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Interpreting the Neolithic: The Monuments of North Yorkshire
Author(s) -
Harding Jan
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
oxford journal of archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1468-0092
pISSN - 0262-5253
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0092.00041
Subject(s) - history , archaeology , period (music) , geography , value (mathematics) , range (aeronautics) , term (time) , ancient history , genealogy , engineering , art , aerospace engineering , aesthetics , physics , quantum mechanics , machine learning , computer science
Recent interpretations of the British Neolithic either consider the shared beliefs of this period or the short‐term engagement of individuals with their material surroundings. This paper argues that, while both approaches provide exciting agenda, they fail to address the marked regional differences which exist within the range of monuments, and indeed have actually shifted Neolithic studies away from a consideration of such variability. A comparison of the monuments from North Yorkshire with similar evidence elsewhere in lowland England illustrates the value of an approach which concentrates on long‐term trends in the continuity or transformation of social structures. It is proposed that the absence of causewayed enclosures and the early development of single‐grave burials demonstrate a distinct social trajectory which continued with the construction of the later henges. The monuments are therefore seen to reflect long‐term continuities in the social history of North Yorkshire.