Prehistoric histories

Abstract This paper discusses prehistoric forms of history. We propose that all prehistoric societies oriented their actions in the present with the past in mind. The task for archaeologists is to understand the sorts of histories at work in different periods. We propose a distinction between genealogical history, where the past is created through links to known ancestors, and mythical history, where a less well‐known past is evoked. These two forms of history coexist in all societies with implications for the manner in which continuities and change are handled. We illustrate the insights that these ideas may provide through a case study from the late Bronze Age to Romano‐British periods on the Ridge‐way in south Oxfordshire, southern England.