In perhaps as few as one hundred years, the Inka Empire became the largest state ever formed by a native people anywhere in the Americas, dominating the western coast of South America by the early sixteenth century. Because the Inkas had no system of writing, it was left to Spanish and semi-indigenous authors to record the details of the religious rituals that the Inkas believed were vital for consolidating their conquests. Synthesizing these arresting accounts that span three centuries, Thomas Besom presents a wealth of descriptive data on the Inka practices of human sacrifice and mountain worship, supplemented by archaeological evidence.

Of Summits and Sacrifice offers insight into the symbolic connections between landscape and life that underlay Inka religious beliefs. In vivid prose, Besom links significant details, ranging from the reasons for cyclical sacrificial rites to the varieties of mountain deities, producing a uniquely powerful cultural history.

Assemblies of rectangular stone pillars, or stelae, fill the plazas and courts of ancient Maya cities throughout the lowlands of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and western Honduras. Mute testimony to state rituals that linked the king's power to rule with the rhythms and renewal of time, the stelae document the ritual acts of rulers who sacrificed, danced, and experienced visionary ecstasy in connection with celebrations marking the end of major calendrical cycles. The kings' portraits are carved in relief on the main surfaces of the stones, deifying them as incarnations of the mythical trees of life.

Based on a thorough analysis of the imagery and inscriptions of seven stelae erected in the Great Plaza at Copan, Honduras, by the Classic Period ruler "18-Rabbit-God K," this ambitious study argues that stelae were erected not only to support a ruler's temporal claims to power but more importantly to express the fundamental connection in Maya worldview between rulership and the cosmology inherent in their vision of cyclical time. After an overview of the archaeology and history of Copan and the reign and monuments of "18-Rabbit-God K," Elizabeth Newsome interprets the iconography and inscriptions on the stelae, illustrating the way they fulfilled a coordinated vision of the king's ceremonial role in Copan's period-ending rites. She also links their imagery to key Maya concepts about the origin of the universe, expressed in the cosmologies and mythic lore of ancient and living Maya peoples.

Papers from the 'Mountain Environments in Prehistoric Europe' session (C31) of the XV UISPP World Congress (Lisbon, 4-9 September 2006). Contents: 1) Exploitation du milieu montagnard dans le mousterien final: la Grotte du Noisetier a frechet-aure (Pyrenees centrales Francaises) (Vincent Mourre, Sandrine Costamagno, Laurent Bruxelles, David Colonge, Stephanie Cravinho, Veronique Laroulandie, Bruno Maureille, Celine Thiebaut, Julien Viguier); 2) Late Pleistocene Human Occupation and Large Mammal Distribution in the Eastern Alpine Region (Martina Pacher); 3) The Mousterian of the Vallicelli Cave (Monte San Giacomo, Salerno, Italy), in the pre- and protohistoric settlement framework at the slopes of Mount Cervati (Carmine Collina, Rosalia Gallotti, Marcello Piperno, Nicoletta Santangelo, Antonio Santo); 4) From Lake Chiemsee to the Totes Gebirge - on the Alpine path of the Neanderthals? (Doris Doppes, Wilfried Rosendahl); 5) Adaptation a l'environnement montagneux au Paleolithique en Hongrie (Zsolt Mester); 6) Des caches et entrepots au Paleolithique: une necessite dans l'exploitation cynegetique saisonniere des milieux montagnards (Thierry Tillet); 7) Locating micro-refugia in periglacial environments during the LGM (Nathan Walker); 8) Processus evolutifs essentiels dans le paleoenvironnement et les industries de la fin du Tardiglaciaire dans les Alpes du Nord francaises et le Jura meridional (Gilbert Pion); 9) Prehistoric reindeer-hunting in the southern Norwegian highlands (Sveinung Bang-Andersen); 10) The first occupation of the Southern Alps in the Late Glacial at Riparo Tagliente (Verona, Italy). Detecting the organisation of living-floors through a G.I.S. integrated analysis of technological, functional, palaeoeconomic and spatial attributes (Federica Fontana, Antonio Guerreschi, Stefano Bertola, Francesca Bonci, Cristina Cilli, Jeremie Liagre, Laura Longo, Giovanna Pizziolo, Ursula Thun Hohenstein); 11) Changes of Geographical Environment in Prehistoric Azerbaijan (Upper Pleistocene and Holocene) (Malahat Farajova); 12) The Palaeolithic naturalistic art at the Dalmeri Rockshelter and climate variability (G. Dalmeri, A. Cusinato, S. Frisia, M. Hrozny Kompatscher, K. Kompatscher, M. Bassetti, R. Belli); 13) The use of mountain sectors during Epipalaeolithic and Mesolithic in the Western Switzerland Prealps (Pierre Crotti, Jerome Bullinger); 14) Structuring a settlement model for the early Mesolithic in north-eastern Italy (Stefano Grimaldi); 15) The oldest silex and rock crystal mining traces in high alpine regions (Walter Leitner); 16) La neolithisation de la vallee du Rhone et de ses marges (Thomas Perrin); 17) Neolithic in the European Mid-Mountains. Case study from the Polish Carpathians (Pawel Valde-Nowak); 18) A view from the Apennines: the role of the inland sites in southern Italy during the Bronze Age (Alberto Cazzella, Giulia Recchia); 19) Settlement strategies in alpine valleys of Lombardy (Northern Italy) from Neolithic to Early Bronze Age: some examples (Marco Baioni, Raffaella Poggiani Keller); 20) Data on settlement views during Neolithic in prealpin lakes of NW Lombardy (northern Italy) (Daria Giuseppina Banchieri); 21) Mountain environment and landscape in prehistoric Sicily: the Madonie region (Palermo, Italy) (Vincenza Forgia).

Papers from the Flint Mining in Prehistoric Europe session held at European Association of Archaeologists 12th Annual Meeting Cracow, Poland, 19th-24th September 2006. Contents: 1) Flint extraction and processing from secondary flint deposits in the north-east of Scotland in the Neolithic period (Alan Saville); 2) Flint working at the early linearbandkeramik settlement of Geleen-Janskamperveld (Marjorie E. Th. de Grooth); 3) An economy of surplus production in the early Neolithic of Hesbaye (Belgium): Bandkeramik blade debitage at Verlaine 'Petit Paradis' (Pierre Allard, Laurence Burnez-Lanotte); 4) The prehistoric flint mining complex at Spiennes (Belgium) on the occasion of its discovery 140 years ago (Helene Collet, Anne Hauzeur, Jacek Lech); 5) A new flint mine at Flins-sur-Seine/ Aubergenville (Yvelines, France) (Francoise Bostyn, Francois Giligny, Adrienne Lo Carmine); 6) The Krzemionki flint mines latest underground research 2001-2004 (Jerzy Babel); 7) Open-cast flint mining, long blade production and long distance exchange: an example from Bulgaria (Laurence Manolakakis); 8) Flint mining in early Neolithic Iberia: a preliminary report on 'Casa Montero' (Madrid, Spain) (Marta Capote, Nuria Castaneda, Susana Consuegra,Cristina Criado, Pedro Diaz-del-Rio); 9) Intensive extraction of non-metallic minerals during the early protohistory in the northern half of Europe (Yoann Gauvry); 10) Ideology and influences behind the Neolithic flint mines of the Southern Britain (Paul Wheeler).

This study looks at the processes whereby archaeology became a formal academic subject in which degrees are awarded, and the pioneering role played by Cambridge University in this. More particularly it traces the careers of three Cambridge archaeologists crucial to this process, Miles Burkitt, Dorothy Garrod and Grahame Clark, looking at both their expeditions and excavations and their contributions to teaching and theoretical issues. Appendices publish the transcripts of interviews with archaeologists discussing their experiences of this time and of the personalities which encapsulated it.

This volume contains papers from a session of the 2006 uispp congress in Lisbon. The contributors ask what we can learn from prehistoric art about cultural change, and what art can convey the ideological and cognitive sphere of prehistoric societies. Essays cover a variety of art forms (rock art, jewellery, lithics, ceramics etc) in mostly European contexts, although including material on the Near East, Egypt and Africa.

This study presents the material assemblage of the Neolithic and Early Helladic strata from the excavations at Ayios Dhimitrios, ancient Triphylia in the SW Peloponnese, Greece. The data is used to compare the culture of Ayios Demetrios with the northern Peloponnese, and show that it was not left outside the cultural evolution of the northern areas, but was involved in and contributed to this evolution.

16 papers presented from an EAA session held at Krakow in 2006, exploring various aspects of the archaeology of death. Contents: Chapter 1. The Materiality of Death: Bodies, Burials, Beliefs (Fredrik Fahlander & Terje Oestigaard); Chapter 2. More than Metaphor: Approaching the Human Cadaver in Archaeology (Liv Nilsson Stutz); Chapter 3. A Piece of the Mesolithic. Horizontal Stratigraphy and Bodily Manipulations at Skateholm (Fredrik Fahlander); Chapter 4. Excavating the KingsAe Bones: The Materiality of Death in Practice and Ethics Today 9Anders Kaliff & Terje Oestigaard); Chapter 5. From Corpse to Ancestor: The Role of Tombside Dining in the Transformation of the Body in Ancient Rome (Regina Gee); Chapter 6. Cremations, Conjecture and Contextual Taphonomies: Material Strategies during the 4th to 2nd Millennia BC in Scotland (Paul R J Duffy and Gavin MacGregor); Chapter 7. Ritual and Remembrance at Archaic Crustumerium. The Transformations of Past and Modern Materialities in the Cemetery of Cisterna Grande (Rome, Italy) (Ulla Rajala); Chapter 8. Reuse in Finnish Cremation Cemeteries under Level Ground - Examples of Collective Memory (Anna Wickholm); Chapter 9. Life and Death in the Bronze Age of the NW of Iberian Peninsula (Ana M. S. Bettencourt); Chapter 10. Norwegian Face-Urns: Local Context and Interregional Contacts (Malin Aasbe); Chapter 11. The Use of Ochre in Stone Age Burials of the East Baltic (Ilga Zagorska); Chapter 12. oDeath Mythso: Performing of Rituals and Variation in Corpse Treatment during the Migration Period in Norway (Siv Kristoffersen and Terje Oestigaard); Chapter 13. Reproduction and Relocation of Death in Iron Age Scandinavia (Terje Gansum); Chapter 14. A Road for the VikingAes Soul (Ake Johansson); Chapter 15. A Road to the Other Side (Camilla Gr); Chapter 16. Stones and Bones: The Myth of Ymer and Mortuary Practises with an Example from the Migration Period in Uppland, Central Sweden (Christina Lindgren).

Five papers from the session 'The Aegean Bronze Age in Relation to the Wider European Context' presented at the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Cork, 5-11 September 2005. Contents: 1) Late Bronze Age Aegean Trade Routes in the Western Mediterranean (Andrea Vianello); 2) From Diffusion to Interaction: Connections between the Nordic Area and Valcamonica during the First Millennium (Li Winter); 3) On the Alleged Connection between the Early Greek Galley and the Watercraft of Nordic Rock Art (Michael Wedde); 4) Warfare and Religion in the Bronze Age (Helene Whittaker); 5) Perspectives on the 'Bronze Age' (Gullog Nordquist)."

The identification of the occurence and results of warfare in the archaeological records of prehistoric societies has always been fraught with difficulties. This study investigates this prickly area through the development of a series of correlates, resulting in testable models which can be applied to the archaeological record. Correlates include causal correlates, such as climatic deterioration, or demographic rise; preparatory correlates, such as appearance of fortifications or proliferation of weaponry; functional correlates, such as burned sitesor unburied bodies/weapons trauma; and relative correlates, such as change in subsistence or trading practice. It is based on three case studies - the Middle Thames Region in the Later Bronze Age, Gallica Belgica, and the Salt River Area, Arizona, c.1250-c.1450 AD.

The principal aim of this research was to examine the scientific basis and methodology of incremental analysis in order to arrive at increased understanding of the British Mesolithic. The approach includes an examination of every aspect of incremental analysis: the scientific basis, the methodology of thin section production, microscopical techniques, and interpretation, in order to obtain the greatest possible amount of information from a rather specialised technique. The species chosen was Red deer, a common animal on archaeological sites in British prehistory.

This book was originally published in 1984. For over a million years rocks provided human beings with the essential raw materials for the production of tools. Nevertheless we still know very little about the behaviour and processes that resulted in the creation of archaeological sites at or near lithic quarries. In the past archaeologists have placed much emphasis on the process of 'exchange' in their analysis of prehistoric economies while largely ignoring the sources of the exchanged objects. However, with the development of interest in the means of production, these sites have begun to take on a new significance. Prehistoric Quarries and Lithic Production is the first systematic study of archaeological sites that served as quarries for stone tools. Its theoretical and methodological importance will extend its appeal beyond those archaeologists concerned with lithic technology and prehistoric exchange systems to archaeologists and anthropologists in general and to geographers and geologists.

The site of Knossos on the Kephala hill in central Crete is of great archaeological and historical importance for both Greece and Europe. Dating to 7000 B.C., it is the home of one of the earliest farming societies in southeastern Europe, and, in the later Bronze Age periods, it developed into a remarkable center of economic and social organization within the island, enjoying extensive relations with the Aegean, the Greek mainland, the Near East, and Egypt. After the systematic excavation of the deep Neolithic occupation levels by J.D. Evans in the late 1950s and later and more limited investigations of the Prepalatial deposits undertaken primarily during restoration work, no thorough exploration of the earliest occupation of the mound had been attempted. This monograph fills the gap, detailing the recent studies of the stratigraphy, architecture, ceramics, sedimentology, economy, and ecology that were a result of the opening of a new excavation trench in 1997. Together, these studies by 13 different contributors to the volume re-evaluate the importance of Neolithic Knossos and place it within the wider geographic context of the early island prehistory of the eastern Mediterranean.

In 1957, preliminary investigations revealed a major Late Neolithic settlement mound, which also happened to be the northernmost tell settlement on the Great Hungarian Plain. Although the trial was limited to a small trench, the several meters thick deposits yielded exciting finds and several richly furnished burials. The brief preliminary report and the various references to the excavation made it quite obvious that the tell was one of the key sites of the Hungarian Neolithic and thus the full publication of the tell and its finds was, quite understandably, eagerly awaited by prehistorians. Investigations resumed in 1989 as part of the excavations preceding the construction of the M3 motorway. This excavation was preceded by various geophysical surveys and palaeoenvironmental sampling in order to reconstruct the settlement's one-time environment and to determine the exact date of its occupation. However, until the results of the new excavation are published in detail, this monograph will be the single available study on the Polgar-Csoszhalom site, the eponymous site of a Late Neolithic culture."

9 papers from the session on Mesolithic/Neolithic Interactions in the Balkans and in the Middle Danube Basin held at the 15th UISPP Congress in Lisbon in September 2006. Contents: 1) Mesolithic/Neolithic interactions in the Balkan Peninsula and the Carpathian Basin: an introduction (Marek Nowak); 2) The chipped stone assemblages of Mentese and the problem of the earliest occupation of Marmara region (Ivan Gatsov, Petranka Nedelcheva); 3) Late Mesolithic of Serbia and Montenegro (Duan Mihailoviae); 4) Mesolithic-Neolithic interactions in the Danube Gorges (Duan Boric); 5) Palaeogeographical background of the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic settlement in the Carpathian Basin (Pal Suemegi); 6) Mesolithic foragers and the spread of agriculture in Western Hungary by (Eszter Banffy, William J. Eichmann, Tibor Marton); 7) Early Neolithic raw material economies in the Carpathian Basin (Katalin T. Biro); 8) Neolithisation of the upper Tisza basin (Janusz K. Kozlowski, Marek Nowak); 9) Problems in reading MesolithicNeolithic relations in South-Eastern Europe (Janusz K. Kozlowski, Marek Nowak)."

This volume represents the efforts of a significant collaborative project and provides a completely up-to-date interpretation of the Cave of Hearths (Makapan Cave Valley, Limpopo Province, South Africa), which has played a key role in furthering knowledge of hominin prehistory and evolution in southern Africa. This work provides new analyses and interpretations of this important site and its archaeology, geology and palaeontology.

This study reinterprets the evidence from the well-known site of Kato Zakro in eastern Crete in the light of Darwinian evolutionary theory. Judith Reid employs a bottom-up approach linking the material evidence to its environmental setting and examining strategies of adaptation. In conclusion the politics, religion and economics of Kato Zakro are all explained in terms of the region's pastoralism.

Papers from The Third International Meeting of Anthracology, entitled Charcoals from the Past. Cultural and palaeoenvironmental implications, organized at Cavallino (Lecce) from 28th June to 1st July 2004. Contents: 1) Special techniques for the anatomical study of charcoal (G. Angeles, F. Ortega-Escalona, C. Madero Vega); 2) Archaeo-environmental studies of cultivation terraces in the Enveig Mountain (Cerdagne) in Eastern Pyrenees (France). Use of pedo-anthracology (M.C. Bal, R. Harfouche, P. Poupet, P. Campmajo, C. Rendu); 3) Did calcareous grasslands exist in prehistoric times? An archaeobotanical research on the surroundings of the prehistoric settlement above Kallmunz (Bavaria, Germany) (A. Baumann, P. Poschlod); 4) Charcoals in context: anthracological analysis at Muro Tenente, south-eastern Italy (G.J. Burgers, D. Lentjes); 5) Wood in arid zones prehistoric architecture (I. Caneva); 6) A fuoco lento: strutture di combustione nellabitato delleta del Bronzo di Coppa Nevigata (Manfredonia - FG) (A. Cazzella, G. Recchia); 7) An approach to Holocene vegetation history in the middle Rhone valley (France): anthracological data from the TGV-Mediterranee excavations (C. Delhon, S. Thiebault); 8) Environment and ritual in a late Iron Age context: an example from Raffin Fort, Co. Meath, Ireland (M. Dillon, C. Newman, K. Molloy, M. OConnell); 9) Charred organic matter and phosphorus in black soils in the Lower Rhine Basin (Northwest Germany) indicate prehistoric agricultural burning (E. Eckmeier, R. Gerlach, U. Tegtmeier, M.W.I. Schmidt); 10) Charcoal as environmental and ethnological evidence from medieval archaeological sites in NW-Italy (I. Ferrari Fontana, B.I. Menozzi, C. Montanari); 11) Pollen and micro-charcoal evidence of vegetation dynamics and human impact along the southern Bulgarian Black sea coast (M. Filipova Marinova, H. Angelova); 12) Rapid and accurate estimates of microcharcoal content in pollen slides (W. Finsinger, W. Tinner, F.S. Hu); 13) Arts du feu et du forgeron en Mauritanie (C. Fortier); 14) Metallurgy in ancient Lecce: new evidence from the excavations of Piazzetta Epulione and Piazzetta Castromediano (C. Giardino, A. Quercia); 15) La capanna rituale di Serra Cicora (Nardo-LE) (E. Ingravallo); 16) Recenti ricerche sulla produzione di utensili lignei a Karatepe-Aslantas, Turchia (M.R. Iovino, C. Altinbilek); 17) Experimental charcoal-burning with special regard to anthracological wood diameter analysis (T. Ludemann); 18) Gli accampamenti invernali e primaverili dei nomadi dellArkhangai e dellOvorkhangai settentrionale: i ricoveri per gli animali (Mongolia centro-occidentale) (F. Lugli); 19) Two long micro-charcoal records from central Italy (D. Magri); 20) The fires of Aeolian villages at the end of Middle Bronze Age: the case of Portella site in the Salina island (ME - Italy) (M.C. Martinelli, G. Fiorentino); 21) Combining charcoal and pollen analysis: Holocene vegetation dynamics, tree species composition and woodland use in the Bavarian Forest (O. Nelle); 22) Environment and agriculture in the early Neolithic of the Arene Candide (Liguria) (R. Nisbet); 23) A contribution to the forest history of the Markstein area in the southern Vosges (France) (W. Nolken); 24) Il controllo delle alte temperature e linizio della metallurgia nel Vicino Oriente (A. Palmieri); 25) Food Processing in the Levant during the Middle Bronze Age. Fire installations cooking pots and grinding tools at Tell Mardikh-Ebla (Syria)-Two Case Studies (L. Peyronel, G. Spreafico); 26) High resolution AMS radiocarbon dating of archaeological charcoals (G. Quarta, M. DElia, L.Calcagnile); 27) Environmental history in the Mediterranean basin: microcharcoal as a tool to disentangle human impact and climate change (L. Sadori, M. Giardini); 28) Collapsed beams and wooden remains from a 3200 BC temple and palace at Arslantepe (Malatya, Turkey) (L. Sadori, F. Susanna, F. Balossi Restelli); 29) The Use of Wood: Traditional Building Techniques in the Swat Valley (Pakistan). An Ethno-Archaeological Research (I.E. Scerrato); 30) Environmental and cultural history of South American temperate forests: an interdisciplinary approach (M.E. Solari); 31) A critical assessment and experimental comparison of microscopic charcoal extraction methods (R. Turner, A. Kelly, N. Roberts); 32) Domestic fires and vegetation cover among Neanderthalians and Anatomically Modern Human Groups (>53-30 kyr BP) in the Cantabrian Region (Cantabria, Northern Spain) (P. Uzquiano); 33) Fuel Supplies for Pompeii. Pre-Roman and Roman charcoals of the Casa delle Vestali (R. Veal, G. Thompson); 34) Anthracology and Mediterranean landscape, classical and new approaches (J.L. Vernet); 35) Solar influence on Holocene fire history (K.J. Willis, K.D. Bennett, S.G. Haberle).

This volume is the first geomorphological multi-discplinary work carried out on Cyprus, and aims to reconstruct environmental development during the Holocene period. The study also compares the processes shaping the semi-arid environment of the Giulas River basin with other eastern Mediterranean environments, as well as the interaction of human populations.

As the editors point out, "rock art is the oldest archive of human activity," and its interpretation, although fraught with difficulty is thus of prime importance. This collection of papers, taken from the 15th UISPP congress, mainly look at specific symbols and their interpretation. Thus there are papers on faceless anthropomorphic symbols, the pentagram, spirals and lozenges, bulls horn symbols, footprint and handprint symbols, cupmarks and triangles, and net patterns and ruled rectangles. The volume is completed by two essays on particular rock art sites in Portugal and Galicia.

"Paleoindian Archaeology provides much needed hemispheric and hands-on analytical perspectives on the early human occupation of the Americas. The contributors explore similarities and differences among the early sites and assemblages in North, Central, and South America, providing a refreshing yet complementary approach to more localized studies."--David G. Anderson, University of Tennessee Since the 1997 report of investigations into the Monte Verde site in Chile, there has been a surge of interest in early habitation sites and a polarization of opinion about the antiquity of humans in the Americas. While Clovis remains the earliest undisputed cultural complex in the New World and one of the fastest and most successful diasporas in human history, many scholars argue that this culture did not enter an empty landscape. This volume samples sites from Alaska to the southern cone of South America to provide a better understanding of the processes by which the early settlement of the Americas occurred at the end of the late Wisconsonian Ice Age. With broad geographical and topical breadth, Paleoindian Archaeology provides theoretical perspectives on early migrations, interpretations of single sites, and comparative studies of material culture. Included are a synthesis on radiocarbon dating, a critique of Paleoindian studies, a reconstruction of the Clovis drought based on geomorphological and paleo-environmental data, several site specific studies (one on the only known Clovis burial in the New World), discussions on fluted points from South America, and three studies comparing North and South American evidence (grassland adaptations, stone technologies, and Paleoindian artifacts). Juliet E. Morrow is associate professor of anthropology at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville and station archaeologist with the Arkansas Archaeological Survey. Cristobal Gnecco is professor of anthropology at the Universidad del Cauca, Colombia.

Oxbow says: A detailed study, based on the author's doctoral research, of portal tombs in Ireland, Wales and Cornwall, including a synthesis of previous work on this type of megalithic monument, and original fieldwork. The chapters examine tomb morphology, issues of classification and variants from the 'ideal' portal tomb, finds (lithics, pottery and human bone), and radiocarbon dates. Finally, Kytmannow places the tombs within the context of the landscape, exploring links with other monuments and settlements. Further data, including a catalogue of 225 sites, can be found on a CD.

Papers from a symposium held in May 2006 in Rome on the Italian Late Glacial. Contents: 1) Lineamenti della vegetazione tardoglaciale in Italia peninsulare e in Sicilia (Donatella Magri); 2) L'uso degli isotopi nella ricostruzione delle migrazioni delle faune nel Tardiglaciale (Maura Pellegrini, Randolph E. Donahue, Julia Lee-Thorp, Jane Evans, Janet Montgomery, Carolyn Chenery, Margherita Mussi); 3) Il livello di conoscenza sulle strategie di sussistenza e i modelli di insediamento nel Tardiglaciale italiano: un bilancio dopo piu di 15 anni (Francesca Alhaique, Amilcare Bietti); 4) Continuita e discontinuita nel panorama funerario del Paleolitico superiore in Italia (Vincenzo Formicola); 5) Evolution des concepts de productions lithiques et artistiques a l'epigravettien recent: analyses de collections des prealpes de la Venetie et des prealpes du sud Francaises (Cyril Montoya); 6) La caccia a Riparo Dalmeri nel Tardiglaciale dell'Italia nord-orientale (Ivana Fiore, Antonio Tagliacozzo); 7) Grotta del Clusantin, un sito inusuale nel sistema insediativo epigravettiano delle Alpi italiane (Marco Peresani, Ornella De Curtis, Rossella Duches, Fabio Gurioli, Matteo Romandini, Benedetto Sala); 8) Madonna dell'Ospedale, un sito epigravettiano antico al margine dell'Appennino Marchigiano: osservazioni sulla produzione litica (Mara Silvestrini, Emanuele Cancellieri, Marco Peresani); 9) Une approche taphonomique de l'occupation humaine au Tardiglaciaire dans la vallee du Gallero (Prov. de Pescara, Abruzzes) (Yann Le Jeune, Monique Olive); 10) Tempi e modi del ripopolamento dell'Appennino centrale nel Tardiglaciale: nuove evidenze da Grotta di Pozzo (AQ) (Margherita Mussi, Enzo Cocca, Emanuela D'Angelo, Ivana Fiore, Rita Melis, Hannah Russ); 11) Il Gravettiano di Roccia San Sebastiano (Mondragone, Caserta)( Carmine Collina, Ivana Fiore, Rosalia Gallotti, Massimo Pennacchioni, Marcello Piperno, Loretana Salvadei, Antonio Tagliacozzo); 12) Recenti ricerche sul Tardoglaciale del basso versante tirrenico (Fabio Martini, Andre Carlo Colonese, Zelia Di Giuseppe, Massimiliano Ghinassi, Lisa Govoni, Domenico Lo Vetro, Silvia Ricciardi).

This volume presents the methodology and results for the excavations at Cairnderry and Bargrennan, south-west Scotland. A comparative chapter compares the excavation results from both sites, and presents interpretations of these results, particularly in terms of the architecture and the early Bronze Age mortuary practices. Chapter 5 considers the architecture of Cairnderry and Bargrennan in terms of wider trends in the construction of chambered cairns throughout the British Isles and throughout the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Chapter 6 places the early Bronze Age activity at Cairnderry and Bargrennan within a local context by examining mortuary practices across Dumfries and Galloway. It focuses on comparisons with other sites where cremated bones were deposited and cinerary urns used and/or sites where cairns were constructed or re-used in the early Bronze Age. Chapter 7 provides a summary of conclusions as to the finds and revisits the problem of dating Bargrennan chambered cairns, before suggesting avenues for future research in Galloway. The appendices draw together the specialists reports on finds from the excavations (including a substantial contextualisation of some of the early Bronze Age artefacts), context descriptions and radiocarbon dating results.