Worlds apart? Human settlement and biota of islands:

Introduction and discussion of the theme of island archaeology and palaeoecology.

Archaeological evidence can help to discriminate between species which never arrived on islands, the species that once were present but later became extinct, and the species that only arrived late, because of human introduction, or human modification of the island to provide suitable habitat.

An examination of how and why Channel Island society adopted agriculture is aided by an island-based approach, which stresses the social and environmental implications of island life. The paper proposes a two-stage model of neolithisation of indigenous island hunter-gathers, beginning with a phase of cooperative interaction between forager and farmer in the early stages of the transition, followed by a later phase of direct competition for island resources.

Considers approaches to the study of early medieval crannogs in Ireland, focussing particularly on social and agricultural issues. The architecture of crannogs suggests an act of isolation, while their material assemblages demonstrate that people in their practical lives would have depended on others to varying extents. Previously held hypotheses concerning association exclusively with higher-status social groups are challenged, and the perceived dominance of animal husbandry is questioned. The diverse roles of arable agricultural products in early medieval society are explored, with the use of documentary sources, in order to investigate issues beyond economic concerns. The excavation of a crannog at Sroove in Lough Gara, Co. Sligo, provides a case study.

Archaeobotanical remains from an excavated `low-status' medieval rural settlement on the fen-edge at Ely are presented as new evidence for the relationship between farming and collected fen resources. During the early medieval phases of the settlement (early-eighth to early-twelfth centuries) there is little evidence for use of fen. The assemblage is compared with other bioarchaeological and historical evidence for medieval subsistence within the Fenland and East Anglia.

Papers on issues relating to islands and human settlement.