Trevor Watkins

The origins of house and home

Abstract Excavations in course at the site of Qermez Dere in north Iraq have revealed a stratified sequence dating from the end of the epi‐palaeolithic period into the earliest centuries of the early neolithic. A sequence of subterranean houses belonging in the latter part of that time‐span (8250–7900 bc) is remarkable for the elaborate care and effort spent on their construction, maintenance and demolition/replacement. Each house was kept very clean, and there is a distinct lack of debris and even the equipment of everyday life. Each house was equipped with one or more non‐structural clay pillars. At the end of the series six weathered human crania were placed on the floor of the last house as it was being obliterated. These very early neolithic houses are contrasted with those of the preceding epi‐palaeolithic of the Levant, and it is suggested that they represent an important change in the perception of the house as home and the focus of attitudes and activities of symbolic social significance concerne...

New light on Neolithic revolution in south-west Asia

Shortly after his retirement from a distinguished career in the Department of Archaeology at Edinburgh, the author gave the Rhind Lectures for 2009, bringing together his thoughts about the Neolithic revolution, and comparing Childes ideas with todays. These lectures, summarised here, announced the modern vision to a wide audience. It is a reversal of the old: Epipalaeolithic people came together in the first large, permanent communities, to form extensive settlements which only later needed to be fed by farming.

Neolithization in Southwest Asia in a Context of Niche Construction Theory

The term ‘neolithization’ as it is generally used in relation to southwest Asia narrows the focus of research, and works against our efforts to envision explanations of the process in terms of the long-term evolution of human societies. Here, we re-frame the neolithization process, setting it within the framework of niche construction theory. We argue that the concept of cultural niche construction fits the purpose, but needs to be extended to encompass the more complex social worlds of the Holocene in the form of the cognitive-cultural niche.

Experimental reconstruction of a short cist

Abstract An experiment was carried out to determine the methods, labour force and time needed to reconstruct a cist of massive slabs. The most difficult and time-consuming task was the bringing of the slabs to the site. It was concluded that the whole operation of construction would occupy at least eight able-bodied adults for 2 1 2 to 3 days.