The Society of Neolithic Scotland
It is difficult to deduce anything about the structure of society at that time. We know that they built the stone circles and henges and that this must have been an enormous investment of energy but we are unable to say with certainty what they thought. Their burial practices show that they believed in life after death and suggest that clans may have had totems but all we can only use our imaginations to appreciate the difficulties and complexities of their lives. ,At the same time that work was being carried out on the stone monuments and henges, life for the Neolithic people was changing. Their previous existence had been that of a hunter-gatherer society but gradually the new idea of farming spread and seems to have been extensive by about 3750 BC. At this time, Scotland was heavily wooded but not completely covered by forest. There were sizeable natural clearings around lochs and rivers, which would have provided good grazing.
The burning of woodland seems to have been commonplace at this time. Hunters would set fire to woodland around the shores of some lochs above 1200 - 1300 feet. This was probably to improve grazing for deer, which meant that the animals would be easier to find. As farming became more popular, the clearing of land by fire took place.
Wheat and barley were being cultivated. It is possible that, at first, hoes and digging sticks were used but, as farming became more intensive, a rudimentary plough (called an 'ard') was needed.
There would be failures and frustration as the people struggled to learn a new way of life. Although some farming was taking place, hunting, fishing and gathering would still have been employed as a source of food. There may even have been conflict between those who wished to follow the new way and those who wanted to follow the traditional paths of their forebears. There is some evidence in Europe that some kind of tribal warfare existed and, if we draw parallels from other hunter gatherer societies that survived into the 20th century, it is not unlikely that life in the Neolithic was as peaceable as some believe.
In addition to possible conflict with other family groups, we have to remember that Scotland was not as tame then as it is now. Wolves and bears would have roamed the densely wooded areas.
Excavations in Orkney (Knap of Howar, 3600 - 3100 BC)
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