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Neolithic menu
4000 to 2500 BC |
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Chambered Tomb
A chambered tomb is a megalithic structure used for communal burial
during the Neolithic period. Megalithic means ‘made from large
stones’ and these sites consist of a number of large stones set
upright supporting a massive horizontal capstone to form a small
chamber which was used to house the remains of the dead. Some may
originally have been set within a stony mound or cairn. In Celtic
areas they are known as quoits or dolmens. |
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Tor Enclosure
Only recently recognised as a site type, tor enclosures are formed
by a series of massive walls linking natural outcrops to enclose an
imposing, usually granite, hilltop. Dating from the early Neolithic
period, they are particular to south western Britain and are
comparable to the causewayed enclosures found elsewhere in the
British Isles. |
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Neolithic (New Stone Age) |
Farming is introduced between 4,000 BC and 3,500 BC with the
cultivation and harvesting of cereals and possibly other food
plants. Animals such as sheep, pigs and goats are domesticated.
Seasonally-nomadic bands of gatherers and hunters are gradually
replaced by small scale sedentary farming communities, and once
heavily wooded landscapes are being cleared and enclosed to support
a steadily growing population. Round-based pottery vessels for
storage and food preparation begin to be made.
The farmer’s sense of attachment to the land is reflected in the
building of the first monuments, especially major ceremonial and
ritual monuments such as tor enclosures, henges and communal burial
sites known as quoits.
Extensive trade networks, extend across southern England, involving
the export of prestigious objects such as polished stone axes made
from greenstone and gabbroic potting clay originating from the
Lizard peninsula. |
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