Journal of Social Archaeology

This article considers the interpretation of stone and wood in Neolithic chambered tomb architecture in Britain and Ireland. Against a broader theoretical agenda of both relational materialities and animistic ontologies, it is argued that the qualities and essences of stones dictated their choice and use in monuments. Essentially, it was the hidden natures of stones which gave them meaning, and as archaeologists we can explore this through understanding lithic sourcing, quarrying techniques and the movements of stones, as well as their final resting place within monuments. These ideas are explored through the life history of one monument, that of Blasthill in Kintyre. These ideas are then expanded out to include wood and provide a critique of the wood'“stone dichotomy prevalent in current interpretations of Neolithic monumentality.

This article details a programme of building recording at RAF Coltishall (Norfolk, UK), which was a rare opportunity to record this historic aviation site while it remained in use and through the period of drawdown and closure, as things were packed away and families left, to capture the memories and stories associated with this site.