Megaliths in Action: Some Aspects of the Neolithic Period in the Channel Islands

AbstractThe wealth of evidence for Channel Islands megaliths is surveyed, with some attention to the contribution of the archaeological family Lukis. Detailed studies of distribution and relative survival demonstrate one advantage of the insular circumstance. A review of structural diversity, associations, and mortuary rites provides a local schema and this is placed within the framework for north-west France. The effects of insularity versus wider developments are assessed. Two specific case-studies—a structural and social interpretation of La Hougue Bie and an assessment of megalithic origins based on the Déhus carving—are of considerable importance for the wider field. Detailed lists of island structures are appended