The Sardinian Neolithic: An Archaeology of the 6th and 5th Millennia BCE

Despite Sardinia's extraordinarily rich Neolithic record, very little of it has made its way into the general European discourse. Written as a companion to G. Webster and M. Webster, Punctuated Insularity. The Archaeology of 4th and 3rd Millennium Sardinia. Oxford: BAR International Series 2871, 2017, the present volume addresses the omission by offering a synthesis of an archaeological corpus still little known outside the island. It covers in detail the evidence of colonisations and subsequent adaptations to the Sardinia's diverse environments in terms of settlement patterns, craft industries, subsistence economies, mortuary and non-mortuary cult expressions, imagery, art and extra-insular relations with special emphasis of neighbouring Corsica, while offering interpretive suggestions. As a study of the frequentation and settling of Sardinia as a locale, a large, insular, west-Mediterranean landmass, by people with non-indigenous heritages, it furthermore locates the island's cultural modalities within the so-called neolithisation of the broader Tyrrhenian region during the sixth and fifth millennia BCE.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures Abstract 1. Introduction About this account Sardinian cultures/phases Sea-level changes and the archaeological record A note on interpretation 2. Beginnings: The Palaeo- and Mesolithic Record by Maud Webster A debated Lower and Middle Palaeolithic The Upper Palaeolithic The Mesolithic Discussion 3. The Northern Tyrrhenian at the Dawn of the 6th Millennium BCE: The Archaeology The advent of ceramica impressa Impressa-phase lithics Impressa-phase subsistence Impressa-phase settlement 4. Pioneers of the Ceramica Impressa Sardinia under a Neolithic gaze Corsican Impressa Campu Stefanu-Sollacaro Impressa in Sardinia Filiestru-Mara Su Coloru-Laerru Cala Corsara-Spargi Sardinian, Corsican and Tyrrhenian Impressa: contrasts and commonality 5. The Cardial Phase Introduction The diagnostic pottery Settlement and demics Caves/rock-shelters Su Carroppu-Sirri Open-air settlements Su Stangioni-Portoscuso The Capo Sant'Elia complex Site distribution and demic infilling Burial deposit Subsistence Domesticates Shell-fish Fox and Pika Mouflon and boar Red deer Crafts Bone and shell instruments and ornaments Flaked stone Artistic expression Corsican relations Interpreting the Cardial modality 6. The Epicardial Phase Introduction The diagnostic pottery Settlement and demics Filiestru-Mara Sa Punta-Marceddì Rio Saboccu-Guspini Site distribution and demic patterns Mortuary practices Grotta Suddomu-Iglesias Grotta Verde-Alghero Subsistence Crafts Flaked stone Ground-stone tools Bone implements Corsican relations Differentiating the Epicardial modality 7. The Bonu Ighinu Phase Introduction The diagnostic pottery Settlement and demics Cuccuru S'Arriu-Cabras Tombs and mortuary practices Grotta del Rifugio-Oliena Grotta del Bagno Penale-Cagliari The necropolis of Cuccuru S'Arriu-Cabras Subsistence Faunal introductions Crafts Flaked stone Ground-stone tools Bone implements Bone, shell and stone ornaments Imagery The 'volumetric' statuettes Phallic depiction Ovine protomes Images of the human face? Interpreting the Bonu Ighinu modality Discontinuities and persistence The Oristano Gulf and the rest of the island 8. The San Ciriaco Phase Introduction The diagnostic pottery Settlement and demics Monte d'Accoddi Subsistence Tombs and mortuary practices Hypogea Megalithic cist tombs Li Muri-Arzachena Macciunitta-Arzachena Su Forru de is Sinzurreddus-Pau The northern Sardinian-southern Corsican commonality Non-funerary cult remains Lithic industries Trade in obsidian and flint Ground-stone tools Ornaments Stone vases Imagery The idols Interpreting the San Ciriaco modality 9. Summation and Impressions The Sardinian colonisation The Epicardial phase The Bonu Ighinu phase The San Ciriaco phase Final impressions Epilogue: Ozieri and the End of the Sardinian Neolithic Bibliography

About the Author :
Gary Webster is a retired Associate Professor of Anthropology (Penn State University) and Docent in Archaeology (Umeå University). He has published widely on theoretical issues, as well as archaeological fieldwork and interpretive problems, especially relating to Sardinian prehistory.

Review :
'It is an exhaustive summary of an extraordinarily rich period of innovative elements and original artistic productions for Sardinia, which reflect the cultural liveliness of the Mediterranean Neolithic.' Prof. Anna Depalmas, Università degli Studi di Sassari 'This is a very important and original contribution as there is currently no book at all (in English and targeted to an international audience) about Neolithic Sardinia. . [T]his would make an excellent companion to the previous book from the authors (Punctuated Insularity) which covers the later Copper Age period in Sardinia.' Dr. Guillaume Robin, University of Edinburgh