The Development of Neolithic House Societies in Orkney

Neolithic Orkney's archaeological landscape, characterized by its wealth of houses, chambered cairns, stone circles, and standing stones, reveals significant insights into the development of complex house societies. A notable imbalance between 4th and 3rd millennium cal BC evidence was observed, with house structures being more prevalent in the latter period. Drawing on Claude Lévi-Strauss's concept of 'sociétés à maisons,' this study explores how the physical appearance of houses served as a potent resource for materializing dichotomous alliance and descent principles apparent in Orkney's early and later Neolithic periods. Major excavations, such as those conducted during the Cuween-Wideford Landscape Project, provided unprecedented depth and variety of evidence for Neolithic occupation, bridging domestic and ceremonial architecture. This research traces the development and fragmentation of house societies over a 1500-year period, offering new parameters for understanding material changes in Northern Isles prehistory.

Richards, C., & Jones, R. (Eds.). (2016). The Development of Neolithic House Societies in Orkney. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv13gvg8m