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In the Indian context, megaliths are essentially funerary and memorial structures erected by different cultures over vast swathes of time, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age, and in later periods too. Megaliths represent some of the oldest monuments in the subcontinent, of which only traces survive today. Though early scholarship attributed the phenomenon of the erection of megalithic structures over the entire range of its occurrence to a single "megalithic culture", today it is seen as a means of interring the dead, or erecting memorials, which was adopted by different cultures during different periods. The early part of the first millennium (and indeed a few centuries prior to that) is an important period in the history of monumental architecture in the subcontinent. During this time, the diminishing practice of erecting megaliths co-existed alongside the construction of some of the earliest religious monuments in stone which would, over a millennium and a half, evolve into the richly diverse traditions of monumental architecture which characterize the subcontinent. In this chapter, the possibility that megalithic construction had some influence on the architecture of later monuments, is explored. Instances where megalithic architecture seems to have inspired later monuments both in techniques as well as purpose is presented with the aid of examples from the Malaprabha Valley and the megalithic site at Mallasandram. Megaliths are not confined to the Indian subcontinent. Megalithic construction is encountered in various parts of the world during different periods. Though very early attempts to explain this by resorting to the "diffusion theories"-which involved the origin of megalithism in one part of the world and its subsequent dispersion, have been discredited, there has been no clear understanding of why cultures widely separated in space and time have been erecting monuments with nearly identical form. Is it possible that the adoption of this cultural trai

This contribution describes the discovery and subsequent investigation of a cist in a rock-cut pit at Achavanich, Highland. Discovered and excavated in 1987, the cist was found to contain the tightly contracted skeletal remains of a young woman, accompanied by a Beaker, three flint artefacts and a cattle scapula. Initial post excavation work established a date for the skeleton together with details of her age and sex, and preliminary pollen analysis of sediments attaching to the Beaker was undertaken. The findings were never fully published and, upon the death of the excavator, Robert Gourlay, the documentary archive was left in the Highland Council Archaeology Unit. Fresh research in 2014–17, initiated and co-ordinated by the first-named author and funded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland with assistance from National Museums Scotland, the Natural History Museum and Harvard Medical School, has produced a significant amount of new information on the individual and on some of the items with which she was buried. This new information includes two further radiocarbon dates, a more detailed osteological report, isotopic information pertaining to the place where she had been raised and to her diet, histological information on the decomposition of her body, and genetic information that sheds light on her ancestry, her hair, eye and skin colour and her intolerance of lactose. (This is the first time that an ancient DNA report has been published in the Proceedings.) Moreover, a facial reconstruction adds virtual flesh to her bones. The significance of this discovery within the Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age of this part of Scotland is discussed, along with the many and innovative ways in which information on this individual, dubbed ‘Ava’, has been disseminated around the world., Copyright © 2018 rests with the Society and the individual authors. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives licence.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The permission to reproduce the Society's copyright-protected ma-terial does not extend to any material which is identified as being the copyright of a third party. Authorisation to reproduce such material must be obtained from the copyright holders concerned. The attached file is the published pdf., NHM Repository

The text describes the excavations undertaken in different sites of the valley. The reasons for their choice and the results obtained. Seventeen sites were tested, either burial mounds or shelters. We can contextualize the human presence in the valley at different time periods: Late Neolithic, Late Neolithic-Copper Age, Bronze Age and Middle Ages. Also, and despite the plundering, some interesting features regarding the tumuli could be observed through excavation., El texto describe las excavaciones realizadas en diferentes yacimientos del valle, los criterios por los que se escogieron y sus resultados. Se hicieron diecisiete sondeos, tanto en abrigos como en túmulos. Hemos podido contextualizar la presencia humana en el valle en diferentes periodos temporales: Neolítico Final, transición Neolítico-Edad del Cobre, Edad del Bronce y Edad Media. Además, a pesar del saqueo, hemos podido constatar algunos rasgos interesantes relativos a los túmulos.