Prehistory without Borders

Modern borders of all kinds, political, geographical and social, effect the kinds of prehistoric narratives archaeologists can write. Borders that dominate today did not exist in prehistory. This volume works across such borders and focuses specifically on the region between the Rivers Forth and Tyne, an area divided by the modern political border between Scotland and England. The introduction and opening chapters consider the impact of the Anglo-Scots and similar borders on our understanding of prehistoric patterns of activity. The introduction also asks whether, when, and to what extent this could be considered a coherent region in the prehistoric past. Further chapters explore the history of research in the region, including field survey and aerial photography. Another nine chapters discuss the results of recent research, including new and older excavations, or conduct regional analyses of artefacts and mortuary practices, starting with the Late Upper Palaeolithic and continuing with studies from the Early Neolithic through to the Late Iron Age. Taken as a whole, the publication suggests that while there was no coherent Tyne-Forth region in prehistory, except for perhaps in the Late Iron Age, research at this regional scale provides a strong basis for appreciating past cultural interaction at a variety of scales.

Holds an Early Career Fellowship in the Department of Archaeology & Ancient history, University of Leicester. Her PhD research focused on theoretical approaches to the study of change in prehistory, especially at the transition from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Her current research interests are in Bronze Age combat techniques and the application of use-wear analysis in order to understand how metal was first used in Britain and Ireland and examine the impact that this material had on prehistoric worlds. Is Senior Lecturer in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Newcastle University. He has wide ranging research interests in British and European later Mesolithic, Neolithic and early Bronze Age archaeology with a particular focus on mortuary remains and the application of anthropological approaches to the body and the person in prehistoric archaeology. Richard Tipping is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science at the University of Stirling. His major research interest are in reconstructing vegetation history, climate change, geomorphic activity and land uses in the Holocene with a particular focus on northern Britain.