The First Stones: Penywyrlod, Gwernvale and the Black Mountains Neolithic Long Cairns of South-East Wales

The First Stones is a research project that focuses on two Neolithic long cairns in south-east Wales,Penywyrlod and Gwernvale. It combines new site detail and reassessment of the wider context,including small-scale excavation,geophysical survey,and geological assessment. The study suggests a sequence from Penywyrlod and Pipton to Ty Isaf and Gwernvale,spanning the 38th to 36th or 35th centuries cal BC. It also provides evidence for diet,trauma,and lifestyles of the populations represented,and isotope analysis of human remains implies social mobility and migration within local populations during the early Neolithic.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2022
Publisher: Oxbow Books

The First Stones is a groundbreaking publication that brings together the latest research on the Neolithic long cairns nestled in the shadow of the Black Mountains in south-east Wales. Focusing on Penywyrlod and Gwernvale, the two most well-known tombs within the group, previously excavated in the 1970s, the book offers valuable insights into both new site details and a broader reassessment of the surrounding context.

Through small-scale excavation, geophysical survey, and geological assessment at Penywyrlod, the largest of the Welsh long cairns, researchers gained further insights into the monument's distinctive external and internal architecture. This exploration paved the way for a reevaluation of the pre-monument sequence at Gwernvale, encompassing a comprehensive examination of Mesolithic and Neolithic occupations. This included the re-examination of a timber structure, midden, lithic and pottery assemblages, as well as cereal remains.

A fresh chronological modeling of both the monuments themselves suggests a sequence from Penywyrlod and Pipton to Ty Isaf and Gwernvale, likely spanning the 38th to the 36th or 35th centuries cal BC. This modeling provides a framework for a wider reassessment of early Neolithic activity in south Wales and the Marches, which is believed to have commenced in the 39th century cal BC.

A detailed study of the major assemblages of human remains from the Black Mountain tombs sheds light on the diet, trauma, and lifestyles of the populations represented. Additionally, recent isotope analysis of human remains from these tombs provides valuable evidence of social mobility and migration within local populations during the early Neolithic.

The First Stones makes a substantial contribution to the field of tomb building, treatment of the dead, place making, the relationship between monuments and landscapes, local and regional identities, connections, and affiliations across southern Britain and the adjacent continent. This comprehensive work enhances our understanding of these ancient structures and their significance in the broader historical and cultural context.

Dimension: 280 x 216 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789257397