The Sheridan Collection
Key Papers by Prehistorian Alison Sheridan on Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Archaeology
Published on 15. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
979-8-88857-252-8 (ISBN)
Description
Celebrates Alison Sheridan's influential research on Neolithic to Bronze Age material culture, pottery, and monumentality in Britain and Ireland._x000D_
_x000D_
This third title in the new Oxbow Reflections series celebrates the academic career of leading British prehistorian Alison Sheridan as seen through her many contributions to collected works and monographs published by Oxbow Books. In collaboration with the author, we have selected papers that reflect some of the major themes that have been the subject of her long-term research into the understanding and interpretation of many aspects of material culture and monumentality in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland, within their European context
Alison has published meticulously researched contributions on specific object types and materials from countless excavations and research projects, from jewellery of jet, faience, amber and gold to jadeitite axeheads, with a particular focus on Scotland. She is most renowned for her decades' long work on developing a typological and chronological framework for the introduction, manufacture and use of pottery in the Scottish and Irish Neolithic and on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain and Ireland, re-evaluating the evidence in the light of developments in radiocarbon dating and isotope and ancient DNA analysis.
In these papers we see demonstrated the breadth and development of some of Alison's key interests and most influential ideas that continue to inspire scholars and stimulate debate. Includes an introduction by the author.
_x000D_
This third title in the new Oxbow Reflections series celebrates the academic career of leading British prehistorian Alison Sheridan as seen through her many contributions to collected works and monographs published by Oxbow Books. In collaboration with the author, we have selected papers that reflect some of the major themes that have been the subject of her long-term research into the understanding and interpretation of many aspects of material culture and monumentality in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland, within their European context
Alison has published meticulously researched contributions on specific object types and materials from countless excavations and research projects, from jewellery of jet, faience, amber and gold to jadeitite axeheads, with a particular focus on Scotland. She is most renowned for her decades' long work on developing a typological and chronological framework for the introduction, manufacture and use of pottery in the Scottish and Irish Neolithic and on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain and Ireland, re-evaluating the evidence in the light of developments in radiocarbon dating and isotope and ancient DNA analysis.
In these papers we see demonstrated the breadth and development of some of Alison's key interests and most influential ideas that continue to inspire scholars and stimulate debate. Includes an introduction by the author.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
80 B/W illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
979-8-88857-252-8 (9798888572528)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Alison Sheridan is emerita Principal Curator of Early Prehistory and Research Associate with National Museums Scotland, specialising in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland within their broader context, and focusing on aspects of material culture.
Content
Sources
Editorial note
Preface
1. Introduction
2. The Neolithization of Britain and Ireland: The Big Picture (from B. Finlayson and G. Warren (eds), Landscapes in Transition. 2010)
3. Ancient DNA and Modelling the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition in Britain and Ireland (with Alasdair Whittle, from A. Whittle, J. Pollard and S. Greaney (eds), Ancient DNA and the European Neolithic: Relations and Descent. 2022)
4. Interdigitating Pasts: The Irish and Scottish Neolithics (from P. Bickle, V. Cummings, D. Hofmann and J. Pollard (eds), The Neolithic of Europe: Papers in Honour of Alasdair Whittle. 2017)
5. Making Sense of Scottish Neolithic Funerary Monuments: Tracing Trajectories and Understanding their Rationale (with Rick Schulting, from A.-B. Gebauer, L. Sorensen, A. Teather and A.C. Valera (eds), Monumentalising Life in the Neolithic: Narratives of Change and Continuity. 2020)
6. Grooved Ware in Orkney (from M. Copper, A. Whittle and A. Sheridan (eds), Revisiting Grooved Ware: Understanding Ceramic Trajectories in Britain and Ireland, 3200-2400 cal BC. 2023)
7. Grooved Ware in Britain and Ireland, 2023: Retrospect and Prospect (from M. Copper, A. Whittle and A. Sheridan (eds), Revisiting Grooved Ware: Understanding Ceramic Trajectories in Britain and Ireland, 3200-2400 cal BC. 2023)
8. A Rumsfeld Reality Check: What We Know, What We Don't Know and What We Don't Know We Don't Know About the Chalcolithic in Britain and Ireland (from M.J. Allen, J. Gardiner and A. Sheridan (eds) Is There a British Chalcolithic? People, Place and Polity in the Later Third Millennium. 2012)
9. Contextualising Kilmartin: Building a Narrative for Developments in Western Scotland and Beyond, from the Early Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age (from A.M. Jones, J. Pollard, M.J. Allen and J. Gardiner (eds), Image, Memory and Monumentality; Archaeological Engagements with the Material World. 2012)
10. Dating the Scottish Bronze Age: 'There is Clearly Much that the Material Can Still Tell Us' (from C. Burgess, P. Topping and F. Lynch (eds), Beyond Stonehenge: Essays on the Bronze Age in Honour of Colin Burgess. 2007)
11. Discussion of Disc Bead and Spacer Plate Necklaces of Jet and Jet-like Materials (from J. Hunter and A. Woodward, Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods: An Examination of Ritual and Dress Equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Graves in England. 2015)
12. Fifty Shades of Green: The Irresistible Attraction, Use and Significance of Jadeitite and Other Green Alpine Rock Types in Neolithic Europe (with Pierre Petrequin, Anne-Marie Petrequin, Serge Cassen, Michel Errera, Estelle Gauthier and Frederic Prodeo, from C. Rodriguez-Rellan, B.A. Nelson and R. Fabregas Valcarce (eds), A Taste for Green: A Global Perspective On Ancient Jade, Turquoise and Variscite Exchange. 2019)
Editorial note
Preface
1. Introduction
2. The Neolithization of Britain and Ireland: The Big Picture (from B. Finlayson and G. Warren (eds), Landscapes in Transition. 2010)
3. Ancient DNA and Modelling the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition in Britain and Ireland (with Alasdair Whittle, from A. Whittle, J. Pollard and S. Greaney (eds), Ancient DNA and the European Neolithic: Relations and Descent. 2022)
4. Interdigitating Pasts: The Irish and Scottish Neolithics (from P. Bickle, V. Cummings, D. Hofmann and J. Pollard (eds), The Neolithic of Europe: Papers in Honour of Alasdair Whittle. 2017)
5. Making Sense of Scottish Neolithic Funerary Monuments: Tracing Trajectories and Understanding their Rationale (with Rick Schulting, from A.-B. Gebauer, L. Sorensen, A. Teather and A.C. Valera (eds), Monumentalising Life in the Neolithic: Narratives of Change and Continuity. 2020)
6. Grooved Ware in Orkney (from M. Copper, A. Whittle and A. Sheridan (eds), Revisiting Grooved Ware: Understanding Ceramic Trajectories in Britain and Ireland, 3200-2400 cal BC. 2023)
7. Grooved Ware in Britain and Ireland, 2023: Retrospect and Prospect (from M. Copper, A. Whittle and A. Sheridan (eds), Revisiting Grooved Ware: Understanding Ceramic Trajectories in Britain and Ireland, 3200-2400 cal BC. 2023)
8. A Rumsfeld Reality Check: What We Know, What We Don't Know and What We Don't Know We Don't Know About the Chalcolithic in Britain and Ireland (from M.J. Allen, J. Gardiner and A. Sheridan (eds) Is There a British Chalcolithic? People, Place and Polity in the Later Third Millennium. 2012)
9. Contextualising Kilmartin: Building a Narrative for Developments in Western Scotland and Beyond, from the Early Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age (from A.M. Jones, J. Pollard, M.J. Allen and J. Gardiner (eds), Image, Memory and Monumentality; Archaeological Engagements with the Material World. 2012)
10. Dating the Scottish Bronze Age: 'There is Clearly Much that the Material Can Still Tell Us' (from C. Burgess, P. Topping and F. Lynch (eds), Beyond Stonehenge: Essays on the Bronze Age in Honour of Colin Burgess. 2007)
11. Discussion of Disc Bead and Spacer Plate Necklaces of Jet and Jet-like Materials (from J. Hunter and A. Woodward, Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods: An Examination of Ritual and Dress Equipment from Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Graves in England. 2015)
12. Fifty Shades of Green: The Irresistible Attraction, Use and Significance of Jadeitite and Other Green Alpine Rock Types in Neolithic Europe (with Pierre Petrequin, Anne-Marie Petrequin, Serge Cassen, Michel Errera, Estelle Gauthier and Frederic Prodeo, from C. Rodriguez-Rellan, B.A. Nelson and R. Fabregas Valcarce (eds), A Taste for Green: A Global Perspective On Ancient Jade, Turquoise and Variscite Exchange. 2019)