Gary Lloyd

Across Europe, in general, and Britain, in particular, the Neolithic period was associated with the advent of agriculture, the emergence of more sedentary settlement traditions, and the building of monumental architecture. For many prehistorians, these developments represent noteworthy shifts in the character and complexity of society. While these arguments have their merits and have enriched our understanding of Neolithic society, there remains the opportunity for further enrichment. Rarely has the research of societal shifts in character and complexity been extended to the changing nature and significance of seemingly more modest, hand-held artefacts. My PhD research project will redress that imbalance. Focussing on the abundant archaeological heritage of the Orkney Isles, it will use a multidisciplinary methodology that includes experimental archaeology and a visualisation technique piloted during my Research Masters degree to interpret manufacturing and use-wear in stone tools. The goal is to create rich artefact biographies to comprehend how the traditions of making and using stone tools reflected societal transformations in Neolithic Orkney.