4000-2200 BC Neolithic

The Neolithic (New Stone Age) is a prehistoric period which means we have no contemporary written evidence. Everything we know about the lives of the communities living in the British Isles comes from remains such as pottery and tools, tombs and earthworks. However, evidence is patchy and it is difficult to create a complete picture.

During the Neolithic the landscape of the British Isles and the societies that lived within it changed. Farming, pottery-making, and new tools were introduced from mainland Europe. The wooded landscape was cleared to make fields and people spent longer in one place looking after their crops and animals. The social behaviour of communities changed. Large Neolithic earthworks show that people organised themselves and worked together over a long period of time. They also show that people met for feasting and ceremonial activities including burial of the dead.

Around 2500 BC a ‘package’ of innovations came to the British Isles from mainland Europe. Named after Beakers, a distinctive style of ceramic found in burials across much of Europe, this material culture included new technologies such as metalworking but also new beliefs and ritual practices. These appear to emphasise the status and power of the individual rather than the community. Large ceremonial monuments ceased to be built and individual burials became more widespread across the British Isles.