Vicki Cummings – författare

For more than a century, the study of hunting and gathering societies has been central to the development of both archaeology and anthropology as academic disciplines, and has also generated widespread public interest and debate. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers provides a comprehensive review of hunter-gatherer studies to date, including critical engagements with older debates, new theoretical perspectives, and renewed obligations for greater engagement between researchers and indigenous communities. Chapters provide in-depth archaeological, historical, and anthropological case-studies, and examine far-reaching questions about human social relations, attitudes to technology, ecology, and management of resources and the environment, as well as issues of diet, health, and gender relations--all central topics in hunter-gatherer research, but also themes that have great relevance for modern global society and its future challenges.The Handbook also provides a strategic vision for how the integration of new methods, approaches, and study regions can ensure that future research into the archaeology and anthropology of hunter-gatherers will continue to deliver penetrating insights into the factors that underlie all human diversity.

This book provides a basic introduction to key debates in the study of hunter-gatherers, specifically from an anthropological perspective, but designed for an archaeological audience. Hunter-gatherers have been the focus of intense anthropological research and discussion over the last hundred years, and as such there is an enormous literature on communities all over the world. Yet, among the diverse range of peoples studied, there are a number of recurrent themes, including not only the way in which people make a living (hunting, gathering and fishing) but also striking similarities in other areas of life such as belief systems and social organisation. These themes are described and then explored through archaeological case-studies. The overarching theme throughout the volume is the use of ethnographic analogy, and how archaeologists should be critical in its use.

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 recent research has both extended and deepened our knowledge of regional sequences, from the sixth to the fourth millennia cal 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 colonisation 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 by leading specialists offers a comprehensive and authoritative overview of this fundamental transition.

For more than a century, the study of hunting and gathering societies has been central to the development of both archaeology and anthropology as academic disciplines, and has also generated widespread public interest and debate. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers provides a comprehensive review of hunter-gatherer studies to date, including critical engagements with older debates, new theoretical perspectives, and renewed obligations for greater engagement between researchers and indigenous communities. Chapters provide in-depth archaeological, historical, and anthropological case-studies, and examine far-reaching questions about human social relations, attitudes to technology, ecology, and management of resources and the environment, as well as issues of diet, health, and gender relations - all central topics in hunter-gatherer research, but also themes that have great relevance for modern global society and its future challenges.The Handbook also provides a strategic vision for how the integration of new methods, approaches, and study regions can ensure that future research into the archaeology and anthropology of hunter-gatherers will continue to deliver penetrating insights into the factors that underlie all human diversity.

The definitive guide to the stone circles of Britain and Ireland  From Stonehenge and the Ring of Brogdar to the Rollright Stones and Avebury, the British and Irish Isles are scattered with the stone circles of our prehistoric ancestors. Although there have been many theories to explain them, to this day there is no consensus about their purpose.  Colin Richards and Vicki Cummings provide a clear and illuminating field guide to 424 key stone circle sites in Britain and Ireland. Organised by region, this handy volume sets out the features of these megalithic monuments, including their landscape position, construction, and physical properties. The authors take stock of cutting-edge research and recent excavations stone circles that were previously lost to time. They present new insights on the chronology, composition, and roles of different circles to transform our understanding the sites.  Beautifully illustrated with photographs, maps, and plans, this is an essential guide to Britain and Ireland’s most mysterious prehistoric monuments.

The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland provides a comprehensive overview of this exciting period, covering the last few hundred years of the Mesolithic and the arrival and spread of the Neolithic up to the start of the early Beaker period: roughly 2000 years of prehistory.Drawing on the latest excavations and the results of new scientific techniques, this book considers what life was like for people in the Neolithic and how they were treated when they died. It explores in detail the monuments constructed from stone and wood, the most famous of which is Stonehenge, but also includes many other sites such as chambered tombs and causewayed enclosures. It considers some of the key ways we interpret evidence from the Neolithic to offer insights into social organisation and belief systems at this time. The new edition contains the results of the latest ancient DNA evidence, which has seen this period of prehistory undergoing considerable revision in the last few years. Exciting new finds and excavations are also included.This is an accessible introduction for students new to the study of the Neolithic and also acts as a reference for students and scholars already researching this area.

The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland provides a comprehensive overview of this exciting period, covering the last few hundred years of the Mesolithic and the arrival and spread of the Neolithic up to the start of the early Beaker period: roughly 2000 years of prehistory.Drawing on the latest excavations and the results of new scientific techniques, this book considers what life was like for people in the Neolithic and how they were treated when they died. It explores in detail the monuments constructed from stone and wood, the most famous of which is Stonehenge, but also includes many other sites such as chambered tombs and causewayed enclosures. It considers some of the key ways we interpret evidence from the Neolithic to offer insights into social organisation and belief systems at this time. The new edition contains the results of the latest ancient DNA evidence, which has seen this period of prehistory undergoing considerable revision in the last few years. Exciting new finds and excavations are also included.This is an accessible introduction for students new to the study of the Neolithic and also acts as a reference for students and scholars already researching this area.

The Archaeology of Britain provides an up-to-date introduction to the archaeology of Britain from the reoccupation of the landmass by Homo sapiens during the later stages of the most recent Ice Age until last century. This fully revised third edition offers expanded coverage and includes updates relating to the latest research and advances in scientific dating and other techniques. This includes the results of the latest analyses of ancient DNA, alongside new isotopic studies which enable insights into ancient diets. Each chapter, written by a leading authority, provides a detailed yet accessible introduction to various time periods and are supported by numerous illustrations of key sites and finds and a selective reference list to aid study in greater depth. As a comprehensive textbook for the entire archaeology of Britain, it reflects the most recent developments in archaeology both as a field subject and as an academic discipline.No other book provides such comprehensive coverage, with such a wide chronological range, of the archaeology of Britain. This book is essential reading for undergraduates in archaeology, and all those interested in British archaeology, history and geography.

The Archaeology of Britain provides an up-to-date introduction to the archaeology of Britain from the reoccupation of the landmass by Homo sapiens during the later stages of the most recent Ice Age until last century. This fully revised third edition offers expanded coverage and includes updates relating to the latest research and advances in scientific dating and other techniques. This includes the results of the latest analyses of ancient DNA, alongside new isotopic studies which enable insights into ancient diets. Each chapter, written by a leading authority, provides a detailed yet accessible introduction to various time periods and are supported by numerous illustrations of key sites and finds and a selective reference list to aid study in greater depth. As a comprehensive textbook for the entire archaeology of Britain, it reflects the most recent developments in archaeology both as a field subject and as an academic discipline.No other book provides such comprehensive coverage, with such a wide chronological range, of the archaeology of Britain. This book is essential reading for undergraduates in archaeology, and all those interested in British archaeology, history and geography.

This book provides a basic introduction to key debates in the study of hunter-gatherers, specifically from an anthropological perspective, but designed for an archaeological audience. Hunter-gatherers have been the focus of intense anthropological research and discussion over the last hundred years, and as such there is an enormous literature on communities all over the world. Yet, among the diverse range of peoples studied, there are a number of recurrent themes, including not only the way in which people make a living (hunting, gathering and fishing) but also striking similarities in other areas of life such as belief systems and social organisation. These themes are described and then explored through archaeological case-studies. The overarching theme throughout the volume is the use of ethnographic analogy, and how archaeologists should be critical in its use.

As its title might suggest, this volume sets out to present a new view of Scotland's Neolithic as seen via its monumental structures. The papers brought together here came out of a research day at Cardiff University's School of History and Archaeology in January 2002 and cover a diverse number of topics. They raise questions of ancestry and worldview, and highlight the amount that can be done in examining the settings of monuments.

In this book we offer an exciting new perspective on a distinctive form of megalithic monument that is found across most areas of northern Europe. In order to achieve this we have abandoned outmoded typological classifications and re-introduced the term ‘dolmen’ to embrace a range of sites that share a common form of megalithic architecture: the elevation and display of a substantial stone. By critically assessing the traditionally assigned role of these monuments and their architecture as megalithic tombs, the presence of the dead is reassessed and argued to form part of a process generating vibrancy to the materiality of the dolmen. As such this book argues that the megalithic architecture identified as a dolmen is not a chambered tomb at all but instead is a qualitatively different form of monument. We also provide an entirely different conception of the utility of this extraordinary megalithic architecture – one that seeks to emphasise its building as articulating discourses of wonder as a broad social strategy. In this respect it is important to remember that many of these monuments were erected very early in the Neolithic and as a consequence of new people entering new lands, or social transformation. In short, dolmens are monumental constructions employing experimental and emergent technologies to raise huge stones, which, once built, enchant those who come within their spaces. Our claim is that dolmens were megalithic installations of affect, magical and extraordinary in construction and strategically positioned to induce both drama and awe in their encounter.

In Britain, Ireland and Southern Scandinavia, the Early Neolithic is characterised by monumental constructions (e.g. causewayed enclosures, dolmens) and by specific traditions of depositional practice. Some aspects of these practices are similar in both regions, for example the shapes and use of monuments, their overall developmental sequences, and the traditions of deposition (kinds of objects and their treatment, locations chosen and so on). In spite of these similarities, however, there has been little explicit comparative work, largely also because of research paradigms that tended to stress local and regional peculiarities over wide-spread similarities.Given the increasing evidence for group and personal mobility in recent years, this begs the question of whether such similarities are the result of accidental convergence on the basis of a broadly shared “Neolithic” lifeway, or rather the result of contacts, whether direct or as part of a large-scale, but loose network of interaction. The papers in this volume provide initial case studies to address this issue. Regional case studies of Britain, Ireland, southern Scandinavia, northern France and northern Germany form the basis for reflecting on the similarities and differences of sites and materials to those from adjacent areas, and on the forms and rhythms any potential contact might have taken. Authors draw on both archaeological studies of specific material categories or site patterns, as well as on aDNA evidence or modelling of 14C dates. Papers also offer theoretical reflections on the modalities of contacts and connections at this time, defining more directed questions and priorities to further develop this line of research in the future.

The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland provides a synthesis of this dynamic period of prehistory from the end of the Mesolithic through to the early Beaker period. Drawing on new excavations and the application of new scientific approaches to data from this period, this book considers both life and death in the Neolithic. It offers a clear and concise introduction to this period but with an emphasis on the wider and on-going research questions. It is an important text for students new to the study of this period of prehistory as well as acting as a reference for students and scholars already researching this area. The book begins by considering the Mesolithic prelude, specifically the millennium prior to the start of the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland. It then goes on to consider what life was like for people at the time, alongside the monumental record and how people treated the dead. This is presented chronologically, with separate chapters on the early Neolithic, middle Neolithic, late Neolithic and early Beaker periods. Finally it considers future research priorities for the study of the Neolithic.

The Neolithic of Britain and Ireland provides a synthesis of this dynamic period of prehistory from the end of the Mesolithic through to the early Beaker period. Drawing on new excavations and the application of new scientific approaches to data from this period, this book considers both life and death in the Neolithic. It offers a clear and concise introduction to this period but with an emphasis on the wider and on-going research questions. It is an important text for students new to the study of this period of prehistory as well as acting as a reference for students and scholars already researching this area. The book begins by considering the Mesolithic prelude, specifically the millennium prior to the start of the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland. It then goes on to consider what life was like for people at the time, alongside the monumental record and how people treated the dead. This is presented chronologically, with separate chapters on the early Neolithic, middle Neolithic, late Neolithic and early Beaker periods. Finally it considers future research priorities for the study of the Neolithic.