The radiocarbon evidence allows us to offer a sketch of how the Neolithic package, coming from north-east France, Belgium and the Low Countries spread across Britain …
Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the early phase of settlement is the appearance of large rectangular timber-built houses or halls as they may more appropriately be called. They have been found across Britain from White Horse Stone and Yarnton near Oxford to a number of finely preserved structures in eastern Scotland. A comparable example has been excavated at Llandegai near Bangor in north Wales, while at least forty-six rectangular houses have so far been identified in Ireland. Although there is some variation in size and structural detail, all are imposing structures representing the concerted effort of the community working together to identify, cut, haul, and erect timbers. Many of the larger buildings show a marked similarity in plan, size, and internal layout, having partitioning dividing the large enclosed space into discrete areas for different functions. Clearly we are dealing with a tradition of building.
I will continue reading ...
The locations tend to be are low lying and not defensive .
"The halls represented the desire of the social group to make a mark on the landscape – to create a ‘place’. Their very existence is symbolic of the community’s willingness and ability to work together. Thus they represent group cohesion, but how did they actually function? They could have housed extended families, the larger examples being capable of sheltering between twenty and twenty-five households, but they could equally well have been communal buildings used for assemblies or reserved for the performance of specific rites. Nor is it impossible that they were multifunctional. That three of the large Scottish halls, Claish, Crathes, and Balbridie, were all burnt down hints at the possibility of a ritual end, the burning representing a deliberate act of closure. If the halls had been the residences of the elite, then the death of a prominent member may have been the occasion. If they were communal structures, termination by fire might have been associated with the idea of social renewal. We can speculate, but are unlikely to ever know."
He doesn't add to the speculation (re EGD's original point about possible defence against aggressive attacks) that the Scottish halls may have been burned by hostile aggressors but given the probability of the continuation of human behaviour are there any good reasons to dismiss this idea? We seem to be a war loving species by and large.