Maritime Havens in Earlier Prehistoric Britain

Abstract

It is widely accepted that between the beginning of the Early Neolithic period and the end of the Early Bronze Age different regions of Britain were connected to one another by sea, but little is known about the nature of maritime contacts before plank-built boats developed during the 2nd millennium bc. This paper considers a series of coastal sites, some of which were first settled from Mesolithic times. From the early 4th millennium they were also associated with artefact production and the use of imported objects and raw materials. Their distribution focuses on the region of isostatic uplift in northern Britain where the ancient shoreline still survives. It is considered in relation to a new model of coastal change which suggests that these locations were characterised by natural havens sheltered behind islands or bars. The sites can be compared with the ‘landing places’ and ‘beach markets’ discussed by historical archaeologists in recent years.

Making connections: a fresh analysis of an early neolithic pit and its contents

“…Undoubtedly, much of this material was transported by coastal travel in boats that required maritime havens (Bradley et al . ): the location of Pit X, overlooking the coast, connects the shifting sea with a fixed landscape setting.…”

“…Coastal networks are an increasing theme of the Early Neolithic in Sussex (Baczkowski, forthcoming) and southern England (Anderson‐Whymark 2015; Bradley et al . ). The majority of the Sussex flint mines and pit sites are located close to the current coastline or river estuaries, such as the Ouse and the Arun.…”

Pathways to past ways: a positive approach to routeways and mobility

“…Important river routes, such as along the Wiltshire Avon, can be postulated (Sherratt 1996). These are sometimes supported by artefact distributions, which have recently led to the identification of maritime landing and trading places (Bradley et al 2016).…”

“…These are sometimes supported by artefact distributions, which have recently led to the identification of maritime landing and trading places (Bradley et al . 2016).…”

A Model of Coastal Wetland Palaeogeography and Archaeological Narratives: Loch Spynie, Northern Scotland

“…Research on prehistoric maritime communities along the Moray Firth in northern Scotland has recently turned to examining relative sea-level changes and their impact on coastal wetland geomorphology as a primary focus for research (e.g. Bradley et al 2016). This turn draws on Quaternary geological research in this region (see Smith et al 2019), however, these studies are normally at scales too broad for detailed archaeological interpretation to be drawn out of them (Sturt, Garrow, and Bradley 2013, 3964;Griffiths et al 2015;Bicket et al 2017, 179-80;Shennan, Bradley, and Edwards 2018).…”