Alasdair Whittle
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264140
- eISBN:
- 9780191734489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264140.003.0029
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This concluding chapter does not aim to be a magisterial overview or a comprehensive summary. The preceding chapters speak for themselves of the range and quality of research currently being carried ...
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This concluding chapter does not aim to be a magisterial overview or a comprehensive summary. The preceding chapters speak for themselves of the range and quality of research currently being carried out across north-west Europe relevant to the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. Instead, the chapter offers some brief, personal reflections on what we are doing well and what we could still do better, and thus tries to define some of the continuing challenges for future research.Less
This concluding chapter does not aim to be a magisterial overview or a comprehensive summary. The preceding chapters speak for themselves of the range and quality of research currently being carried out across north-west Europe relevant to the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. Instead, the chapter offers some brief, personal reflections on what we are doing well and what we could still do better, and thus tries to define some of the continuing challenges for future research.
Alasdair Whittle and Vicki Cummings
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264140
- eISBN:
- 9780191734489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264140.003.0001
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the significance of the transition from hunter-gatherer existence to farming society. It raises the following question: What if we started ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the significance of the transition from hunter-gatherer existence to farming society. It raises the following question: What if we started with the radical premise that most or all societies in the post-glacial period – whatever their subsistence or technological base – were normally in a state of transformation, which would offer a quite different perspective on the holy grail of finding moments of Mesolithic–Neolithic transition? The chapter then sets out the focus of the book, namely the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in north-west Europe.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the significance of the transition from hunter-gatherer existence to farming society. It raises the following question: What if we started with the radical premise that most or all societies in the post-glacial period – whatever their subsistence or technological base – were normally in a state of transformation, which would offer a quite different perspective on the holy grail of finding moments of Mesolithic–Neolithic transition? The chapter then sets out the focus of the book, namely the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in north-west Europe.
Alasdair Whittle and Vicki Cummings (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264140
- eISBN:
- 9780191734489
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264140.001.0001
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
The processes involved in the transformation of society from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic farmers were complex. They involved changes not only in subsistence but also in how people ...
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The processes involved in the transformation of society from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic farmers were complex. They involved changes not only in subsistence but also in how people thought about themselves and their worlds, from their pasts to their animals. Two sets of protagonists have often been lined up in the long-running debates about these processes: on the one hand incoming farmers and on the other indigenous hunter-gatherers. Both have found advocates as the dominant force in the transitions to a new way of life. North-west Europe presents a very rich data set for this fundamental change, and research has both extended and deepened our knowledge of regional sequences, from the sixth to the fourth millennia bc. One of the most striking results is the evident diversity from northern Spain to southern Scandinavia. No one region is quite like another; hunter-gatherers and early farmers alike were also varied and the old labels of Mesolithic and Neolithic are increasingly inadequate to capture the diversity of human agency and belief. Surveys of the most recent evidence presented here also strongly suggest a diversity of transformations. Some cases of colonization on the one hand and indigenous adoption on the other can still be argued, but many situations now seem to involve complex fusions and mixtures. This wide-ranging set of papers offers an overview of this fundamental transition.Less
The processes involved in the transformation of society from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to Neolithic farmers were complex. They involved changes not only in subsistence but also in how people thought about themselves and their worlds, from their pasts to their animals. Two sets of protagonists have often been lined up in the long-running debates about these processes: on the one hand incoming farmers and on the other indigenous hunter-gatherers. Both have found advocates as the dominant force in the transitions to a new way of life. North-west Europe presents a very rich data set for this fundamental change, and research has both extended and deepened our knowledge of regional sequences, from the sixth to the fourth millennia bc. One of the most striking results is the evident diversity from northern Spain to southern Scandinavia. No one region is quite like another; hunter-gatherers and early farmers alike were also varied and the old labels of Mesolithic and Neolithic are increasingly inadequate to capture the diversity of human agency and belief. Surveys of the most recent evidence presented here also strongly suggest a diversity of transformations. Some cases of colonization on the one hand and indigenous adoption on the other can still be argued, but many situations now seem to involve complex fusions and mixtures. This wide-ranging set of papers offers an overview of this fundamental transition.
Peter J. Hayward and John S. Ryland (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199549443
- eISBN:
- 9780191847943
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549443.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Aquatic Biology
This guide to the marine fauna of the continental shelf seas of north-west Europe provides dichotomous identification keys for macrobenthic invertebrates and coastal fish. An introduction to the ...
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This guide to the marine fauna of the continental shelf seas of north-west Europe provides dichotomous identification keys for macrobenthic invertebrates and coastal fish. An introduction to the marine environment of the region is followed by a guide to the animal groups covered, and each major taxonomic group is treated, in twelve separate chapters, each commencing with a brief description of the morphological and biological characteristics of the group. Technical terms are defined, with especial reference to their significance in classification and importance for identification. Keys to higher taxonomic categories, where useful, and to families lead to keys for the identification of selected species. Confirmatory diagnoses are given for most families. Short descriptions and notes on occurrence and distribution are provided for each species, and the majority are illustrated by line drawings. Coverage varies from group to group, being fairly comprehensive for conspicuous, well-known animals, such as anthozoans, molluscs, echinoderms, and fish, while the selection of species is smaller for some taxonomically difficult or poorly documented groups, such as sponges and sea squirts. However, where possible, the actual or potential diversity of each group within the region is indicated at family level. This edition incorporates systematic and phylogenetic revisions current at submission. Keys have been reviewed and improved; nomenclature has been updated, and descriptions and distributions have been improved or revised where appropriate. Species additional to those in the first edition include several seen to be more common than previously apparent, and a number of newly arrived exotics.Less
This guide to the marine fauna of the continental shelf seas of north-west Europe provides dichotomous identification keys for macrobenthic invertebrates and coastal fish. An introduction to the marine environment of the region is followed by a guide to the animal groups covered, and each major taxonomic group is treated, in twelve separate chapters, each commencing with a brief description of the morphological and biological characteristics of the group. Technical terms are defined, with especial reference to their significance in classification and importance for identification. Keys to higher taxonomic categories, where useful, and to families lead to keys for the identification of selected species. Confirmatory diagnoses are given for most families. Short descriptions and notes on occurrence and distribution are provided for each species, and the majority are illustrated by line drawings. Coverage varies from group to group, being fairly comprehensive for conspicuous, well-known animals, such as anthozoans, molluscs, echinoderms, and fish, while the selection of species is smaller for some taxonomically difficult or poorly documented groups, such as sponges and sea squirts. However, where possible, the actual or potential diversity of each group within the region is indicated at family level. This edition incorporates systematic and phylogenetic revisions current at submission. Keys have been reviewed and improved; nomenclature has been updated, and descriptions and distributions have been improved or revised where appropriate. Species additional to those in the first edition include several seen to be more common than previously apparent, and a number of newly arrived exotics.
