The end of ‘splendid isolation’: a continental perspective on the Old Quay discovery
Abstract
The discovery of Mesolithic arrowheads on the Isles of Scilly with clearly continental European roots challenges the most deeply embedded ideas of Mesolithic specialists. While the disturbed stratigraphic context prevents a full understanding of the complete technical system, we must draw some conclusions regarding the Neolithic transition, and the ways and means of prehistoric navigation. At a more methodological level, this important discovery raises questions about our reading of features of technology, such as the nature of the transfers and whether they were exchanges or copies