European studies of the Bell Beaker phenomenon have concentrated on
burial and artifacts that constitute its the most visible aspects. This
volume concentrates on the domestic sphere - assemblage composition,
domestic structures (how they differ, if at all, from previous types,
legacies), and provides the first pan-European synthesis of its kind. It
is a Europe-wide survey and analysis of Bell Beaker settlement
structures; this is particularly important as we cannot understand the
Bell Beaker phenomenon by analyzing graves alone. Neither should we view
Bell Beakers in isolation but must consider the effect that they had on
already existing Late Neolithic cultures in the areas in which they
appear. This volume is therefore intended to view the settlement aspect
of Bell Beakers in context throughout Europe. It is the text book for
Chalcolithic settlements and society.
Contributors to the 19 papers belong to Europe-wide affiliation of
experts specializing in Bell Beakers and the Chalcolithic (Archeologie
et Gobelets) which addresses common pan-European issues surrounding the
appearance and spread of Bell Beakers. This book summarizes that data
from the UK and many of the continental European countries; an
increasingly important element of Beaker studies following recent
isotopic and DNA evidence showing that the phenomenon was a result of
human migration and not that of cultural ideas, trade and ideology.
Each chapter deals with a defined region or country and is fully
illustrated, including a corpus of Beaker houses and comparing then with
Late Neolithic domestic structures where they are known to exist.
The following themes will be addressed:
- Regional syntheses in the UK and in Europe
- What native cultures existed before the arrival of Bell Beakers?
- What domestic ceramics were being used before the arrival of Bell
Beakers?
- What stone and flint types were in use?
- What did pre-Bell Beaker houses look like? What size were they?
- What (if any) changes to 1-4 above resulted after the appearance of
Bell Beakers?
