The Outermost Neolithic: Looking to the Future, Thinking about the Past
Wednesday, May 24th 2017 7:00pm
This talk is the culmination of research into establishing the importance of the Shetland landscape for understandings of Neolithic Scotland and Western Europe.
The early prehistoric landscapes of Shetland are among the best preserved in Europe, and a unique resource to study early farming communities. Extensive boundary systems, fields, houses, tombs and stone tool quarry complexes survive across many areas, and are complemented by excellent environmental evidence indicating a very different landscape in the Neolithic period. Landscapes of this date elsewhere in the United Kingdom tend to be much more disturbed and fragmented, so Shetland offers an exciting opportunity to understand how communities adapted and introduced agriculture and farming on the edges of Europe.
Shetland’s potential has been demonstrated by recent intermittent research with excellent results. Projects in west Mainland and North Roe have significantly expanded our understanding of these early farming communities. In May 2017 a workshop organised by Historic Environment Scotland and Queens University Belfast, and funded by the Royal Society in Edinburgh, will bring together researchers from across the UK and Ireland to discuss future avenues for research on an island-wide scale.
Lecture by Dr. William P. Megarry, Lecturer in Geographical Information Science, Centre for GIS and Geomatics.
Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start.
No booking required - this is a free event, supported by Shetland Museum and Archives.
Partner organisations - The Royal Society of Edinburgh; Historic Environment Scotland; and Queens University Belfast.
Category: Community Events