Aspects of Neolithic and Bronze Age ‘religion’ in the North East
Following the successful initial programme of evening Zoom lectures, which focussed on themes ranging in date from Roman to medieval, this programme focuses on much earlier times. What can we say about the belief systems of people who lived in our region between c4000 and c800 BC?
This programme replaces the workshop originally proposed for March 2020. We are extremely grateful to the speakers who have kindly agreed to contribute. Each lecture will last approximately 45 minutes, after which there will be the opportunity to ask questions.
The subjects all relate to fieldwork that it is hoped will be undertaken by project volunteers over the next couple of years. Details of this work will be circulated in due course.
To attend any or all of the lectures, please ensure you are registered as a volunteer with the Belief in the North East project. Links will be circulated to all registered volunteers a couple of days prior to each lecture. You can sign up by sending us a message via the Contact-us page of the project website: http://www.beliefne.net/contact-us.html
24 March: Exploring rock art in the landscape
Aaron Watson
Reflecting upon fieldwork across Scotland and the north of England, including recent excavations at rock art sites, we will consider how relationships between rock art and the landscape might reveal new interpretations of this enigmatic legacy of the Neolithic and Bronze Age. This will provide an important context for the second presentation, focusing on the rock art of north-east England.
Aaron Watson is an Interpretation and Engagement Manager at Kilmartin Museum, Scotland, and an Honorary Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Durham. Since completing a doctorate in 2000 he has conducted archaeological research at Neolithic and Bronze Age sites across Britain and Ireland, focusing upon rock art, stone circles and chambered cairns. He has a particular interest in exploring and communicating monuments, landscape and multisensory experience.
31 March: Cups and rings and other things: prehistoric rock art in north-east England.
Paul Frodsham & Kate Sharpe
This presentation will provide an overview of ‘cup-and-ring’ art throughout the north east, stressing the need to consider it within its landscape context if we hope to improve our understanding of it. We will briefly consider the history of past work, before examining the different contexts in which we find rock art throughout the region. We will offer some suggestions regarding its date and possible functions. We will NOT be telling you what it ‘means’, as it would arrogant of us to think that we could; but we will offer some suggestions.
Kate Sharpe completed her PhD on Cumbrian prehistoric rock art at Durham in 2007, since when she has helped to deliver several rock art projects including the Northumberland and Durham Rock Art Project. She co-edited Carving a Future for British Rock Art (2010), and edits the newsletter Rock Articles.
Paul Frodsham is Project Consultant for the Belief in the North East project. Over the past three decades he has helped to design and deliver numerous fieldwork projects relating to the archaeology of religion in the north east. He is particularly interested in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, especially rock art, on which he has published several books and papers.
7 April: The Kirkhaugh Bell Beaker burial: belief, travel, and metal.
Andrew Fitzpatrick
This talk will look at the importance of belief in the centuries around 2300 BC through the prism of the Bell Beaker burial at Kirkhaugh, near Alston. The beaker pot played a central role in many burial rites across western Europe between 2500-2200 BC. Although these rites varied from region to region, a decorated beaker pot was almost always placed in the grave. It has been suggested that the beaker was used by the mourners to drink a libation in memory of the deceased and this, along with other religious beliefs, was the basis of the Europe-wide distribution of Bell Beaker burials. In contrast, it has been argued recently that DNA results show that the burial rite was introduced to Britain by a large-scale migration. But while there is no doubt that the first Bell Beaker individuals in Britain were migrants, it is clear that the rite was adopted over many centuries and that migration from the Continent during this time was not a significant factor.
One of the earliest Bell Beaker burials found in southern of England is the Amesbury Archer, who was one of the early migrants. Buried near Stonehenge, this man was given an exceptionally well-furnished burial and it seems likely that this was because he was one of the earliest metalworkers in Britain. The Kirkhaugh burial is also well-furnished and it is the earliest Bell Beaker burial in the north of England. Kirkhaugh lies high in the Upper Tyne Valley and its location on the edge of the famous Alston ore field raises the possibility that the man buried there was one of a Bell Beaker group prospecting for metals.
Andrew Fitzpatrick is an archaeological consultant and Honorary Research Professor at Leicester University. He has published widely on prehistory of Britain and continental Europe and he led the teams that excavated the burial of Amesbury Archer and re-excavated the Kirkhaugh grave.
14 April: Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age burials in north-east England: the state of play
Chris Fowler
Excavation records exist for over 360 burials from the period c. 2500-1500 BC at just over 150 sites in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham. Many of these were excavated in the nineteenth century, but finds from them (including a range of pottery vessels and objects of flint, jet, copper and bronze) are available for study in museums. A few have been excavated in recent times using modern scientific techniques. In this talk we will explore patterns and diversity, change and continuity in burial practices over this period of time. We will consider these at the regional and local scales, and through exploring a few key sites in detail.
Chris Fowler is Senior Lecturer in Later Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he has worked since 2004. He is particularly interested in the application of anthropological approaches to the body and the person in prehistoric archaeology, especially Neolithic and early Bronze Age Britain. In 2013 he published The Emergent Past, an important account of early Bronze Age burial in north-east England which is essential reading for anyone interested in this fascinating subject.
21 April: Standing stones in the north east: what, where, when, why?
Paul Frodsham
We will examine the variety of standing stone monuments throughout the region, including isolated stones, pairs of stones, four-posters, stone rows and stone circles. With regard to the latter we will pop over the border into Cumbria to examine recent excavations at Long Meg and her Daughters, and will consider the implications of that work for our region. A new regional survey of standing stones is proposed as part of the Belief in the North East project; this presentation will explain what is proposed and how people can get involved.
Paul Frodsham is Project Consultant for the Belief in the North East project. Over the past three decades he has helped to design and deliver numerous fieldwork projects relating to the archaeology of religion in the north east. He is particularly interested in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, especially rock art, on which he has published several books and papers
28 April: Ritual Offerings in prehistory? Understanding Bronze Age bronze and gold hoards found in the landscapes of north-east England and beyond.
Ben Roberts
This talk will provide an introduction to Bronze Age (c. 2500-800 BC) bronze and gold hoards in north-east England within the broader context of north-west Europe. It will highlight the wealth of new discoveries and review the increasingly detailed evidence around where hoards are found in the region. It will explore the different interpretations as to why these metal objects were neither recycled nor recovered and what they can tell us about Bronze Age communities in north-east England. It will provide an important context for the planned work on hoards that project volunteers will be invited to contribute to over the next couple of years.
Ben Roberts, Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, completed his PhD on the origins and early development of metallurgy in western Europe at the University of Cambridge in 2007, subsequently working until 2012 at the British Museum as the Curator for the European Bronze Age collections. This included the recording of Bronze Age hoards found by metal-detecting in England. His current research focuses on understanding the transmission of new objects and technologies in north-west and south-east Europe from the Neolithic to the early Iron Age.
This programme replaces the workshop originally proposed for March 2020. We are extremely grateful to the speakers who have kindly agreed to contribute. Each lecture will last approximately 45 minutes, after which there will be the opportunity to ask questions.
The subjects all relate to fieldwork that it is hoped will be undertaken by project volunteers over the next couple of years. Details of this work will be circulated in due course.
To attend any or all of the lectures, please ensure you are registered as a volunteer with the Belief in the North East project. Links will be circulated to all registered volunteers a couple of days prior to each lecture. You can sign up by sending us a message via the Contact-us page of the project website: http://www.beliefne.net/contact-us.html
24 March: Exploring rock art in the landscape
Aaron Watson
Reflecting upon fieldwork across Scotland and the north of England, including recent excavations at rock art sites, we will consider how relationships between rock art and the landscape might reveal new interpretations of this enigmatic legacy of the Neolithic and Bronze Age. This will provide an important context for the second presentation, focusing on the rock art of north-east England.
Aaron Watson is an Interpretation and Engagement Manager at Kilmartin Museum, Scotland, and an Honorary Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Durham. Since completing a doctorate in 2000 he has conducted archaeological research at Neolithic and Bronze Age sites across Britain and Ireland, focusing upon rock art, stone circles and chambered cairns. He has a particular interest in exploring and communicating monuments, landscape and multisensory experience.
31 March: Cups and rings and other things: prehistoric rock art in north-east England.
Paul Frodsham & Kate Sharpe
This presentation will provide an overview of ‘cup-and-ring’ art throughout the north east, stressing the need to consider it within its landscape context if we hope to improve our understanding of it. We will briefly consider the history of past work, before examining the different contexts in which we find rock art throughout the region. We will offer some suggestions regarding its date and possible functions. We will NOT be telling you what it ‘means’, as it would arrogant of us to think that we could; but we will offer some suggestions.
Kate Sharpe completed her PhD on Cumbrian prehistoric rock art at Durham in 2007, since when she has helped to deliver several rock art projects including the Northumberland and Durham Rock Art Project. She co-edited Carving a Future for British Rock Art (2010), and edits the newsletter Rock Articles.
Paul Frodsham is Project Consultant for the Belief in the North East project. Over the past three decades he has helped to design and deliver numerous fieldwork projects relating to the archaeology of religion in the north east. He is particularly interested in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, especially rock art, on which he has published several books and papers.
7 April: The Kirkhaugh Bell Beaker burial: belief, travel, and metal.
Andrew Fitzpatrick
This talk will look at the importance of belief in the centuries around 2300 BC through the prism of the Bell Beaker burial at Kirkhaugh, near Alston. The beaker pot played a central role in many burial rites across western Europe between 2500-2200 BC. Although these rites varied from region to region, a decorated beaker pot was almost always placed in the grave. It has been suggested that the beaker was used by the mourners to drink a libation in memory of the deceased and this, along with other religious beliefs, was the basis of the Europe-wide distribution of Bell Beaker burials. In contrast, it has been argued recently that DNA results show that the burial rite was introduced to Britain by a large-scale migration. But while there is no doubt that the first Bell Beaker individuals in Britain were migrants, it is clear that the rite was adopted over many centuries and that migration from the Continent during this time was not a significant factor.
One of the earliest Bell Beaker burials found in southern of England is the Amesbury Archer, who was one of the early migrants. Buried near Stonehenge, this man was given an exceptionally well-furnished burial and it seems likely that this was because he was one of the earliest metalworkers in Britain. The Kirkhaugh burial is also well-furnished and it is the earliest Bell Beaker burial in the north of England. Kirkhaugh lies high in the Upper Tyne Valley and its location on the edge of the famous Alston ore field raises the possibility that the man buried there was one of a Bell Beaker group prospecting for metals.
Andrew Fitzpatrick is an archaeological consultant and Honorary Research Professor at Leicester University. He has published widely on prehistory of Britain and continental Europe and he led the teams that excavated the burial of Amesbury Archer and re-excavated the Kirkhaugh grave.
14 April: Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age burials in north-east England: the state of play
Chris Fowler
Excavation records exist for over 360 burials from the period c. 2500-1500 BC at just over 150 sites in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham. Many of these were excavated in the nineteenth century, but finds from them (including a range of pottery vessels and objects of flint, jet, copper and bronze) are available for study in museums. A few have been excavated in recent times using modern scientific techniques. In this talk we will explore patterns and diversity, change and continuity in burial practices over this period of time. We will consider these at the regional and local scales, and through exploring a few key sites in detail.
Chris Fowler is Senior Lecturer in Later Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he has worked since 2004. He is particularly interested in the application of anthropological approaches to the body and the person in prehistoric archaeology, especially Neolithic and early Bronze Age Britain. In 2013 he published The Emergent Past, an important account of early Bronze Age burial in north-east England which is essential reading for anyone interested in this fascinating subject.
21 April: Standing stones in the north east: what, where, when, why?
Paul Frodsham
We will examine the variety of standing stone monuments throughout the region, including isolated stones, pairs of stones, four-posters, stone rows and stone circles. With regard to the latter we will pop over the border into Cumbria to examine recent excavations at Long Meg and her Daughters, and will consider the implications of that work for our region. A new regional survey of standing stones is proposed as part of the Belief in the North East project; this presentation will explain what is proposed and how people can get involved.
Paul Frodsham is Project Consultant for the Belief in the North East project. Over the past three decades he has helped to design and deliver numerous fieldwork projects relating to the archaeology of religion in the north east. He is particularly interested in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, especially rock art, on which he has published several books and papers
28 April: Ritual Offerings in prehistory? Understanding Bronze Age bronze and gold hoards found in the landscapes of north-east England and beyond.
Ben Roberts
This talk will provide an introduction to Bronze Age (c. 2500-800 BC) bronze and gold hoards in north-east England within the broader context of north-west Europe. It will highlight the wealth of new discoveries and review the increasingly detailed evidence around where hoards are found in the region. It will explore the different interpretations as to why these metal objects were neither recycled nor recovered and what they can tell us about Bronze Age communities in north-east England. It will provide an important context for the planned work on hoards that project volunteers will be invited to contribute to over the next couple of years.
Ben Roberts, Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, completed his PhD on the origins and early development of metallurgy in western Europe at the University of Cambridge in 2007, subsequently working until 2012 at the British Museum as the Curator for the European Bronze Age collections. This included the recording of Bronze Age hoards found by metal-detecting in England. His current research focuses on understanding the transmission of new objects and technologies in north-west and south-east Europe from the Neolithic to the early Iron Age.