Woodland in the Neolithic of Northern Europe

The Neolithic period is one of the great transformations in human history - when agriculture first began and dramatic changes occurred in human society. These changes occurred in environments that were radically different to those that exist today, and in northern Europe many landscapes would have been dominated by woodland. Yet wood and woodland rarely figures in the minds of many archaeologists, and it plays no part in the traditional Three Age system that has defined the frameworks of European prehistory. This book explores how human-environment relations altered with the beginnings of farming, and how the Neolithic in northern Europe was made possible through new ways of living in and understanding the environment. Drawing on a broad range of evidence, from pollen data and stone axes to the remains of timber monuments and settlements, the book analyzes the relationship between people, their material culture, and their woodland environment.

• Though the Neolithic is one of the most popular and widely written about periods of prehistory, this book will introduce readers to entirely new ways of looking at this well-studied period
• One of the few overviews of the Neolithic environment, providing an accessible overview of key topics in prehistory
• Is underpinned by theory but will be accessible to a wide readership from academics and professionals to the interested public