The Boyne to Brodgar initiative: understanding—and preserving, presenting and raising awareness of—Neolithic monuments and the people who built and used them in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man

Abstract

• This contribution introduces a new initiative, focusing on Neolithic monumentality in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, that aims to combine fresh research and fieldwork with a strategy to raise public awareness of the wealth and interconnectedness of the monuments in these areas. The background to the initiative - a brainchild of the late Professor Magdalena Midgley - is outlined and the need for new research is explained. An overall research framework is presented that covers five key themes relevant to all the areas: (1) the beginnings of Neolithic monumentality in these areas; (2) regional trajectories and interregional connectedness; (3) late fourth- and early third-millennium developments linked to interregional and long-distance contacts; (4) late Neolithic monumentality and the impact of the appearance of novel Continental practices around the 25th century: and - an overarching theme - (5) the builders and users of Neolithic monuments, the cultural and physical environment in which the monuments were built, and the meaning of the monuments.