Neolithic Scotland

This is a survey of the neolithic period in Scotland from 4000 to 2500 BC. This is an account of the Neolithic period in Scotland from its earliest traces around 4000 BC to the transformation of Neolithic society in the Early Bronze Age fifteen hundred years later. Gordon Noble inteprets Scottish material in the context of debates and issues in European archaeology, comparing sites and practices identified in Scotland to those found elsewhere in Britain and beyond. He synthesises excavations and research conducted over the last century and more, bringing together the evidence for understanding what happened in Scotland during this long period. His long-term and regionally based analysis suggests new directions for the interpretation of the Neolithic more generally. Dr Noble outlines the chronology of the Neolithic in Europe then considers its origins in Scotland investigating why the Earlier Neolithic in Scotland is characterised by regionally-distinct monumental traditions. He uses a long-term perspective to explain the nature of monumental landscapes in the Later Neolithic and considers the impact on the creation and maintenance of Neolithic society.He ends by considering how the Neolithic was transformed in the Early Bronze Age through the manipulation of the material remains of the past.