Scottish Neolithic pottery in 2016: the big picture and some details of the narrative

Abstract

• This contribution summarises our present state of knowledge about Scottish Neolithic pottery, emphasising its dual origins in the Continental Middle Neolithic ceramic traditions of Brittany and the northernmost part of France, and tracing the subsequent expansion in its use within Scotland and some of the complexities of its developmental trajectories. The dynamics behind these developments are considered, including the patterns of inter-regional contacts (both within and beyond Scotland) that were established and perpetuated during the fourth millennium BC. The significance of the emergence of Grooved Ware pottery in Orkney towars the end of the millennium, and its rapid and widespread adoption elsewhere, is explored.