Beaker Culture and the Transformation of Society in the Northern Isles
by Stephen Jennings
Evidence for an abrupt transformation in society of the Northern Isles in the late Neolithic is unmistakable. Whilst in Orkney social and power structures continued building in
Beaker Culture and the Transformation of Society in the Northern Isles
by Stephen Jennings
Evidence for an abrupt transformation in society of the Northern Isles in the late Neolithic is unmistakable. Whilst in Orkney social and power structures continued building in complexity during the period until sudden collapse and reorganization, for Shetland the material record indicates social change was less pronounced or more readily accommodated. Settlement here had always been and remained dispersed, architecture changed little and use of the underlying substrate of material culture persevered. Some of what is being observed is undoubtedly a case of research bias as much greater attention and resources have been applied to an understanding of Neolithic Orkney. Nonetheless, the upheaval in both locations with the coming of Beaker culture is yet to be fully understood. Frequently downplayed as having a more incidental role in what is being detected archaeologically, the effect on society of this new arrival could be more dramatic and directly responsible for social transformation in both island groups during the late Neolithic and into the very early Bronze Age than we currently believe.
Figure 1: Ring of Brodgar
The trajectory of social development during the early and middle Neolithic of Orkney appears to have been consolidation. The current base of knowledge shows that from the modest beginnings of farmsteads, such as the two houses at the Knap of Howar dated to 3600 BC and occupied for about 500 years (Ritchie 1995:22), the scale of architecture and complexity of ritual development quickly escalated. The massive Structure 8 at Barnhouse was built sometime around 3000 BC (Richards et al. 2016) as was Structure 10 at the Ness of Brodgar (Card et al. 2018). The Stones of Stenness was erected followed by the chambered tomb of Maeshowe, the latter perhaps by 2800 BC (Ritchie 1995: 55). Before the appearance of these impressive structures, nucleated settlements had developed around Barnho