Steven Mithen
YOU?
Author Swipe
View article: Introduction
Introduction Open
View article: The Faynan Heritage Project
The Faynan Heritage Project Open
View article: Developing a Heritage-Themed Bedouin Handicraft Business in Faynan, Jordan
Developing a Heritage-Themed Bedouin Handicraft Business in Faynan, Jordan Open
View article: Experiences, Lessons, Appreciation
Experiences, Lessons, Appreciation Open
View article: From seashore to Neolithic floor: origins and spatial distribution patterns of shell bead assemblages at WF16, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic A settlement in Southern Jordan
From seashore to Neolithic floor: origins and spatial distribution patterns of shell bead assemblages at WF16, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic A settlement in Southern Jordan Open
Shells have been collected and used as body adornments by Homo sapiens for at least 140,000 years. Major increases in their use occurred during the Late Pleistocene and, with the gradual transition to the Neolithic, likely reflected new fo…
View article: Excavation and survey at the Giant’s Grave, Slochd Measach, Nereabolls, a Neolithic chambered cairn on the Isle of Islay, Argyll & Bute
Excavation and survey at the Giant’s Grave, Slochd Measach, Nereabolls, a Neolithic chambered cairn on the Isle of Islay, Argyll & Bute Open
The ‘Giant’s Grave’, formally known as Slochd Measach, Nereabolls, (SM3927) is located on the Isle of Islay in western Scotland and is one of seven confirmed Clyde Cairns on the island. We describe the standing remains and excavations betw…
View article: The flow of ideas: shared symbolism during the Neolithic emergence in Southwest Asia: WF16 and Göbekli Tepe
The flow of ideas: shared symbolism during the Neolithic emergence in Southwest Asia: WF16 and Göbekli Tepe Open
During the Late Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic, societies across the Levant transformed their social, cultural and economic organisation, with new forms of food production, architecture and material culture. But to what extent were re…
View article: Dun Fhinn, Islay
Dun Fhinn, Islay Open
Duns are a problematic class of monuments for Argyll. They encompass an ill-defined and diverse range of structures, with limited evidence for their chronology and functions within late prehistoric and early historic society, settlement an…
View article: How Long was the Mesolithic–Neolithic Overlap in Western Scotland? Evidence from the 4th Millennium<scp>bc</scp>on the Isle of Islay and the Evaluation of Three Scenarios for Mesolithic–Neolithic Interaction
How Long was the Mesolithic–Neolithic Overlap in Western Scotland? Evidence from the 4th Millennium<span>bc</span>on the Isle of Islay and the Evaluation of Three Scenarios for Mesolithic–Neolithic Interaction Open
Ancient DNA studies have identified western Scotland as the only known region in Britain where inter-breeding occurred between early 4th millennium bc Neolithic migrants and the indigenous Mesolithic population. By drawing on excavations a…
View article: In a nutshell: Using structural and chemical changes to establish the charring conditions of archaeological hazelnut shells
In a nutshell: Using structural and chemical changes to establish the charring conditions of archaeological hazelnut shells Open
Charred hazel (Corylus sp.) nutshells are found in abundance at many archaeological sites across the northern hemisphere. This paper aims to investigate the conditions under which hazelnut shells can become charred, by comparing experiment…
View article: Shamanism at the transition from foraging to farming in Southwest Asia: sacra, ritual, and performance at Neolithic WF16 (southern Jordan)
Shamanism at the transition from foraging to farming in Southwest Asia: sacra, ritual, and performance at Neolithic WF16 (southern Jordan) Open
Shamanism is a pervasive form of ritual practice documented within hunter-gathering and farming societies throughout the world, and continuing within some present-day urban communities. Despite exhibiting considerable variation, shamanism …
View article: Birds as indicators of early Holocene biodiversity and the seasonal nature of human activity at WF16, an early Neolithic site in Faynan, Southern Jordan
Birds as indicators of early Holocene biodiversity and the seasonal nature of human activity at WF16, an early Neolithic site in Faynan, Southern Jordan Open
Birds are useful indicators of biodiversity. Their bones have been used for reconstructing the local environments and seasonality of human activity at Epipalaeolithic and early Neolithic sites in south‐west Asia. We consider the bird bones…
View article: Council for British Research in the Levant Archaeological Monographs
Council for British Research in the Levant Archaeological Monographs Open
View article: The utilization of birds at neolithic WF16, southern Jordan: Cut marks, body parts, and experimental skinning
The utilization of birds at neolithic WF16, southern Jordan: Cut marks, body parts, and experimental skinning Open
WF16 is an early Neolithic settlement in southern Jordan with a large bird bone assemblage (Number of Identified Specimens [NISP] = 7808), representing 18 families. We explore how the birds were utilized by considering cut marks and body p…
View article: Author’s response: Toward inclusive theories of the evolution of musicality
Author’s response: Toward inclusive theories of the evolution of musicality Open
We compare and contrast the 60 commentaries by 109 authors on the pair of target articles by Mehr et al. and ourselves. The commentators largely reject Mehr et al.’s fundamental definition of music and their attempts to refute 1) our socia…
View article: The bird remains from WF16, an early Neolithic settlement in southern Jordan: Assemblage composition, chronology and spatial distribution
The bird remains from WF16, an early Neolithic settlement in southern Jordan: Assemblage composition, chronology and spatial distribution Open
Excavations at the early Neolithic settlement of WF16 in Faynan, southern Jordan, 11.84–10.24 ka BP, recovered 17,700 bird bones, of which 7808 could be identified to at least family level. Sixty‐three different bird taxa are present from …
View article: The Beixin Culture: archaeobotanical evidence for a population dispersal of Neolithic hunter-gatherer-cultivators in northern China
The Beixin Culture: archaeobotanical evidence for a population dispersal of Neolithic hunter-gatherer-cultivators in northern China Open
According to the ‘farming/dispersal’ hypothesis, the Early and Mid-Holocene spread of Neolithic material culture in East Asia would have arisen from dispersals of established farming populations. The authors test this hypothesis by conside…
View article: AQY volume 94 issue 378 Cover and Back matter
AQY volume 94 issue 378 Cover and Back matter Open
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. As you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
View article: Lost for words: an extraordinary structure at the early Neolithic settlement of WF16
Lost for words: an extraordinary structure at the early Neolithic settlement of WF16 Open
Extraordinariness is a useful concept for everyday life and for academic research, frequently invoked within archaeology. In this contribution I explore how this term might be defined and whether it is appropriate for a large early Neolith…
View article: Music as a coevolved system for social bonding
Music as a coevolved system for social bonding Open
Why do humans make music? Theories of the evolution of musicality have focused mainly on the value of music for specific adaptive contexts such as mate selection, parental care, coalition signaling, and group cohesion. Synthesizing and ext…
View article: The seal matrix of Sir John Campbell and the struggle for Dunyvaig Castle on the Isle of Islay
The seal matrix of Sir John Campbell and the struggle for Dunyvaig Castle on the Isle of Islay Open
View article: Mesolithic Fireplaces and the Enculturation of Early Holocene Landscapes in Britain, with a Case Study from Western Scotland
Mesolithic Fireplaces and the Enculturation of Early Holocene Landscapes in Britain, with a Case Study from Western Scotland Open
In light of the enculturation of landscapes by ethnographically documented hunter-gatherers, we should expect Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to have endowed their early Holocene landscapes with meaning. Attempts to find evidence for this have…
View article: Can You Tell Stories about Human Intentional Agents without Words?
Can You Tell Stories about Human Intentional Agents without Words? Open
View article: A tanged point and two blade technologies from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Isle of Islay, western Scotland
A tanged point and two blade technologies from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Isle of Islay, western Scotland Open
We describe a tanged point and a blade technology from Rubha Port an t-Seilich, Isle of Islay, Scotland that provides further support to a Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene presence in Scotland prior to the establishment of the narrow bla…
View article: The Interpretation of Mesolithic Structures in Britain: New Evidence from Criet Dubh, Isle of Mull, & Alternative Approaches to Chronological Analysis for Inferring Occupation Tempos & Settlement Patterns
The Interpretation of Mesolithic Structures in Britain: New Evidence from Criet Dubh, Isle of Mull, & Alternative Approaches to Chronological Analysis for Inferring Occupation Tempos & Settlement Patterns Open
The number of Mesolithic structures known in Britain has significantly increased since 2000, providing new opportunities for economic and social interpretations of this period. We describe a further structure, represented by features from …
View article: Becoming Neolithic in words, thoughts and deeds
Becoming Neolithic in words, thoughts and deeds Open
How did people come to ‘think Neolithic’? While there has been considerable progress in reconstructing the environmental, economic, technological and social changes associated with the transition from mobile hunter-gathering to sedentary f…
View article: Archaeology of Faynan: A celebration and Guide
Archaeology of Faynan: A celebration and Guide Open
View article: PPR volume 82 Cover and Back matter
PPR volume 82 Cover and Back matter Open
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. As you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
View article: Identifying ancient water availability through phytolith analysis: An experimental approach
Identifying ancient water availability through phytolith analysis: An experimental approach Open
Water management was critical to the development of complex societies but such systems are often difficult, if not impossible, to recognise in the archaeological record, particularly in prehistoric communities when water management began. …
View article: New methods for the palaeoenvironmental investigation of arid wetlands, Dead Sea edge, Jordan
New methods for the palaeoenvironmental investigation of arid wetlands, Dead Sea edge, Jordan Open