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70 PP.

BOREAS BOOK REVIEWS

&& Boreas, Vol. 21, pp. 391-2. Oslo, 1992 (December)

Late Stone Age hunters LARS LARSSON

Smith, C . 1992: Late Stone Age Hunters ofthe British Isles. 206 pp. Routledge, London and New York. ISBN 0-415-03161-3. Price GBP 45.00.

period lasting from about 13,000 to 5000 BP or, in other words. from Belling to the end of the Atlantic Period.

The author notes at the start of the hook that 11 is not his intention to deal with settlement from the point of view of the artefacts. Nor does he intend to approach the subject from an economic perspective, preferring an ecological approach. yet without being classified as an ecological determinist. He also distances himself in clear terms from the so-called post-proces- sual archaeology, which primarily represents a holistic view in

The subjects of Christopher Smith's book are immigration by man during the thawing phase of the most recent Ice Age and settlement during the millennia which followed, when society was still based on hunting-gathering, i t . settlement during a

392 Lars Larsson ROREAS 21 (1992)

which man as a social individual totally predominates. This approach also characteri7es the essential relationship between the rcsearcher and hisiher subject. Smith refers to this as quasi-science. an expression of disapproval which makes his position quite clear. 1 am convinced that the book would have heen much more interesting if Smith had challenged and disproved the claims mads by representatives of the post-proces- sual approach. instead of simply dismissing them in a few lines.

Although the book hints at man's irrational behaviour in the form of hi> nced for social contacts and gives expression to a world of imagery in the form of burial and other ritual acts, Smith sees man first and foremost as an actor, largely on a par with the other animals. Only limited space is devoted to consid- erations such as the approach shown by man towards new environnleiits during the period of colonization. and to the manner in ~ h i c h society reacted to an almost total lack of external information at a time uhen the country became an island world. For the benefit of readers outside archaeological circles, it should be stated that the book is not representative of the latest research approach, and i> ac tua l l~ more representative of the prevailing \iew some time ago

Outhiderr ail1 be struck by the total lack of interest shown by Smith in conditions and changes in the rest of northwest Europe. especiiilly during the period when man colonized the British Isles once more alter the most recent glaciation. As he so clearly states. the British Isles formed a part of the European mainland during the colonization period. Man's various forms of expres- sion, since they emerge so clearly. not least in parts of France. ought to have given Smith certain pointers. This is not the case. however. Smith appears to regard what happened there as an irrelevance. A further distinctive feature which emerges clearly is Smith's view of settlement i n the British island world. From west to east, and from north to south. man's reaction towards other members of society as well as towards his surroundings is the same. This may be perceibed as being in contrast to Smith's observation that the material culture exhibits significant charac- teristii features within the British Isles.

The book has developed from a series of lectures. and this can be clearly appreciated for better or for worse. The book adopts a very obvious pedagogical approach and is intended more than anqthing else to s e n e as a textbook. Yet the presentation is rather more along the lines that one might expect from a lecturer. The students to whom thanks are given in the foreword are not believed to have beeii of the most inquisitive kind. Although discussions of different alternative interpretations of man's behaviour are not entire15 absent. it is not possible to conclude, with the best will 111 the world. that this pedagogical approach, a form of objective behabioural pattern, interested Smith to any great extent. Facts and interpretations are presented without an) major distinction being niade in order to fit a number of models of man's behaviour established in the in trod uction

The book suffers from having a number of sections which are far too unrelated. The book begins with an introduction

to the subject in general terms. The second and third parts deal with man a$ an actor, both between individuals and in relation to his environment. Smith presents calcula- tions made on an ecological basis. from which he is able lo arrive at limits for the si7e of the population. although he is aware that the actual limits are set by society and its structure. He also deals with the question of the variations in values which often affect ecological calculations with different bases.

The processes which result in the depositing of implements and waste products, and those which affect these remains over time. are discussed briefly. yet fully. The same is also true of that part of the hook which concerns the Late Glacial and Post Glacial environment, in which the different variables such as climate. isostasy and fauna are described.

The two main chapters that follow give an account of the lind material which provided the most abundant data for the study of the settlement such as the cave sites at Creswell Crags in central England. which are dated to the initial phase immcdi- ately before 12,000 BP. The earliest Post Glacial phase is repre- sented by inter uliu Star Carr. the classic bog site Tor archaeologists. As far as the most recent phase is concerned, interest is directed mainly at the coastal settlement which includes buer i~h the kitchen middens on the Outer Hebrides, which are full of ecofacts. This part of the book takes the form of a summary rich in nuances of a number of publications relating to excavations; i t is also the part which is of most value both to specialist archaeologists and to scientists with an inter- est in archaeology.

The last part of the book provides a more readily surveyable interpretation of the settlement, taking as its starting-point the different ecological zones. Is i t the wish to limit the scope of the book. or the author's own views which lead him in this case 10 portray man's actions as being of a similar character no matter where one happens to be in the British Isles?

It can be stated in summary that this work has both advantages and disadvantages as a textbook. The book is an ideal source for those who wish to have a synthesis of the oldest settlement after the Ice Age. The pedagogical form of the book makes i t a very easy matter to acquire a broad base of knowledge on the subject in question. It should be pointed out that the illustrations are of very high quality. Smith has made an effort to provide clear pictures of uniform layout.

Nebertheless, the amount of space allocated to the discuss:on which has ofter arisen as a result of various archaeologists with the same data presenting different models is not very great. Most of the book is thus too basic for anyone familiar with Quaternary geology. and yet is not sufficiently exhaustive for students of archaeology, and by that I hopefully mean all of them. who wish to gain insight into the process which lexds from the reporting of a find to its interpretation.

Lars Lursson, Institute o j Archueolo,gy, Krajis torg 1. S-223 50 Liml, Swedeti; Seprernher, 1992.