Books

Books : reviews

Andrew Meirion Jones, Joshua Pollard, Michael J. Allen, Julie Gardiner.
Image, Memory and Monumentality: archaeological engagements with the material world.
Oxbow. 2012

This volume is presented in honour of Richard Bradley.

The 30 commissioned papers provide a major contribution to prehistory and cover the range of themes addressed by Richard’s own extensive research. Leading scholars discuss key themes in prehistoric archaeology that have defined Richard’s career, such as monumentality, memory, rock art, landscape, material worlds and field practice. The scope is broad, covering both Britain and Europe, and while the focus is very much on the archaeology of later prehistory, papers also address the interconnection between prehistory and historic and contemporary archaeology.

The result is a rich and varied tribute to Richard’s energy and intellectual inspiration.

Penny Bickle, Vicki Cummings, Daniela Hofmann, Joshua Pollard.
The Neolithic of Europe: papers in honour of Alasdair Whittle.
Oxbow. 2017

This volume contains 18 specially commissioned papers on prehistoric archaeology, written by leading international scholars. They are presented in honour of Alasdair Whittle, to celebrate the enormous impact he has had on the study of prehistory, and especially the European and British Neolithic. As with Alasdair’s own research, the coverage within this volume is broad, ranging geographically from south-east Europe to Britain and Ireland and chronologically from the Neolithic to the Iron Age, but with a decided focus on the former.

Several papers discuss new scientific approaches to key questions in Neolithic research, while others offer interpretive accounts of aspects of the archaeological record. Thematically, the main foci are on Neolithisation; the archaeology of Neolithic daily life, settlements and subsistence; as well as monuments and aspects of worldview. A number of contributions highlight the recent impact of techniques such as isotopic analysis and statistically modelled radiocarbon dates on our understanding of mobility, diet, lifestyles, events and historical processes. All authors acknowledge the enormous contribution of Alasdair to Neolithic studies and celebrate his rich career in archaeology.