Beaker people in Britain: Migration, mobility and diet

Michael  Parker Pearson; Andrew  Chamberlain; Mandy Jay; Mike Richards; Alison Sheridan; Neil Curtis; Jane  Evans; Alex Gibson; Margaret Hutchison; Patrick Mahoney; Peter Marshall; Janet Montgomery; Stuart  Needham; Sandra O'Mahoney; Maura Pellegrini; Neil Wilkin

doi:10.15184/aqy.2016.72

Beaker people in Britain: Migration, mobility and diet

Michael Parker Pearson, Andrew Chamberlain, Mandy Jay, Mike Richards, Alison Sheridan, Neil Curtis, Jane Evans, Alex Gibson (Illustrator), Margaret Hutchison, Patrick Mahoney, Peter Marshall, Janet Montgomery, Stuart Needham, Sandra O'Mahoney, Maura Pellegrini, Neil Wilkin

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Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The appearance of the distinctive ‘Beaker package’ marks an important horizon in British prehistory, but was it associated with immigrants to Britain or with indigenous converts? Analysis of the skeletal remains of 264 individuals from the British Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Age is revealing new information about the diet, migration and mobility of those buried with Beaker pottery and related material. Results indicate a considerable degree of mobility between childhood and death, but mostly within Britain rather than from Europe. Both migration and emulation appear to have had an important role in the adoption and spread of the Beaker package.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	620-637
Number of pages	18
Journal	Antiquity
Volume	90
Issue number	351
Early online date	17 May 2016
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2016.72
Publication status	Published - Jun 2016

Bibliographical note

This project was made possible by many curators and institutions throughout the UK and Ireland, too numerous to mention here, who allowed sampling of bones and teeth. The Beaker People Project was funded by the AHRC (grant 19382), and the Beakers & Bodies Project by the Leverhulme Trust (grant F/00152/S).

Keywords

Britain
Bronze Age
Beaker
migration
mobility
diet
Bayesian analysis
isotope analysis
osteology

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Cite this

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title = "Beaker people in Britain: Migration, mobility and diet",

abstract = "The appearance of the distinctive {\textquoteleft}Beaker package{\textquoteright} marks an important horizon in British prehistory, but was it associated with immigrants to Britain or with indigenous converts? Analysis of the skeletal remains of 264 individuals from the British Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Age is revealing new information about the diet, migration and mobility of those buried with Beaker pottery and related material. Results indicate a considerable degree of mobility between childhood and death, but mostly within Britain rather than from Europe. Both migration and emulation appear to have had an important role in the adoption and spread of the Beaker package.",

keywords = "Britain, Bronze Age, Beaker, migration, mobility, diet, Bayesian analysis, isotope analysis, osteology",

author = "{Parker Pearson}, Michael and Andrew Chamberlain and Mandy Jay and Mike Richards and Alison Sheridan and Neil Curtis and Jane Evans and Alex Gibson and Margaret Hutchison and Patrick Mahoney and Peter Marshall and Janet Montgomery and Stuart Needham and Sandra O'Mahoney and Maura Pellegrini and Neil Wilkin",

note = "This project was made possible by many curators and institutions throughout the UK and Ireland, too numerous to mention here, who allowed sampling of bones and teeth. The Beaker People Project was funded by the AHRC (grant 19382), and the Beakers & Bodies Project by the Leverhulme Trust (grant F/00152/S).",

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AU - Parker Pearson, Michael

AU - Chamberlain, Andrew

AU - Jay, Mandy

AU - Richards, Mike

AU - Sheridan, Alison

AU - Curtis, Neil

AU - Evans, Jane

AU - Hutchison, Margaret

AU - Mahoney, Patrick

AU - Marshall, Peter

AU - Montgomery, Janet

AU - Needham, Stuart

AU - O'Mahoney, Sandra

AU - Pellegrini, Maura

AU - Wilkin, Neil

A2 - Gibson, Alex

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AB - The appearance of the distinctive ‘Beaker package’ marks an important horizon in British prehistory, but was it associated with immigrants to Britain or with indigenous converts? Analysis of the skeletal remains of 264 individuals from the British Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Age is revealing new information about the diet, migration and mobility of those buried with Beaker pottery and related material. Results indicate a considerable degree of mobility between childhood and death, but mostly within Britain rather than from Europe. Both migration and emulation appear to have had an important role in the adoption and spread of the Beaker package.

KW - Britain

KW - Bronze Age

KW - Beaker

KW - migration

KW - mobility

KW - diet

KW - Bayesian analysis

KW - isotope analysis

KW - osteology

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JO - Antiquity

JF - Antiquity

IS - 351

ER -

Beaker people in Britain: Migration, mobility and diet

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Cite this