should be in the library of any organization involved in fieldwork. The Seminar Papers of the Neolithic Studies Group have already made a valuable contribution to European archaeology, and this volume is a worthwhile addition to the series."" -- European Journal of Archaeology European Journal of Archaeology

Fifteen papers offer wide-ranging discussion on the context of pit digging, pit contents and depositional practices, their relationship to settlement events, place markings and commemoration... There is good regional coverage, with overviews of recent discoveries across Britain and Ireland, including areas such as South Wales and the English Midlands which are often marginalised in accounts of the period. -- Joshua Pollard British Archaeology 126/September October 2012

Author Information

Julian Thomas is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Manchester. He is a leading expert on Neolithic Britain, and has directed excavations in many parts of Britain from Scotland to southern England. His books include Understanding the Neolithic, Time, Culture and Identity, and The Birth of Neolithic Britain. Hugo Anderson-Whymark is a Researcher at the University of York, based in Stromness, Orkney. He is a prehistorian specialising in flint and stone artefacts.

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