Aberdeen in £70,000 study of prehistoric people

Published on 29/09/2006 00:50

RESEARCHERS at a Scottish university are to carry out a major study to shed new light on the mysterious Beaker people, who flourished across Europe more than 4,000 years ago.

The north-east of Scotland has one of the highest concentrations of Beaker burials - prehistoric skeletons laid to rest beside distinctive, high-quality pots - anywhere in Britain.

It is hoped that the new research - the most detailed local study of the Beaker culture ever carried out in Europe - will begin to solve many of the questions that have puzzled archaeologists for generations.

The new research by archaeologists at Aberdeen University has been made possible with a 70,000 funding grant from the Leverhulme Trust.

The cash will be used to analyse more than 20 Beaker skeletons found throughout the north-east and the grave goods that accompanied many of the remains.

The Beaker culture flourished throughout Europe in the early Bronze Age. The Beakers, who are believed to have built Stonehenge, got their name from the distinctive small clay pots or beakers buried with their dead, suggesting an early belief in the afterlife.

Beaker burials in the North-east are also associated with the area's recumbent stone circles.