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OverviewThe First Stones brings together the results of recent research on the Neolithic long cairns lying in the shadow of the Black Mountains in south-east Wales, focusing upon Penywyrlod and Gwernvale, the two best known tombs within the group, previously excavated in the 1970s. Important results lie in both new site detail and reassessment of the wider context. Small-scale excavation, geophysical survey and geological assessment at Penywyrlod – the largest of the Welsh long cairns – gave further information about the distinctive external and internal architecture of the monument. In turn, this opened the opportunity to reassess the pre-monument sequence at Gwernvale, with re-examination of both Mesolithic and Neolithic occupations, including a timber structure and midden, lithic and pottery assemblages, and cereal remains. The frame for wider reassessment is given by fresh chronological modelling both of the monuments themselves, suggesting a sequence from Penywyrlod and Pipton to Ty Isaf and Gwernvale, probably spanning the 38th to the 36th or 35th centuries cal BC, and of early Neolithic activity in south Wales and the Marches, probably beginning in the 39th century cal BC. A detailed study of the major assemblages of human remains from the Black Mountains tombs includes evidence for diet, trauma and lifestyles of the populations represented. Recent isotope analysis of human remains from the tombs is also reviewed, implying social mobility and migration within local populations during the early Neolithic. The First Stones makes a significant contribution to the study of tomb building, treatment of the dead, place making, the relationship of monuments to landscape, local and regional identities, connections and affiliations across southern Britain and the adjacent continent, and Neolithisation in western Britain. Viewed within the context of tombs within the Cotswold-Severn tradition as a whole, it leads to an appreciation of the local and regional distinctiveness of architecture and mortuary practice exhibited by the tombs in this area of south-east Wales, emerging as part of the intake of a significant inland area in the early centuries of the Neolithic. Full Product DetailsAuthor: William Britnell , Alasdair WhittlePublisher: Oxbow Books Imprint: Oxbow Books ISBN: 9781789257397ISBN 10: 1789257395 Pages: 320 Publication Date: 10 October 2022 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsPreface William Britnell Acknowledgements List of figures List of tables Summary 1. Penywyrlod and Gwernvale Neolithic long cairns: context and history Alasdair Whittle 2. Penywyrlod Neolithic long cairn revisited William Britnell with contributions by Adrian Humpage, Martin Roseveare, Anne Roseveare, Daniel Lewis and Charlotte O’Brien 3. Gwernvale Neolithic long cairn reconsidered William Britnell 4. A chronology of the Black Mountains tombs and their place in the early Neolithic of south Wales and the Marches Seren Griffiths 5. The beginnings of agriculture in Wales: the evidence from Gwernvale Astrid Caseldine 6. Neolithic people of the Black Mountains: human remains from Penywyrlod, Pipton and Ty Isaf Michael P. Wysocki 7. ‘Local’ or ‘non-local’? Interpreting isotope results from the Black Mountains long cairns Samantha Neil 8. Isotope evidence of human diets at four Neolithic chambered tombs in south Wales Michael Richards 9. Gwernvale: a review of some of the lithic artefacts Elizabeth A. Walker 10. The Neolithic pottery from Gwernvale: an update and review Alistair J. Barclay 11. Organic residue analysis of Early Neolithic pottery from Gwernvale Isabel L. Wiltshire and Lucy J.E. Cramp 12. The first stones: taking and keeping the land Alasdair Whittle, William Britnell and Seren Griffiths Appendix: Monument conservation at Penywyrlod William Britnell Sites to visit BibliographyReviews"""To be able to follow these processes at this level of detail is fascinating, especially when coupled with results from stable isotope and DNA analysis... That we can revisit those older narratives with new perspectives is very much down to excellent monographs such as this.""--Chris Scarre ""Journal of Anthropological Research, Fall 2023""" Author InformationWilliam Britnell is a former director of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust and was a joint author of an earlier volume on the Black Mountains tombs – Gwernvale and Penywyrlod: two Neolithic long cairns in the Black Mountains of Brecknock – published in 1984. Alasdair Whittle is an emeritus research professor in archaeology at Cardiff University. He has worked extensively across Britain and Europe, specialising in the study of the Neolithic. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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