This book is about two islands off the coast of Continental Europe, the
seas that surrounded them, and the ways in which they were used over a
period of three thousand years. Instead of the usual emphasis on finds
in the intertidal zone, it focuses on parts of Britain and Ireland where
traces of the prehistoric shoreline survive above sea level. It explores
a series of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites which were investigated
in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and have been largely
forgotten. These places were very different from the Iron Age ports and
harbors studied in recent years. How can we identify these special
sites, and what are the best ways of interpreting them?
The book considers the evidence for travel by sea between the settlement
of the earliest farmers and the long distance movement of metalwork. It
emphasizes the distinctive archaeology of a series of coastal locations.
Little of the information is familiar and some of the most useful
evidence was recorded many years ago. It is supplemented by new studies
of these places and the artifacts found there, as well as
reconstructions of the prehistoric coastline. The book emphasizes the
important role of 'enclosed estuaries', which were both sheltered
harbors and special places where artifacts were introduced by sea. Other
items were made there and exchanged with local communities. It considers
the role played by these places in the wider pattern of settlement and
their relationship to major monuments. The book describes how the
character of coastal sites changed in parallel with developments in
maritime technology and trade.
The main emphasis is on Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages uses of the
seashore, but the archaeology of the Middle and Later Bronze Age
provides a source of comparison.
