Chantal Conneller
Biographic Data
| ID | 265029 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Chantal Conneller |
| GIVEN NAMES | Chantal |
| FAMILY NAME | Conneller |
| SIGNATURE | CONNELLER C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Manchester |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9294-5244 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 39 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 290 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 37 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Insularisation and isolation? Aligning the Mesolithics of Britain and Ireland
The chronological and typological frameworks used to describe the Mesolithic of Ireland and of Britain have developed along divergent paths. This has encouraged scholars to treat the areas as distinctive—especially in the Irish context, where changes within the Mesolithic are often understood as insular, sui generis developments. On the basis of two independent reviews of the chronologies of the Mesolithic in Britain (Conneller and colleagues) an…
MesoMag: Geophysical Prospection for Mesolithic Land Use in Challenging Soil Environments
investigating pyrogenic magnetism can support identifying Mesolithic land use traces, laboratory magnetometers can facilitate soil characterisation for archaeological applications
Time and Change in Mesolithic Britain c . 9800–3600 cal bc
The Mesolithic has been characterised as temporally homogeneous: a period of stagnation or degeneration with hunter-gatherers focused on routine economic practices in an endlessly repeating seasonal round. Characterisation of the Mesolithic as timeless and unchanging derives in part from our current poor internal chronological resolution, which appears even more acute given the recent ground-breaking advances for chronological precision in adjace…
What are lithic ontologies
Flint awls at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr: Understanding tool use through integrated methods
The form and macroscopic wear of Mesolithic awls has been used to infer function, which has become an aspect of established typologies. However, verification of form/function relationships are needed to ensure typologies are robust. This paper presents the results of GIS and microwear analysis of 54 flint awls excavated from the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK, in conjunction with results from experimental research on awl use. Results expa…
The Mesolithic in Britain: Landscape and Society in Times of Change
Star Carr, Archaeology of
Understanding the bone and antler assemblages from Star Carr
Excavations at Star Carr: Past and present
Star Carr is a world renowned site first excavated in the late 1940s by Grahame Clark. These excavations revealed organic remains which are incredibly rare, though there are some parallels with sites in Germany and Denmark. The evidence from Star Carr has been debated over the decades, but in 2004 new excavations commenced with the aim of answering some of the questions which had been posed about this important Mesolithic site. One of the alarmin…
Masks in context: Representation, Emergence, Motility and Self
We are all now aware of masks and their affects. In the last 18 months, they have proliferated and in doing so replicated most of the major tropes of material culture studies. In Europe and the US
Clamber of the dead: Material ontology and cosmological affect within the hunter-gatherer mortuary traditions of the Eastern Baltic 4000-3000 cal. BC
The application of clay to the heads of deceased hunter-gatherers within the Middle Neolithic burials of Finland and Latvia was originally identified by researchers working in these regions during the 20th century. This practice stands apart from the deeper-seated traditions of grave adornment which characterise the hunter-gatherer archaeology of the Baltic region during the Middle Holocene. However, the variable extent to which these ‘death mask…
Star Carr Volume I
Please note: these ebook files are very large. Users downloading to mobile devices, or with an internet connection with limited bandwidth, should view and download chapters individually using the dropdown menu below. Read online or download: free Purchase price for print volume (including shipping and handling fees): £50.66 Additional local taxes may be added to EU orders at point of delivery. This first volume of Star Carr provides an interpreta…
Star Carr Volume II
Please note: these ebook files are very large. Users downloading to mobile devices, or with an internet connection with limited bandwidth, should view and download chapters individually using the dropdown menu below. Read online or download: free Purchase price for print volume (including shipping and handling fees): £64.79 Additional local taxes may be added to EU orders at point of delivery. This second volume of Star Carr provides detail on sp…
Pine traces at Star Carr: Evidence from residues on stone tools
Celebrating archaeology and the archaeology of celebrations
This volume, which marks the fiftieth anniversary of World Archaeology, is fittingly on the theme of \ncelebrations and festivities. In keeping with the theme, this editorial has been co-authored by \ncurrent members of the editorial board who, in addition to introducing the papers submitted \nwithin the volume, have added commentary on the subject of celebrations from their own \ntemporal and geographical areas of expertise
The application of micro-Raman for the analysis of ochre artefacts from Mesolithic palaeo-lake Flixton
Resolving the Issue of Artefact Deposition at Star Carr
Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeology. The original excavations at the site recorded a large assemblage of bone and antler tools from a sequence of peat deposits at the edge of the Lake Flixton. Over 60 years later this remains the largest assemblage of bone and antler artefacts of its date in Britain and has been an invaluable source of information for life in the early Mesolithic. Ho…
Commentary: Materializing Assemblages
This contribution contrasts ‘Assemblage theory’ with more traditional archaeological understandings of the term ‘assemblage’. It is argued that the flat ontology of assemblage theory is productive, particularly in relation to scale, enabling archaeologists to describe their own materials more precisely. However, more traditional ‘assemblages’, perhaps as a result of the more restrictive view they provide, should not be neglected, as they generate…
The Resettlement of the British Landscape: Towards a chronology of Early Mesolithic lithic assemblage types
During the Upper Palaeolithic Britain was visited intermittently, perhaps only on a seasonal basis, by groups often operating at the margins of their range. The Early Mesolithic, by contrast, witnessed the start of the permanent occupation of the British landscape, with certain key sites showing evidence for long-lasting occupation from the very start of the period. However, currently our understanding of the timing and tempo of the Mesolithic co…
Degradation of the wetland sediment archive at Star Carr: An assessment of current palynological preservation
Scales of analysis: Evidence of fish and fish processing at Star Carr
Rethinking Human Responses to Sea-level Rise: The Mesolithic Occupation of the Channel Islands
This work provides new insights into human responses to and perceptions of sea-level rise at a time when the landscapes of north-west Europe were radically changing. These issues are investigated through a case study focused on the Channel Islands. We report on the excavation of two sites, Canal du Squez in Jersey and Lihou (GU582) in Guernsey, and the study of museum collections across the Channel Islands. We argue that people were drawn to this…
A Unique Engraved Shale Pendant from the Site of Star Carr: The oldest Mesolithic art in Britain
In 2015 an engraved shale pendant was found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. Engraved motifs on Mesolithic pendants are extremely rare, with the exception of amber pendants from southern Scandinavia. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, particularly in Denmark. When it was first uncovered the lines were barely …
The Resettlement of the British Landscape: Towards a chronology of Early Mesolithic lithic assemblage types
During the Upper Palaeolithic Britain was visited intermittently, perhaps only on a seasonal basis, by groups often operating at the margins of their range. The Early Mesolithic, by contrast, witnessed the start of the permanent occupation of the British landscape, with certain key sites showing evidence for long-lasting occupation from the very start of the period. However, currently our understanding of the timing and tempo of the Mesolithic co…
The archaeology of persistent places: The Palaeolithic case of La Cotte de St Brelade, Jersey
Becoming deer. Corporeal transformations at Star Carr
This article examines the role of red deer antler 'masks' recovered from the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr in northern England. It explores the agency of animals and the type of agency attributable to objects made from parts of animals at the site. When humans use or wear objects that are made from animal parts, I argue that there are also important implications for the way in which the human body is conceived. This article goes on to explor…
Substantial settlement in the European Early Mesolithic: New research at Star Carr
The authors rewrite the character of Early Mesolithic settlement in Europe with their new research at one of its most famous sites. The picture of small mobile pioneering groups colonising new land is thrown into contention: far from being a small hunter-gatherer camp, Star Carr in 9000 cal BC extended for nearly 2ha and involved the construction of an estimated 30m of lakeside waterfront and at least one post-built house. With some justice, they…
A new view from La Cotte de St Brelade, Jersey
Did Neanderthal hunters drive mammoth herds over cliffs in mass kills? Excavations at La Cotte de St Brelade in the 1960s and 1970s uncovered heaps of mammoth bones, interpreted as evidence of intentional hunting drives. New study of this Middle Palaeolithic coastal site, however, indicates a very different landscape to the featureless coastal plain that was previously envisaged. Reconsideration of the bone heaps themselves further undermines the…
From riches to rags: Organic deterioration at Star Carr
Beyond Star Carr: The Vale of Pickering in the 10th Millennium BP
For the last 50 years the site of Star Carr has retained a role of considerable importance within Mesolithic studies. Recent archaeological and palaeoenvironmental survey of the Vale of Pickering (Schadla-Hall 1987; 1988; 1989; Lane & Schadla-Hall forthcoming) permits an understanding of the regional context of Star Carr and indicates the site itself now needs to be re-evaluated. This paper will focus on the lithic evidence recovered during the r…
Inhabiting New Landscapes: Settlement and Mobility in Britain After the Last Glacial Maximum
This paper explores the debate over the reoccupation of northern Europe after the last glacial maximum. Previous contributions to this debate have focused more on the timing of this event, rather than the technological and mobility strategies that enabled people to move into new landscapes. It is argued that a more detailed examination of the archaeological evidence from specific sites can provide a more nuanced understanding of these issues and …
The archaeology of persistent places: The Palaeolithic case of La Cotte de St Brelade, Jersey
An Archaeology of Materials: Substantial transformations in early prehistoric Europe
An Archaeology of Materials sets out a new approach to the study of raw materials. Traditional understandings of materials in archaeology (and in western thought more widely) have failed to acknowledge both the complexity and, moreover, the benefits of an analysis of materials. Here Conneller argues that materials cannot be understood independently of the practices through which they are constituted. Drawing on a number of different thinkers, and…
Geochemical indicators of preservation status and site deterioration at Star Carr
A Unique Engraved Shale Pendant from the Site of Star Carr: The oldest Mesolithic art in Britain
In 2015 an engraved shale pendant was found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. Engraved motifs on Mesolithic pendants are extremely rare, with the exception of amber pendants from southern Scandinavia. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, particularly in Denmark. When it was first uncovered the lines were barely …
GIS Based Interpolation Applied to Distinguishing Occupation Phases of Early Prehistoric Sites
The Resettlement of the British Landscape: Towards a chronology of Early Mesolithic lithic assemblage types
During the Upper Palaeolithic Britain was visited intermittently, perhaps only on a seasonal basis, by groups often operating at the margins of their range. The Early Mesolithic, by contrast, witnessed the start of the permanent occupation of the British landscape, with certain key sites showing evidence for long-lasting occupation from the very start of the period. However, currently our understanding of the timing and tempo of the Mesolithic co…
Star Carr in a Postglacial Lakescape: 60 Years of Research
Star Carr has an international reputation in archaeology but it was just a small part of a former lakescape which has been systematically investigated at various periods over the last 60 years. The palaeo-lake and associated sites were first investigated by John W. Moore, a local amateur archaeologist and his findings led to the better known excavations of Grahame Clark. After a hiatus in research, survey and excavation resumed in the 1970s and h…
The Mesolithic in Britain: Landscape and Society in Times of Change
Resolving the Issue of Artefact Deposition at Star Carr
Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeology. The original excavations at the site recorded a large assemblage of bone and antler tools from a sequence of peat deposits at the edge of the Lake Flixton. Over 60 years later this remains the largest assemblage of bone and antler artefacts of its date in Britain and has been an invaluable source of information for life in the early Mesolithic. Ho…
The application of micro-Raman for the analysis of ochre artefacts from Mesolithic palaeo-lake Flixton
Commentary: Materializing Assemblages
This contribution contrasts ‘Assemblage theory’ with more traditional archaeological understandings of the term ‘assemblage’. It is argued that the flat ontology of assemblage theory is productive, particularly in relation to scale, enabling archaeologists to describe their own materials more precisely. However, more traditional ‘assemblages’, perhaps as a result of the more restrictive view they provide, should not be neglected, as they generate…
To Block Lift or Not to Block Lift? An Experiment at the Early Mesolithic Site of Star Carr, North-East Yorkshire, UK
As part of the excavations at Star Carr in the summer of 2007, a 'block' sample of peat from the archaeologically rich lake-edge deposits was removed for micro-excavation in the laboratory. The main aim was to compare on-site excavation and excavation in the laboratory. The techniques employed for the block were intended to maximise the chances of recovering fragile organic remains and provide an understanding of the spatial relationships between…
A Final Upper Palaeolithic Site at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, Hampshire
Excavations at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, uncovered a Final Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage representing an open-air, short-term camp. The site is in the Test Valley on a low gravel terrace at the edge of the river system. Two scatters were found. Although not in situ, little lateral movement is indicated for at least one of these scatters from which several core reduction sequences could be determined through a programme of refitting. The o…
What are lithic ontologies
Flint awls at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr: Understanding tool use through integrated methods
The form and macroscopic wear of Mesolithic awls has been used to infer function, which has become an aspect of established typologies. However, verification of form/function relationships are needed to ensure typologies are robust. This paper presents the results of GIS and microwear analysis of 54 flint awls excavated from the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK, in conjunction with results from experimental research on awl use. Results expa…
Masks in context: Representation, Emergence, Motility and Self
We are all now aware of masks and their affects. In the last 18 months, they have proliferated and in doing so replicated most of the major tropes of material culture studies. In Europe and the US
Clamber of the dead: Material ontology and cosmological affect within the hunter-gatherer mortuary traditions of the Eastern Baltic 4000-3000 cal. BC
The application of clay to the heads of deceased hunter-gatherers within the Middle Neolithic burials of Finland and Latvia was originally identified by researchers working in these regions during the 20th century. This practice stands apart from the deeper-seated traditions of grave adornment which characterise the hunter-gatherer archaeology of the Baltic region during the Middle Holocene. However, the variable extent to which these ‘death mask…
Pine traces at Star Carr: Evidence from residues on stone tools
Celebrating archaeology and the archaeology of celebrations
This volume, which marks the fiftieth anniversary of World Archaeology, is fittingly on the theme of \ncelebrations and festivities. In keeping with the theme, this editorial has been co-authored by \ncurrent members of the editorial board who, in addition to introducing the papers submitted \nwithin the volume, have added commentary on the subject of celebrations from their own \ntemporal and geographical areas of expertise
GIS Based Interpolation Applied to Distinguishing Occupation Phases of Early Prehistoric Sites
Beyond Star Carr: The Vale of Pickering in the 10th Millennium BP
For the last 50 years the site of Star Carr has retained a role of considerable importance within Mesolithic studies. Recent archaeological and palaeoenvironmental survey of the Vale of Pickering (Schadla-Hall 1987; 1988; 1989; Lane & Schadla-Hall forthcoming) permits an understanding of the regional context of Star Carr and indicates the site itself now needs to be re-evaluated. This paper will focus on the lithic evidence recovered during the r…
Becoming deer. Corporeal transformations at Star Carr
This article examines the role of red deer antler 'masks' recovered from the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr in northern England. It explores the agency of animals and the type of agency attributable to objects made from parts of animals at the site. When humans use or wear objects that are made from animal parts, I argue that there are also important implications for the way in which the human body is conceived. This article goes on to explor…
A Final Upper Palaeolithic Site at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, Hampshire
Excavations at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, uncovered a Final Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage representing an open-air, short-term camp. The site is in the Test Valley on a low gravel terrace at the edge of the river system. Two scatters were found. Although not in situ, little lateral movement is indicated for at least one of these scatters from which several core reduction sequences could be determined through a programme of refitting. The o…
Inhabiting New Landscapes: Settlement and Mobility in Britain After the Last Glacial Maximum
This paper explores the debate over the reoccupation of northern Europe after the last glacial maximum. Previous contributions to this debate have focused more on the timing of this event, rather than the technological and mobility strategies that enabled people to move into new landscapes. It is argued that a more detailed examination of the archaeological evidence from specific sites can provide a more nuanced understanding of these issues and …
Investigation of a Final Palaeolithic Site at Rookery Farm, Great Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire
This paper presents the results of excavations at an Upper Palaeolithic site that was discovered at Rookery Farm, Great Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire in 2002. Diagnostic lithic material – three penknife points – indicates that the site was probably occupied between 12,000 and 11,000 BP, a time of deteriorating climatic conditions. Excavations discovered a small task site, located to take advantage of water and a lithic raw material source. The paper …
To Block Lift or Not to Block Lift? An Experiment at the Early Mesolithic Site of Star Carr, North-East Yorkshire, UK
As part of the excavations at Star Carr in the summer of 2007, a 'block' sample of peat from the archaeologically rich lake-edge deposits was removed for micro-excavation in the laboratory. The main aim was to compare on-site excavation and excavation in the laboratory. The techniques employed for the block were intended to maximise the chances of recovering fragile organic remains and provide an understanding of the spatial relationships between…
Star Carr in a Postglacial Lakescape: 60 Years of Research
Star Carr has an international reputation in archaeology but it was just a small part of a former lakescape which has been systematically investigated at various periods over the last 60 years. The palaeo-lake and associated sites were first investigated by John W. Moore, a local amateur archaeologist and his findings led to the better known excavations of Grahame Clark. After a hiatus in research, survey and excavation resumed in the 1970s and h…
Geochemical indicators of preservation status and site deterioration at Star Carr
From riches to rags: Organic deterioration at Star Carr
An Archaeology of Materials: Substantial transformations in early prehistoric Europe
An Archaeology of Materials sets out a new approach to the study of raw materials. Traditional understandings of materials in archaeology (and in western thought more widely) have failed to acknowledge both the complexity and, moreover, the benefits of an analysis of materials. Here Conneller argues that materials cannot be understood independently of the practices through which they are constituted. Drawing on a number of different thinkers, and…
Substantial settlement in the European Early Mesolithic: New research at Star Carr
The authors rewrite the character of Early Mesolithic settlement in Europe with their new research at one of its most famous sites. The picture of small mobile pioneering groups colonising new land is thrown into contention: far from being a small hunter-gatherer camp, Star Carr in 9000 cal BC extended for nearly 2ha and involved the construction of an estimated 30m of lakeside waterfront and at least one post-built house. With some justice, they…
A new view from La Cotte de St Brelade, Jersey
Did Neanderthal hunters drive mammoth herds over cliffs in mass kills? Excavations at La Cotte de St Brelade in the 1960s and 1970s uncovered heaps of mammoth bones, interpreted as evidence of intentional hunting drives. New study of this Middle Palaeolithic coastal site, however, indicates a very different landscape to the featureless coastal plain that was previously envisaged. Reconsideration of the bone heaps themselves further undermines the…
Discoveries from La Manche: Five Years of Early Prehistoric Research in the Channel Island of Jersey
Since 2010 a new field project drawn from major UK institutions including the UCL Institute of Archaeology, has focused research on the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic record of the Channel Island of Jersey. In this retrospective of five years of research the history of the project to date, its focus on the Middle Palaeolithic site of La Cotte de St Brelade and its growth into an international research team is charted. The formation of the La Manche …
The Resettlement of the British Landscape: Towards a chronology of Early Mesolithic lithic assemblage types
During the Upper Palaeolithic Britain was visited intermittently, perhaps only on a seasonal basis, by groups often operating at the margins of their range. The Early Mesolithic, by contrast, witnessed the start of the permanent occupation of the British landscape, with certain key sites showing evidence for long-lasting occupation from the very start of the period. However, currently our understanding of the timing and tempo of the Mesolithic co…
Degradation of the wetland sediment archive at Star Carr: An assessment of current palynological preservation
Scales of analysis: Evidence of fish and fish processing at Star Carr
Rethinking Human Responses to Sea-level Rise: The Mesolithic Occupation of the Channel Islands
This work provides new insights into human responses to and perceptions of sea-level rise at a time when the landscapes of north-west Europe were radically changing. These issues are investigated through a case study focused on the Channel Islands. We report on the excavation of two sites, Canal du Squez in Jersey and Lihou (GU582) in Guernsey, and the study of museum collections across the Channel Islands. We argue that people were drawn to this…
A Unique Engraved Shale Pendant from the Site of Star Carr: The oldest Mesolithic art in Britain
In 2015 an engraved shale pendant was found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. Engraved motifs on Mesolithic pendants are extremely rare, with the exception of amber pendants from southern Scandinavia. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, particularly in Denmark. When it was first uncovered the lines were barely …
The Resettlement of the British Landscape: Towards a chronology of Early Mesolithic lithic assemblage types
During the Upper Palaeolithic Britain was visited intermittently, perhaps only on a seasonal basis, by groups often operating at the margins of their range. The Early Mesolithic, by contrast, witnessed the start of the permanent occupation of the British landscape, with certain key sites showing evidence for long-lasting occupation from the very start of the period. However, currently our understanding of the timing and tempo of the Mesolithic co…
The archaeology of persistent places: The Palaeolithic case of La Cotte de St Brelade, Jersey
The application of micro-Raman for the analysis of ochre artefacts from Mesolithic palaeo-lake Flixton
Resolving the Issue of Artefact Deposition at Star Carr
Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeology. The original excavations at the site recorded a large assemblage of bone and antler tools from a sequence of peat deposits at the edge of the Lake Flixton. Over 60 years later this remains the largest assemblage of bone and antler artefacts of its date in Britain and has been an invaluable source of information for life in the early Mesolithic. Ho…
Commentary: Materializing Assemblages
This contribution contrasts ‘Assemblage theory’ with more traditional archaeological understandings of the term ‘assemblage’. It is argued that the flat ontology of assemblage theory is productive, particularly in relation to scale, enabling archaeologists to describe their own materials more precisely. However, more traditional ‘assemblages’, perhaps as a result of the more restrictive view they provide, should not be neglected, as they generate…
Star Carr Volume I
Please note: these ebook files are very large. Users downloading to mobile devices, or with an internet connection with limited bandwidth, should view and download chapters individually using the dropdown menu below. Read online or download: free Purchase price for print volume (including shipping and handling fees): £50.66 Additional local taxes may be added to EU orders at point of delivery. This first volume of Star Carr provides an interpreta…
Archaeology (35 works) · Geography (34 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (31 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (24 works) · Mesolithic (22 works) · Carr (17 works) · History (17 works) · Ecology (14 works) · Geology (14 works) · Biology (11 works)