Overview

This book brings together, for the first time, all of the burials and funerary practices from the Middle Neolithic to the end of the Middle Bronze Age (3600-1200 BC) in Wales into one coherent volume. The work is the first to provide an up-to-date synthesis of monument form and mortuary practice in Neolithic and Bronze Age Wales. It provides a comprehensive overview of all human bone deposits (both cremation and inhumation) throughout this time span. This comprises the osteological analysis of over 250 human bone deposits, with new observations and interpretations. The book engages with current debates on the changing character and significance of burial rites in later prehistory. Nominated for the 2020 Current Archaeology Book of the Year award.

Full Product Details

Author:   Geneviève Tellier
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
Weight:   0.853kg
ISBN:  

9781407316499

ISBN 10:   1407316494
Pages:   214
Publication Date:   28 September 2018
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Tables Abstract 1. Introduction 1.1 History of archaeological exploration in Wales 1.1.1 Antiquarian period 1.1.2 Welsh archaeology in the twentieth century 1.1.3 Welsh archaeology today 1.1.3.1 Excavations 1.1.3.2 Historic Environment Record (HER) 1.1.3.3 Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Monument Survey 1.1.3.4 Museum collections 1.2 Research context for this volume 2. The Study of Neolithic and Bronze Age Funerary and Ritual Practices in Wales: A Critical History of Past Approaches and Interpretative Themes 2.1 Chronology 2.2 Classifying and dating monuments 2.3 The interpretation of funerary and ritual sites 2.4 The interpretation of the mortuary record 2.4.1 Ethnicity, identity and the funerary record 2.4.2 Treatment of the body 2.5 The role of osteology within archaeological research in Wales 2.6 Summary 3. Chronology of Middle Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age Funerary and Ritual Monuments in Wales 3.1 Middle Neolithic (c. 3600-2900 BC) 3.1.1 Pit graves 3.1.2 Meusydd I timber circle 3.1.3 Bryn Celli Ddu stone arc 3.1.4 'Formative' henges 3.2 Late Neolithic (c. 2900-2400 cal BC) 3.2.1 Sarn-y-bryn-caled 2 penannular ditched enclosure 3.2.2 Stone circles: Bryn Gwyn and Dyffryn Lane I 3.2.3 Dyff ryn Lane I henge 3.2.4 Passage graves: Bryn Celli Ddu and Barclodiad-y-Gawres 3.3 Chalcolithic (c. 2500-2200 BC) 3.3.1 Walton Court ditched enclosure 3.3.2 'Pre-fission' Beaker burials 3.4 Early Bronze Age (c. 2200-1700 BC) 3.4.1 Burial mounds: round barrows and burial cairns 3.4.1.1 Inhumation burials 3.4.1.2 Cremation deposits 3.4.1.3 Modelled radiocarbon dates for Early Bronze Age burial mounds 3.4.2 Cremation cemeteries 3.4.3 Circular enclosures: henges, timber circles, pit circles and stone circles 3.4.3.1 Timber circles 3.4.3.2 Henges 3.4.3.3 Pit circles 3.4.3.4 Stone circles 3.5 Middle Bronze Age (c. 1700-1200 BC) 3.5.1 Burial mounds 3.5.2 Cremation cemeteries 3.5.3 Standing stones 3.5.4 Stone circle: Penmaenmawr 280 3.5.5 Cremation pyres: Pennant Melangell Church 3.6 Summary of the chronological sequence 4. The Osteological Analysis 4.1 The sample of human bone deposits 4.2 Inhumations 4.2.1 Record sheets 4.2.2 Preservation 4.2.3 Sex assessment 4.2.3.1 Pelvic morphology 4.2.3.2 Skull morphology 4.2.4 Age-at-death estimation 4.2.4.1 Non-adult age-at-death estimation 4.2.4.2 Adult age-at-death estimation 4.3 Cremation deposits 4.3.1 Weight and skeletal representation levels 4.3.2 Level of fragmentation 4.3.3 Heat-induced bone modifications: bone colours and fracture patterns 4.3.4 Skeletal representation 4.3.5 Minimum number of individuals (MNI) 4.3.6 Sex assessment 4.3.7 Age-at-death estimation 5. The Analysis of Funerary and Ritual Data 5.1 The osteological analysis 5.1.1 The sample 5.1.2 Preservation levels of inhumations 5.1.2.1 Chalcolithic (c. 2500-2200 BC) 5.1.2.2 Early Bronze Age (c. 2200-1700 BC) 5.1.3 Problems and limitations of the osteological analysis 5.2 Dataset of funerary and ritual data 5.2.1 Overview of the dataset 5.2.2 Limitations of the analysis 5.3 Middle Neolithic (c. 3600-2900 BC) 5.3.1 Monument types 5.3.2 Burial features 5.3.3 Deposit types 5.3.4 Demography 5.3.5 Grave goods 5.4 Late Neolithic (c. 2900-2400 BC) 5.4.1 Monument types 5.4.2 Burial features 5.4.3 Deposit types 5.4.4 Demography 5.4.5 Grave goods 5.5 Chalcolithic (c. 2500-2200 BC) 5.5.1 Monument types 5.5.2 Burial features 5.5.3 Deposit types 5.5.4 Demography 5.5.5 Grave goods 5.6 Early Bronze Age (c. 2200-1700 BC) 5.6.1 Monument types 5.6.1.1 Inhumations 5.6.1.2 Cremation deposits 5.6.2 Burial features 5.6.2.1 Inhumations 5.6.2.2 Cremation deposits 5.6.3 Deposit types 5.6.3.1 Inhumations 5.6.3.2 Cremation deposits 5.6.4 Demography 5.6.4.1 Inhumations 5.6.4.2 Cremation deposits 5.6.5 Grave goods 5.6.5.1 Inhumations 5.6.5.2 Cremation deposits 5.7 Middle Bronze Age (c. 1700-1200 BC) 5.7.1 Monument types 5.7.2 Burial features 5.7.3 Deposit types 5.7.4 Demography 5.7.5 Grave goods 5.8 Comparative analysis: changes in funerary and ritual practices across time 5.8.1 Monument types 5.8.2 Burial features 5.8.3 Deposit types 5.8.4 Number of individuals represented in burial deposits 5.8.5 Grave goods 6. The Analysis of Pyre Technology and Cremation Ritual Data 6.1 Middle Neolithic (c. 3600-2900 BC) 6.1.1 Condition of the remains: skeletal representation and heat-induced fractures 6.1.2 Pyre temperature: bone colours 6.1.3 Weight 6.1.4 Fragmentation levels 6.2 Late Neolithic (c. 2900-2400 BC) 6.2.1 Condition of the remains: skeletal representation and heat-induced fractures 6.2.2 Pyre temperature: bone colours 6.2.3 Weight 6.2.4 Fragmentation levels 6.3 Early Bronze Age (c. 2200-1700 BC) 6.3.1 Condition of the remains: skeletal representation and heat-induced fractures 6.3.2 Pyre temperature: bone colours 6.3.3 Weight 6.3.4 Fragmentation levels 6.4 Middle Bronze Age (c. 1700-1200 BC) 6.4.1 Condition of the remains: skeletal representation and heat-induced fractures 6.4.2 Pyre temperature: bone colours 6.4.3 Weig

Reviews

'This book is a considerable achievement, being the first time that all available human burials from the middle Neolithic to middle Bronze Age in Wales have been catalogued, analysed, and presented in one volume.The real strength of this study is the osteological investigation, with more than 250 human-bone deposits analysed. The methodology is meticulous and provides a useful model for future work, particularly the analysis of cremations.The book will provide invaluable data for comparative use with other current large-scale human burial projects, such as UCL's 'The Beaker People' and 'Grave Goods' at Reading.' Susan Greaney, Current Archaeology, Issue 349, April 2019 'Timely and important. . The material from Wales is little known, yet has the potential to contribute to wider discussions regarding changes to social organisation, ritual practice and belief systems in prehistory. . This is a comprehensive analysis of a dataset that will be of interest to prehistorians working in Britain, Ireland and northwest Europe.' Dr Joanna Bruck, University of Bristol 'This is a significant contribution that advances research into British prehistoric burial practices in a meaningful way.' Dr Duncan Garrow, University of Reading 'This is an innovative and original piece of work. . The analysis by the author of 257 human bone deposits from Neolithic and Bronze Age Wales provides a wealth of new patterns, observations and interpretations regarding burial rituals, funerary processes and a host of other insights. . This book also offers an important and up-to-date methodology for the future analysis of cremated bone.' Dr Catriona Gibson, University of Reading

'Timely and important. . The material from Wales is little known, yet has the potential to contribute to wider discussions regarding changes to social organisation, ritual practice and belief systems in prehistory. . This is a comprehensive analysis of a dataset that will be of interest to prehistorians working in Britain, Ireland and northwest Europe.' Dr Joanna Bruck, University of Bristol 'This is a significant contribution that advances research into British prehistoric burial practices in a meaningful way.' Dr Duncan Garrow, University of Reading 'This is an innovative and original piece of work. . The analysis by the author of 257 human bone deposits from Neolithic and Bronze Age Wales provides a wealth of new patterns, observations and interpretations regarding burial rituals, funerary processes and a host of other insights. . This book also offers an important and up-to-date methodology for the future analysis of cremated bone.' Dr Catriona Gibson, University of Reading

'This book is a considerable achievement, being the first time that all available human burials from the middle Neolithic to middle Bronze Age in Wales have been catalogued, analysed, and presented in one volume.The real strength of this study is the osteological investigation, with more than 250 human-bone deposits analysed. The methodology is meticulous and provides a useful model for future work, particularly the analysis of cremations.The book will provide invaluable data for comparative use with other current large-scale human burial projects, such as UCL's 'The Beaker People' and 'Grave Goods' at Reading.' Susan Greaney, Current Archaeology, Issue 349, April 2019 'Timely and important. . The material from Wales is little known, yet has the potential to contribute to wider discussions regarding changes to social organisation, ritual practice and belief systems in prehistory. . This is a comprehensive analysis of a dataset that will be of interest to prehistorians working in Britain, Ireland and northwest Europe.' Dr Joanna Bruck, University of Bristol 'This is a significant contribution that advances research into British prehistoric burial practices in a meaningful way.' Dr Duncan Garrow, University of Reading 'This is an innovative and original piece of work. . The analysis by the author of 257 human bone deposits from Neolithic and Bronze Age Wales provides a wealth of new patterns, observations and interpretations regarding burial rituals, funerary processes and a host of other insights. . This book also offers an important and up-to-date methodology for the future analysis of cremated bone.' Dr Catriona Gibson, University of Reading

Author Information

Geneviève Tellier is the director of North Wales Osteology, which provides osteological services for academic and commercial archaeology. She trained as an osteologist and completed her PhD at the University of Bradford, where her interest in British prehistory was developed.

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