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Adjustment and Inclusion in the British Neolithic: Lanhill Burial 7 and His Community (Case Study 3)

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Theory and Practice in the Bioarchaeology of Care

Part of the book series: Bioarchaeology and Social Theory ((BST))

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Abstract

Explores the implications of evidence suggesting that care, in the form of ‘accommodation’, was received by multiple individuals from the same British Early Neolithic community, while focusing in particular on an older male (Lanhill Burial 7 [LB7]) who lost the use of his left arm in early adolescence. This case study serves three purposes. Firstly, it illustrates the bioarchaeology of care methodology applied in a situation where ‘care’ is defined in terms of ‘accommodation of difference’ rather than in terms of the more energy and resource intensive ‘direct support’. Secondly, it demonstrates how the health-related experiences of contemporary community members can be positioned as part of the context informing a bioarchaeology of care analysis focusing on a single individual. Thirdly, by extrapolating from observations made in considering the life and lifeways of LB7 and his community, the study adds a new perspective to the continuing debate over questions of identity and behaviour in the Cotswold-Severn and wider Neolithic culture.

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  1. Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

    Lorna Tilley

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Tilley, L. (2015). Adjustment and Inclusion in the British Neolithic: Lanhill Burial 7 and His Community (Case Study 3). In: Theory and Practice in the Bioarchaeology of Care. Bioarchaeology and Social Theory. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18860-7_10

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