There are also relevant sections on settlement in the major texts for the Irish and British Neolithic . Lecture topics 3. The evidence of settlement in the Irish and British Neolithic. Reading list Ireland Britain 2.3. The variety of material culture is a characteristic of the Neolithic.
Material culture is the result of human behaviour and perceptions.
Artifacts can be regarded as the articulatory elements in cultural systems. The focus on stone axes is not only because these are commonly occurring objects which have been the focus of considerable archaeological research, but also because they were also rich in symbolic meanings. Stone axes offer the opportunity to consider changes over time and the question of regional scale and identity - which is expressed in the 'style' of objects. They also show the reality of the links between regions, between Ireland and Britain and these islands with the Continent. Lecture topics 5.