Stone Tools and Society: Working Stone in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain.

Stone Tools and Society: Working Stone in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain. This book presents a radical, bold interpretation of stone tools inBritish later prehistory prehistory,period of human evolution before writing was invented and records kept. The term was coined by Daniel Wilson in 1851. It is followed by protohistory, the period for which we have some records but must still rely largely on archaeological evidence to . It raises issues which go beyond standardapproaches to the study of lithics, and on the whole it does so withgreat success. The central tenet of the book is that stone tools werenot simply utilitarian artefacts designed solely for basic use.Depending upon their contexts of production, use and deposition, Edmondsargues that they could, and did, play important symbolic roles in thecreation of personal and community identity; in the maintenance,development and show of personal and community position and possession;and in the negotiation and re-working of social and politicalrelationships generally. It is an exciting theme, which moves the studyof lithics into the limelight of theoretical discussion about how pastsocieties were articulated.To write such a book necessitates the provision of a theoretical andarchaeological context In archaeology, not only the context (physical location) of a discovery is a significant fact, but the formation of the context is as well. An archaeological context is an event in time which has been preserved in the archaeological record. for the discussion. Edmonds provides this with akind of potted, post-processual prehistory of Britain from the earlierNeolithic to the end of the middle Bronze Age Bronze Age,period in the development of technology when metals were first used regularly in the manufacture of tools and weapons. Pure copper and bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, were used indiscriminately at first; this early period is sometimes called the . There is always a dangerin this situation that the background information might take over andswamp the central argument, turning the book into a kind of modern day'key to all mythologies' - but Edmonds skilfully avoids this,and only in one chapter (see below) did I feel that the detailoverwhelmed him. In the main, though, he presents just enough of the newprehistory to inform, yet the detail is such as not to obscure the mainthrust of his ideas.Drawing on the work of Bordieu, Bradley, Barrett, Thomas andAppadurai among others, Edmonds' first chapter is excellent. Itsets the tone for the rest of the work and should be required readingfor all undergraduate students. By introducing a range of ethnographicexamples, he shows how material culture, generally, is not a passivephenomenon, but actively constructed and also how it serves to helpshape our understanding of self and society.In his discussion of 'Technologies of the EarlierNeolithic' he not only traces the development of stone-tooltechnology, but also introduces the disarmingly simple notion that thepossession and use of some stone tools in the period may have played anintimate part intimate partSexology Any primary genital area–groin, inner thigh, buttock or breast. See Boundary violation. in shaping the social identities of people. The discussionis still about technologies - but about technologies of the self. Linkedto this is another important idea, that in certain circumstances whatappear to be mundane objects become what Edmonds calls 'objects ofthought' - artefacts which take on symbolic importance in thearticulation of ideas about inter-personal and inter- and intra-grouprelationships.This is the first time, in a 'popular' book, that stonetools have been the subject of this kind of thinking in such an up-frontand clearly stated way. Axes, projectile projectilesomething thrown forward.projectile syringesee blow dart.projectile vomitingforceful vomiting, usually without preceding retching, in which the vomitus is thrown well forward. points, flint daggers andplano-convex flint knives are all subject to this form ofre-interpretation and in this approach Edmonds' attention to thedetail and context of artefact See artifact. deposition and use is exemplary.Drawing on his earlier work on the re-interpretation of the 'axetrade' he presents a thought-provoking discussion of the nature ofraw material acquisition and artefact exchange mechanisms, which goesbeyond the notion of prestige goods exchange. Igneous rock quarries andflint mines are set into a cultural milieu that suggests they may havebeen much more than just sources of raw material.This latter point takes on an extra dimension in the later Neolithic,when Edmonds shows that control over production, circulation anddeposition of artefacts became a major concern. The diversity of laterNeolithic arrowhead forms, he suggests, indicates the more active use ofthese implements in social discourse than in the earlier period, and hisdiscussion of Grooved Ware and Peterborough Ware associations offers atantalising Adj. 1. tantalising - arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach; "a tantalizing taste of success"tantalizinginviting - attractive and tempting; "an inviting offer"2. insight into the rules which might have surrounded thecirculation of a restricted range of stone tools. The strategic use ofsome stone artefacts to mediate political authority is another key themethat Edmonds develops for the later Neolithic. This notion finds specialresonance in his discussion of the social changes that occurred at thebeginning of the Bronze Age. In sections headed 'Social competitionat the end of the Neolithic', 'A clash of symbols: Beakers,metal and stone' and 'Death and definition', issues ofgenealogy, age differentiation, gender difference and the development oflong-distance exchange and alliance networks are addressed.It was only in chapter 6 that I felt that the overall project was toobig to be handled in such a short space. For the early Bronze Age therewas just too much other material to be mentioned and too many otherthemes to be explored. Despite the excellent discussion of the role andSanction of axe-hammers and battle-axes, stone tools (as actually seemsto have happened in the early Bronze Age itself) had to give pride ofplace in the chapter to objects made of other raw materials.Overall, then, this is a book full of stimulating discussion andchallenging ideas. It is, however, a shame that such a book has been soill served by its illustrations and its cover design. The former varied,in this reviewer's opinion, from the exceptionally good to theabsolutely appalling, and the latter reminded me of an accident in amuseum store room!Many of the drawings are too heavy in terms of line thickness (seefor example figures 84 & 85) some 28 figures lack scales and figure147 has a scale with no numbers. Some of the distribution maps have beenso reduced as to make them almost illegible il��leg��i��ble?adj.Not legible or decipherable.il��legi��bil and unusable, and severalother illustrations have no acknowledgement of sources.These points apart, I would still recommend this book as an up-beat,far-sighted statement of the way in which the interpretation of Britishprehistoric lithic lith��ic?1?adj.Consisting of or relating to stone or rock.Adj. 1. lithic - of or containing lithium2. lithic - relating to or composed of stone; "lithic sandstone" material has progressed. It is an impressiveachievement which deserves to be read and widely discussed byprofessional researchers, students and interested amateurs alike.Edmonds is to be congratulated for the ease with which he expressescomplex ideas. This has been achieved through hard work and a clear,inclusive writing style. The book is worth every penny of its[pounds]19.99.R. YOUNG School of Archaeological Studies University of Leicester HistoryThe University was founded as Leicestershire and Rutland College in 1918. The site for the University was donated by a local textile manufacturer, Thomas Fielding Johnson, in order to create a living memorial for those who lost their lives in World War I.