People and Landscape at the Heart of Neolithic Orkney (original) (raw)

Heart of Neolithic Orkney WHS - Setting Study (2008)

Review and analysis of the setting of the Neolithic monuments that make up the Orkney World Heritage Site to inform planning and management. Blended landscape archaeology, landscape architecture and GIS analysis to inform long term planning and management. Commissioned by Historic Scotland. Document informed later Management Plan and other local planning documents. Note: co-authors not currently on Academia.edu

Investigating Neolithic Orkney: Archaeological Histories of Inquiry Regarding the Orcadian Neolithic

2020

Situating archaeological research within the context of previous research is a characteristic of all modern science and serves several purposes, some simultaneously. It can be done to support conclusions put forth in earlier research, it can also be used to refute earlier research, but it can also be used as a method of demonstrating authority within a discipline and justifying new conclusions. Conventional approaches to situating research rely on disciplinary histories that they present a showcase view of the past that serves only to differentiate traditional, outdated archaeological practices and interpretations from current ones while simultaneously legitimizing them (Corbey & Roebroeks 2001: 1). Further, conventional disciplinary histories have emphasised the development of archaeological paradigms while simultaneously considering the social context less relevant (Moro-Abadia 2006, 4; Schnapp 2002, 134). The remains of the Orcadian Neolithic, have inspired archaeologists to investigate them over the past several hundred years. However, the social context and historical mechanisms that have contributed to Orkney being one of the most thoroughly examined and influential regions in British Neolithic Archaeology has rarely been explored. This dissertation examines the social and historical context in which knowledge was produced regarding the Orcadian Neolithic since World War II (WWII). It also examines the interplay between aspects of knowledge production and archaeological practice. In this examination, the dissertation argues that the current understanding of the Orcadian Neolithic has been influenced by the wider historical socio-political context and that examining histories of archaeological inquiry can identify aspects of knowledge production influenced by its context. Through this examination the dissertation provides insight into the discipline of archaeology and how it facilitates and regulates the inculcation of members, the production of discourse, and the dissemination of knowledge.

Landscapes for Neolithic People in Mainland, Orkney

Journal of World Prehistory, 2022

Neolithic occupation of the Orkney Islands, in the north of Scotland, probably began in the mid fourth millennium cal BC, culminating in a range of settlements, including stone-built houses, varied stone-built tombs and two noteworthy stone circles. The environmental and landscape context of the spectacular archaeology, however, remains poorly understood. We applied the Multiple Scenario Approach (MSA) to Neolithic pollen records from Mainland, Orkney, in order to understand land cover and landscape openness across the timespan 4200–2200 cal BC. Interpreted within a framework provided by Bayesian chronological modelling, 406 radiocarbon dates from archaeological contexts and a further 103 from palaeoenvironmental samples provide the basis for the first detailed reconstruction of the spatio-temporal patterns of Neolithic people and their environment. Major alterations to the land cover of Mainland took place from 3400 cal BC (reduction in woodland from 20% to 10%) and from 3200 cal B...

Islands of history: the Late Neolithic timescape of Orkney

Antiquity

Orkney is internationally recognised for its exceptionally well-preserved Neolithic archaeology. The chronology of the Orcadian Neolithic is, however, relatively poorly defined. The authors analysed a large body of radiocarbon and luminescence dates, formally modelled in a Bayesian framework, to address the timescape of Orkney's Late Neolithic. The resultant chronology for the period suggests differences in the trajectory of social change between the 'core' (defined broadly as the World Heritage site) and the 'periphery' beyond. Activity in the core appears to have declined markedly from c. 2800 cal BC, which, the authors suggest, resulted from unsustainable local political tensions and social concerns.

The environmental context of the Neolithic monuments on the Brodgar Isthmus, Mainland, Orkney

Title: A multidisciplinary approach to the archaeological investigation of a bedrock dominated shallow marine landscape: an example from the Bay of Firth, Orkney, UK Article Type: Full Length Article Abstract: In the last decade the investigation of the shallow marine waters, around the margins of the continents, for the submerged remains of prehistoric archaeology has become common. Typically these investigations have focused on those areas in which bodies of sediment exist that contain the archaeological remains within the sediment matrix, often in pristine conditions. However, in the UK large parts of the submerged landscape are devoid of significant stratified sediment bodies and are dominated by near surface bedrock where only pockets of pre-inundation sediment lie interspersed between outcrops of bedrock and patches of highly mobile sediment sequences. In order to investigate the archaeological potential of such areas a more integrated approach that moves from regional to local scales is required to locate those areas in which archaeological remains may exist and to identify them when present. Here we illustrate such an approach using the northern UK seascape and a focus on the Bay of Firth in Orkney as a case study.

The Heart of Neolithic Orkney in its Contemporary Contexts

2004

Specific project description………………………………. Summary……………………………………………………. 3.0 Orkney: a geographic, historical and social overview………… The history of archaeological exploration and management in Orkney……………………………… Orkney: perceptions and practices……………………… Heritage, representation and the construction of Orkney………………………….. Conclusions………………………………………………… 4.0 Heritage Management: mediating the past…………………….. Conservation………………………………………………. Presentation……………………………………………….. Partnerships and stakeholders………………………….. Conclusions……………………………………………….. 5.0 Experiencing the past……………………………………………. 36 The Ring of Brodgar………………………………………. Access……………………………………………………….. Presentation………………………………………………… Place…………………………………………………………. Practices…………………………………………………….. Coach and Minibus tours at the Ring of Brodgar……… The Stones of Stenness…………………………………….. Access, presentation and place…………………………… Practices…………………………………………………….. Maeshowe…………………………………………………… Access, presentation and place…………………………… Practices…………………………………………………….. Skara Brae…………………………………………………... Access, presentation and place…………………………… Practices…………………………………………………….. Discussion and comparisons of the WHS………………. 6.0 Conclusions and Policy Implications…………………………… Summary: understanding peoples' perceptions of the monuments……………………………………… Conflict………………………………………………………. Policy Implications………………………………………… References Cited……………………………………………………….. Appendices……………………………………………………………...