Research Framework for the Archaeology of Wales - Fframwaith Ymchwil i Archaeoleg Cymru

Introducing a Research Framework for the Archaeology of Wales

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NEOLITHIC AND EARLIER BRONZE AGE WALES (4000 BC – 1500 BC)

The introduction of farming around 4000 BC fundamentally changed the environment and the ways in which people lived and interacted, but we understand little about this transition. Wales has much evidence of funerary and ritual activities, but little of settlement.

The following are extracts/summaries of the key priorities identified for the period. For the full text, click on the All Wales Final Document link below.

The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition - There is a need to study sea level change and locations of settlement through excavation, dating and environmental sampling.
Understanding monuments – Following recent cataloguing, the types of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments need to be understood through topographical analysis, environmental sampling, dating and re-examining material from past excavations.
Where were the settlements? – Few settlements of the Neolithic or Early Bronze Age monument builders are known, creating a need to review cropmarks and artefact distributions and consider targeted surface collection and sample excavation.
How did prehistoric populations use the landscape? - There is a need to examine the vicinities of monuments to identify field systems, seek evidence from natural channels and bogs and examine the sources and uses of raw materials.