Burial practices at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain: change or continuity?

Hellewell, Emily Rebecca; Milner, Nicky

doi:10.4312/dp.38.5

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…The earliest Neolithic dates in the area are 5185 ± 60 BP (6180–5750 cal. BP) at Fox Hole Cave (Hellewell and Milner, 2011) and 5380 ± 90 BP (6313–5938 cal. BP) at Whitwell Long Cairn (Hedges et al, 1994).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-profile fine-resolution palynology of Late Mesolithic to Bronze Age peat at Cat Stones, Rishworth Moor, Central Pennines, UK

2020

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Palynological data from three radiocarbon dated peat profiles at Rishworth Moor in the Pennine hills of northern England provide a record of vegetation change and human impacts in the Late Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. All three cultures have archaeological sites present in the vicinity, with Late Mesolithic sites by far the most abundant, comprising mainly very late assemblages dominated by ‘rod’-shaped microliths. Pollen evidence of vegetation disturbance occurs during all three archaeological periods, and is attributed to the results of human activity. Microscopic charcoal and non-pollen palynomorph analyses support the pollen evidence. Sites at Cat Stones 2 and Cat Stones 3 record evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age date only. Cat Stones 1 extends into the Late Mesolithic period, and fine-resolution pollen analyses have been applied in this profile to the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition leading up to the mid-Holocene Elm ( Ulmus) Decline, which starts here at c. 4940 14C BP (5670 cal. BP), a typical date for it in the central Pennines. Bayesian age-depth modelling provides precise ages for the vegetation changes and their spatial correlation. The plateau was dominated by scrub and grassy Calluna heath from the Late Mesolithic onwards. Elevated microscopic charcoal levels and ruderal herb pollen record phases of fire disturbance below the Elm Decline, including a grain of Hordeum cereal-type. Whether this grain represents early cultivation requires further research. Bronze Age impacts are of greater intensity, but disturbances of all three cultural periods are low scale, agreeing with the results of previous research in the Pennines.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-profile fine-resolution palynology of Late Mesolithic to Bronze Age peat at Cat Stones, Rishworth Moor, Central Pennines, UK

2020

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“…Hooijer (1948a) (Hellewell & Milner 2011). During this phase the dead are physically transformed from bodies to bones as a metaphor for their passage from the living-to the ancestral world (Metcalf & Huntington 1991, Hellewell & Milner 2011.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Large Vertebrate Remains From Binjai Tamieng (Sumatra, Indonesia)

Gruwier

2017

JIPA

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From corpse to skeleton: dealing with the dead in prehistory

Parker-Pearson

2016

BMSAP

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The shortcomings of the archaeological record raise many challenges for the interpretation of prehistoric funerary practices, particularly because the remains of most people in prehistory have left no trace at all. Throughout prehistory, most human remains were treated in ways that are archaeologically invisible. A brief review of the sequence of funerary practices in British prehistory reveals major gaps and deficiencies in the burial record. It may well be that the normative rites for much of British prehistory were those that left little or no archaeological trace, such as excarnation through exposure of corpses or scattering of cremated ashes. One form of mortuary practice only recently demonstrated for British prehistory is that of mummification. Scientific analysis of Late Bronze Age skeletons from Cladh Hallan, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, has revealed that they were not only composites of multiple individuals but were also mummified prior to burial. In particular, histological analysis of bioerosion in the bone microstructure reveals that putrefaction was arrested soon after death. This method of histological analysis has been applied to a large sample of prehistoric and historical human remains, and reveals that patterns of arrested decay are particularly a feature of the British Bronze Age from the Bell Beaker period onwards.

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Burial practices at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain: change or continuity?

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Multi-profile fine-resolution palynology of Late Mesolithic to Bronze Age peat at Cat Stones, Rishworth Moor, Central Pennines, UK

Multi-profile fine-resolution palynology of Late Mesolithic to Bronze Age peat at Cat Stones, Rishworth Moor, Central Pennines, UK

The Large Vertebrate Remains From Binjai Tamieng (Sumatra, Indonesia)

From corpse to skeleton: dealing with the dead in prehistory

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