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
Resource type
Journal article
Creator (person)
Sheridan, J A
Cooney, Gabriel
Date published
2014
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.
Journal title
Journal of Irish Archaeology
Volume
23
Publisher
Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland
ISSN
0268-537X