"Kinship in Neolithic Britain" with Professor Chris Fowler

Kinship in Neolithic Britain

Professor Chris Fowler, Newcastle University

Kinship is a fundamental aspect of human societies, yet has long presented a challenge for archaeologists attempting to understand Neolithic communities. The study of kinship in Neolithic Britain is, however, now changing rapidly, in no small part due to the availability of data on biological relatedness between individuals provided by applying new genetic methods to human remains from Neolithic burial grounds. In this presentation I will consider how Neolithic communities negotiated kinship in their construction and use of chambered tombs - including choices about who was placed in a tomb and where they were placed - through case studies that derive from collaborative research with geneticists and other archaeologists. These case studies will include the chambered tomb at Hazleton North, Gloucestershire, a group of chambered tombs around Loch Calder, Caithness, and a tomb from the Holm of Papa Westray,…