ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the end of the Neolithic up to the establishment of the early Bronze Age, a period covering from around 2500/2400 bc to the start of the second millennium. It focuses on aspects of this period that mark a change from pre-existing practices, so it will begin with a consideration of a new style of pottery, Beakers, and associated material culture sets. The chapter explores metalworking, particularly copper mining in Ireland. One of the key characteristics of the end of the Neolithic was the appearance of a range of new and distinctive types of material culture. Beakers are a distinctive type of pottery that first appear in the archaeological record between 2480 and 2390 cal bc in Britain and perhaps as early as 2500 bc in Ireland. Unlike Grooved Ware, the pottery style found most commonly in late Neolithic which had its origins in the Orkney Isles, Beakers have a definite European origin.
