The Border of Farming and the Cultural Markers - Nordlige Verdener

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Photo Ditlev L. Mahler 2011.
General introduction
The object of the three years research
project Shetland – the Border of Farming
4000-3000 B. C. E. is to gather, analyse
and document the Shetland Island’s Neolithic
material in order to deepen our
understanding of the Neolithic process
and the social impact on then existing
societies within the period, both on the
Shetland Islands as well as in Scandinavia.
Newer research suggests that the
Shetland Islands became Neolithic by
several steps over a period of time
(Mahler 2011: 13). The research project
aims to survey the sequence and nature
of the various elements in this process
as a basis for a comparative analysis of
the Scandinavian agrarian societies and
their expansion.
The project also applies landscape analysis
in order to expose the ritual landscape
as well as cultural markers in the
same landscape. The project could provide
us with a whole new perspective
on the Neolithic process in the area and
provide comparative material with regards
to Scandinavia. In the light of the
well documented, early Neolithic Southern
Scandinavian material it should be
possible to create a chronological order
as a basis for an understanding of the
Neolithic process in general and on the
Shetland Islands specifically.
With regards to the expansion of agrarian
societies, the Shetland Islands were
the ultimate North Western boundary
lying 60° northern latitude. Within the
time span 4.000-3.000 B.C.E an agrarian
culture established itself on the Shetland
Islands with material and immaterial
elements such as ritual practices
characteristic of the Neolithic process in
all of Europe. Amongst these elements
are monumental sites such as the chambered
cairn at Caldback, Unst, which
probably is the Northernmost passage
grave of Europe still in existence. And
also polished tools of ritual use such as
point butted felsit axes and geometrically
ornamented ceramic ware. A relatively
large population established, at
an early date, stone boundaries around
their fields and across the landscape in
Fig. 2: The chambered cairn at Caldback, Unst,
seen from South East. The passage grave could
be the Northern most passage grave in Europe
still in existence.