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This book provides the first modern synthesis of the archaeology of Skye and Western Isles: a region with some of the finest and best-preserved archaeological monuments in Europe. Our understanding of the region has been transformed in recent years through the results of new archaeological excavations, field surveys, and reassessments of earlier work from the nineteenth century onwards. From the ritual monuments of the Neolithic period, notably the great stone circles at Calanais in Lewis, to the spectacular Iron Age brochs and wheelhouses of the Iron Age, the exceptional preservation of key monuments offers insights into the broader currents of British and European prehistory. In later periods, the arrival of the Vikings in the Outer Hebrides is marked by a series of important archaeological discoveries casting new light on the nature and extent of cultural change. As well as covering the periods before the emergence of detailed written history, the book also addresses the archaeology of later periods, exploring the history of human settlement and society from earliest prehistory to the Clearances.

In the last 12,000 years, human societies have moved through phases of forager, agricultural, industrial and ‘post-industrial’ economies. Each of these has been affected by the natural world and in turn has changed the workings of the non-human or ‘natural’ components of this planet. For each of these phases the author discusses questions of population growth and distribution together with the technologies available to the human groups of the time. Overall there is no doubt about the central role of access to energy flows and storage in making possible the life ways of many diverse groups. In addition to these basic chronicles the author is at pains to include the question of how these economies and ecologies are represented in today's cultural frameworks. The theme of scale pervades the book. A distinction is made between processes which affect many parts of the world but are not coalescent (‘worldwide’) and those which penetrate the entire biophysical entity and to which the term ‘global’ can truly be applied. Despite the current levels of anxiety about human-environmental relationships this book concentrates on environmental history and not prophecy. There is though a parting shot to the effect that history is probably not a good guide to human futures.

This book is a critical survey of the discipline of Islamic archaeology and of the ways in which archaeology can contribute to our understanding of the Islamic past between the seventh and the early twentieth centuries. The book proposes a definition of Islamic archaeology as the examination of the material record of populations (Muslim and non-Muslim) living under the rule of Muslim elites. The central part of the book is arranged thematically and makes use of case studies from the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa, East Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula to explore topics including: urbanism, palatial culture, rural settlement, agricultural practices, hydraulic engineering, mosque construction and evolution, death and burial, manufacturing and technology, trade, and pilgrimage. The case studies are drawn from all phases of Islamic history. There are also three chronologically defined chapters dealing with: the transition from late antiquity to early Islam; the evidence for innovations in the archaeological record of early Islam; and the period from the fifteenth to the early twentieth centuries. The book concludes that Islamic archaeologist need to find effective ways of communicating their results to non-specialists, and that there needs to be further dialogue between archaeologists and other scholars of past Islamic societies. This dialogue should encompass both the framing of research projects and the interpretation of results, and has the potential to offer a more nuanced reading of the history and cultures of Islam.

This book relates the rediscovery of a monastery of the 8th century AD, one of the earliest so far seen in northern Europe. It lies in north-east Scotland in the land of the Picts, a largely forgotten people here shown to have been highly intellectual thinkers and consummate artists. The excavation, one of the largest to have taken place in Scotland, revealed burials in stone cists, over 200 pieces of carved stone grave markers and ornamented cross-slabs, workshops making sacred vessels and vellum for holy books, unusual bag-shaped buildings and a water-mill. The book has three parts: “Exploring”, “The Age of Fame” and :“Legacy”. It tells the story of the investigation, describes what was found and what it means for the history of Scotland and the understanding of early religion for us today. The book is provided at the back with a Digest of Evidence, summarising the archaeological finds, layers, features, structures and the results of survey, making it handy for student use at school and university and essential for fellow archaeologists.