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The other Beaker people: funerary diversity in Britain c.2450-1950 BC

Bloxam, Anna; (2020) The other Beaker people: funerary diversity in Britain c.2450-1950 BC. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London). Green open access

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Abstract

In this thesis I present a novel re-examination of the burial practices of the British Beaker period, c. 2450–1950 BC, along with an exploration of how our understandings of the period should be adjusted in light of this new evidence. I compile a new dataset of burials that are atypical for the period, and which have been excluded from previous narratives, in order to demonstrate that the Beaker Phenomenon in Britain was associated with a high level of funerary diversity. I adopt an interdisciplinary approach, using radiocarbon modelling, archaeological and osteological analyses, and genetic data to demonstrate that insular Neolithic cultural practices continued, in a blended and syncretic form, alongside a wide range of incoming cultural practices across the Beaker period. I argue that this blending of diverse cultural traditions is the reason for diversity within the British Beaker phenomenon and provides an explanation for its divergence from continental Beaker-associated traditions. I explore patterning within the diverse Beaker-period burial traditions, and present evidence for regional cultural traditions, age and gender-related social differentiation, extensive Neolithic referencing, and the centrality of bodily disintegration to the different rites utilised in this period.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Qualification: Ph.D
Title: The other Beaker people: funerary diversity in Britain c.2450-1950 BC
Event: UCL (University College London)
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author 2020. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10091320
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