Neolithic Sites as Regional Gathering Places for Feasts, etc.

[Tribble]

Evidence of large-scale prehistoric feasting rituals found at Stonehenge could be the earliest mass celebrations in Britain, say archaeologists.
The study examined 131 pigs' bones at four Late Neolithic sites, Durrington Walls, Marden, Mount Pleasant and West Kennet Palisade Enclosures.
The sites, which served Stonehenge and Avebury, hosted the feasts.
Researchers think guests had to bring meat raised locally to them, resulting in pigs arriving from distant places.
The results of isotope analysis show the pig bones excavated from these sites were from animals raised in Scotland, the North East of England and West Wales, as well as numerous other locations across Britain.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-47554926

 

[ramonmercado]

Living high on the hog.

More than 4000 years ago, people erected monumental circles of stones or wood all over southern England.

Stonehenge is the most famous, but many other so-called “henges” were also built between 2800 and 2400 B.C.E. Nearby trash pits full of pig bones suggest they once hosted enormous feasts. But who was coming to these gatherings?

The pigs have now helped solve that mystery. Researchers studied the bones of 131 pigs from four henge sites in southern England, notably Durrington Walls, a wooden henge (pictured) built a mere 3 kilometers from Stonehenge, and Marden Henge, the largest of these monuments yet discovered. When the pigs were alive, their bones absorbed chemicals from their food and water, preserving a unique signature of each pig’s local environment and diet. The researchers measured the isotope ratios of five of these chemicals: strontium, oxygen, sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/201...ly_2019-03-13&et_rid=394299689&et_cid=2714096

 

[Mythopoeika]

Evidence of large-scale prehistoric feasting rituals found at Stonehenge could be the earliest mass celebrations in Britain, say archaeologists.
The study examined 131 pigs' bones at four Late Neolithic sites, Durrington Walls, Marden, Mount Pleasant and West Kennet Palisade Enclosures.
The sites, which served Stonehenge and Avebury, hosted the feasts.
Researchers think guests had to bring meat raised locally to them, resulting in pigs arriving from distant places.
The results of isotope analysis show the pig bones excavated from these sites were from animals raised in Scotland, the North East of England and West Wales, as well as numerous other locations across Britain.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-47554926

Yes! I've been saying this for YEARS!
Confirmed!

 

[Comfortably Numb]

]Prehistoric Britons rack up food miles for feasts near Stonehenge

Landmark study reveals the monumental distances traveled for national mass gatherings:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190313140553.htm

 

[James_H]

Ancient stone circle feasting: in Orkney, the close by ring of brodgar and stones of stenness show evidence of very different usage. Stenness has evidence of fires and food, something completely absent at brodgar.

 

[EnolaGaia]

This 2015 article describes some of the earlier food preparation findings from the Stonehenge area - including evidence for large-scale barbecues.

Feasts and food choices: Culinary habits of the Stonehenge builders
Archaeologists have revealed new insights into cuisine choices and eating habits at Durrington Walls -- a Late Neolithic monument and settlement site thought to be the residence for the builders of nearby Stonehenge during the 25th century BC. ...

FULL STORY: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151013103221.htm

Here's the published journal paper citation:

Oliver E. Craig, Lisa-Marie Shillito, Umberto Albarella, Sarah Viner-Daniels, Ben Chan, Ros Cleal, Robert Ixer, Mandy Jay, Pete Marshall, Ellen Simmons, Elizabeth Wright, Mike Parker Pearson. Feeding Stonehenge: cuisine and consumption at the Late Neolithic site of Durrington Walls. Antiquity, 2015; 89 (347): 1096

Here's the journal paper's abstract:

The discovery of Neolithic houses at Durrington Walls that are contemporary with the main construction phase of Stonehenge raised questions as to their interrelationship. Was Durrington Walls the residence of the builders of Stonehenge? Were the activities there more significant than simply domestic subsistence? Using lipid residue analysis, this paper identifies the preferential use of certain pottery types for the preparation of particular food groups and differential consumption of dairy and meat products between monumental and domestic areas of the site. Supported by the analysis of faunal remains, the results suggest seasonal feasting and perhaps organised culinary unification of a diverse community.

NOTE:

The journal webpage for this paper:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...ington-walls/E60784FB3D83BFF8ED22A2E9393B5B3E

... provides the paper's reference list, which cites publications dating back more than a decade on research into Neolithic food, food preparation, feasting, and social aspects of seasonal feasting.