A New Context for Rock Art: a Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Ritual Monument at Stoupe
Brow, Fylingdales, North Yorkshire, by Blaise Vyner
After fire swept across 2.5 km2 of heather moorland the detail of a wide range of archaeological
features was revealed. Among these was a so-far unique small circular monument, the principal
component of which was a circle of near-upright slabs set in a shallow trench. The stones included
one with a complex pecked geometric design reminiscent of some Grooved Ware ceramic
decoration, and another with more commonly found cup-mark and linear motifs. Limited
excavation was undertaken in response to disturbance of the monument and it was discovered that
the stone with complex decoration had been reshaped for its monumental setting, having perhaps
previously been a free-standing decorated monolith. In its altered form the stone formed part of a
small circular arena, the interior of which may have included alternate decorated stones. The open
arena had later been filled with rubble creating a small cairn, its material including a small block
detached from the main stone as well as a number of cup- and other marked stones. Apart from the
decorated stones there were no diagnostic artefacts and no direct dating information was present. It
is suggested that the decorated stones originate in the later Neolithic period and that the monument
containing them was constructed in the Early Bronze Age.
Diversity Rules. On Late Prehistoric Settlement of the Eastern Netherlands and the Need for
Regionally Specific Models, by Roy van Beek
General habitation models based on well-researched regions tend to be applied to other, less
intensively studied regions, usually implicitly. However, whether they lend themselves to do that is
hardly ever tested. It may even be that such general models prevent us from obtaining a clear view
of patterns of supra-regional, regional, and local diversity. As a test case, this paper focuses on the
development of landscape and habitation in the eastern part of the Netherlands from the Late
Neolithic period until the start of the Middle Roman period (c. 2850 BC–AD 100). Special attention
is given to site location, settlement development, and landscape organisation. The research area
until now has hardly entered the archaeological debate on the habitation history of the Low
Countries. It is demonstrated that even though some habitation characteristics are well-known from
other parts of the Low Countries, and sometimes beyond, the organisation of later prehistoric
societies in the research area also deviates in interesting ways. The case-study makes clear that
leaning too heavily on research results from other regions brings the risk that specific characteristics
of a region will be overlooked or that regional diversity will be ignored in order to make the data fit
the expected pattern. One size does not fit all. The only way to prevent this is to build new, solid
interpretative frameworks for regions that have so far received little attention, and to create an
awareness that existing models should not be applied uncritically.
An Exotic Early Bronze Age Funerary Assemblage from Stanbury, West Yorkshire, by Jane
Richardson & Blaise Vyner
The chance find of a discrete pit containing an Early Bronze Age funerary deposit was made at
Stanbury, West Yorkshire, during the spring of 2007. A large Collared Urn, which was inverted,
contained the cremated remains of a young male, together with a stone battle-axe, a bone belt-hook
and pin, a pair of copper alloy earrings, and an accessory vessel. The burial was accompanied by
two further Collared Urns, one of which was near complete. The two radiocarbon dates obtained
have allowed a fairly tight date range of 1960–1780 cal BC to be proposed. This combination of
pyre and grave goods is apparently unique, while a number of the items are exotic to Pennine
Yorkshire.
Close to the Edge: New Perspectives on the Architecture, Function and Regional Geographies of
the Coastal Promontory Forts of the Castlemartin Peninsula, South Pembrokeshire, Wales, by
Louise Barker & Toby Driver
Many of Pembrokeshire’s 58 coastal promontory forts are iconic and well-known monuments. They
occur in a density unparalleled in the rest of Wales. Morphology is highly variable, as is
Pembrokeshire’s ever-changing coastal geology, from resistant granite in the north to softer
limestones and sandstones in the south. New surveys by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and
Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) of three promontory forts on the Castlemartin
Peninsula in south Pembrokeshire – Linney Head Camp, Flimston Bay Camp, and Greenala Point
Fort – have demonstrated how complex and different each of these sites is and, as part of a wider
study of the Castlemartin Peninsula, have raised new questions concerning our understanding of this
monument type. Dominating and shaping the discussion is our modern-day perception that coastal
promontory forts are remote, exposed, and dangerous places. How much is this an accurate
portrayal of prehistoric attitudes to the sea or was their outlook more mundane and practical? Did
coastal promontory forts share identical functions as defended domestic/agricultural settlements,
exploiting a seaward position for ease of defence, or were they indeed special places? Their highly
variable architecture – coupled with some unusual characteristics of topography and setting – may
indicate varying functions among even closely neighbouring sites. The evidence revealed from the
study suggests that some coastal promontory forts may have been exclusively used for ceremonial
or seasonal activity, while others may have been quite different prestigious residences investing
heavily in monumental architecture. In conclusion, there is considerable merit in the detailed
resurvey and re-investigation of coastal promontory forts within distinct regional groups to shed
new light on our understanding of this later prehistoric monument type.
On the Beach: New Discoveries at Harlyn Bay, Cornwall, by Andy M. Jones, Jane Marley,
Henrietta Quinnell, & Steve Hartgroves
In 1990 a stone covered pit containing a Trevisker Ware vessel was found eroding from the cliffs at
Harlyn Bay and excavated. The vessel contained cremated bone from several individuals with some
animal bone, quartz pebbles, and a small bronze pendant. A radiocarbon date on the cremated bone
fell in the range 2120–1880 cal BC and is a valuable addition to the small number of securely-dated
Early Bronze Age burials in Cornwall with metalwork associations. This early date also makes a
major contribution to the debate on the sequence of Trevisker Ware as the vessel, of gabbroic clay,
has a band of incised chevron decoration. Lipid residue analysis showed traces of ruminant dairy
fat. This paper examines the significance of unmounded burial sites in Cornwall and also assesses
the importance of Early Bronze Age burials around Harlyn Bay which have produced an unusually
wide range of artefacts.
A Re-appraisal of the Evidence for Violence in the Late Iron Age Human Remains from Maiden
Castle Hillfort, Dorset, England, by Rebecca C. Redfern
The human remains excavated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler from Maiden Castle hillfort (Dorset,
England) were recorded by the author in the first re-examination of the sample since Wheeler’s
1943 publication. This study focuses on the osteological evidence for trauma, and employed
bioarchaeological, clinical, and forensic methods to identify and interpret the skeletal evidence for
ante- and peri-mortem fractures, blunt-force cranial trauma, and sharp and blunt projectile injuries.
Examination of the human remains found overwhelming evidence for targeted blows to the head
and body, assault injuries, and over-kill. Skeletal evidence for trauma was identified in adolescent
and adult individuals, suggesting that both sexes and older subadults were exposed to and/or
engaged in martial activity during the Late Iron Age. The presence of healed direct-force traumas
suggests that many had survived previous episodes of interpersonal violence. The higher crude
prevalence rates of trauma in the late Iron Age Belgic war cemetery and Iron Age C groups suggest
that these burials reflect multiple episodes of intra- or intertribal warfare and may potentially
provide evidence for the Roman invasion in AD 43.
Excavations at a Neolithic Enclosure on The Peak, near Birdlip, Gloucestershire, by Timothy
Darvill
Surveys and excavations in 1980–1 confirmed Peak Camp as a Neolithic enclosure on a flat
promontory of the Cotswold escarpment overlooking the Severn Valley just 1 km south of Crickley
Hill. Although heavily eroded by quarrying the site can be reconstructed as having two concentric
arcs of boundary earthworks forming an oval plan which was probably open to the north where a
steep natural slope defined the edge of the site. A section through the outer boundary showed four
main phases of ditch construction, at least one causewayed. An extensive series of radiocarbon
dates shows construction began in the late 37th century cal BC and probably continued through
successive remodellings into the 33rd century cal BC or beyond. An internal ditch or elongated pit
situated in the area between the inner and outer boundary earthworks had a similar history. Where
sampled, the ditch and internal feature was rich in material culture, including a substantial
assemblage of plain bowl pottery; flint implements and working waste; animal remains dominated
by cattle but including also the remains of a cat; human foot bones; slight traces of cereal
production; a fragment of a Group VI axe; part of a sandstone disc; and a highly unusual shale arc
pendant of continental type. It is suggested that the ditch fills represent selectively redeposited
midden material from within the site that started to accumulate in the late 5th or early 4th
millennium cal BC. The construction and use of Peak Camp is contemporary with activity on
Crickley Hill, and the two sites probably formed components of a single complex. Its use was also
contemporary with the deposition of burials at local long barrows in the Cotswold-Severn tradition
which are linked by common ceramic traditions and the selective deposition of human body parts.
‘Fancy Objects’ in the British Iron Age: Why Decorate?, by Jody Joy
A survey and new perspectives of Celtic or La Tène art from Britain is presented. Following
Spratling, Celtic art is defined as ‘ornament or pattern and animal/human/supernatural images in
metal and other media’. Regional and temporal variations in the type and usage of decorated
artefacts are summarised. Three case studies, made of different media, are presented: metal
scabbards, bone and antler weaving combs, and pottery. By asking the question ‘why decorate?’ it
is argued that the decision to decorate an artefact can affect its life history, marking it out from
undecorated artefacts of the same type. Rather than serving a single function, decoration was
employed to serve multiple social goals throughout the Iron Age. Different forms of social
expression, such as feasting, elaborate display, or weaving, are significant at any one time or place.
It is argued that decorated artefacts often played a significant role in these different social arenas.
Contrary to many past discussions, decorated artefacts in media other than metal are demonstrated
to have been important in negotiations of social power and cosmology.
The Beccles triple post-alignment, Beccles Marshes, Suffolk: excavation and palaeoenvironmental
analyses of an Iron Age Wetland Site, by Benjamin R. Gearey, Henry P. Chapman, Andrew J.
Howard, Kristina Krawiec, Michael Bamforth, William G. Fletcher, Thomas C. B. Hill,
Peter Marshall, Emma Tetlow, & Ian Tyers
Two seasons of excavation and associated palaeoenvironmental analyses were undertaken of a
wetland site on Beccles Marshes, Beccles, Suffolk. The site has been identified as a triple post
alignment of oak timbers (0.6–2.0 m long) over 100 m in length and 3–4 m wide, running northwest to south-east towards the River Waveney. It was constructed in a single phase which has been
dated dendrochronologically to 75 BC, although discrete brushwood features identified as possible
short trackways have been radiocarbon datede to both before and after the alignment was built. It is
unclear if the posts ever supported a superstructure but notches (‘halving lap joints’) in some of the
posts appear to have held timbers to support the posts and/or aid in their insertion. In addition,
fragments of both Iron Age and Romano-British pottery were recovered. A substantial assemblage
of worked wooden remains appears to reflect the construction of the post row itself and perhaps the
on-site clearance of floodplain vegetation. This assemblage also contains waste material derived
from the reduction splitting of timbers larger than the posts of the alignment, but which have not
been recovered from the site. Environmental analyses indicate that the current landscape context of
the site with respect to the River Waveney is probably similar to that which pertained in prehistory.
The coleopterarecord illustrates a series of changes in the on-site vegetation in the period before,
during, and after the main phase of human activity which may be related to a range of factors
including floodplain hydrology and anthropogenic utilisation of Beccles Marshes. The possible
form and function of the site is discussed in relation to the later prehistory of Suffolk.
Death, Decapitation and Display?The Bronze and Iron Age Human Remains from the Sculptor’s
Cave, Covesea, North-east Scotland, by Ian Armit, Rick Schulting, Christopher J. Knüsel & Ian
A.G. Shepherd
Excavations at the Sculptor’s Cave (north-east Scotland) during the 1930s and 1970s yielded
evidence for activity in the Late Bronze Age, Late Iron Age, and early medieval periods, including
a substantial human skeletal assemblage with apparent evidence for the removal, curation, and
display of human heads. The present project, combining osteological analysis and a programme of
AMS dating, aimed to place the surviving human remains from the site into their appropriate
chronological context and to relate them to the broader sequence of human activity in the cave. A
series of AMS determinations has demonstrated that the human remains fall into two distinct
chronological groups separated by a millennium or more: one from the Mid–Late Bronze Age and
one from the Late Iron Age. Osteological analysis suggests that while the Bronze Age group may,
as previously suggested, include the remains of the heads of juveniles formerly displayed at the
cave entrance, this was not the sole mechanism by which human remains arrived in the cave at this
time. The Late Iron Age group provides evidence for decapitation and other violent treatments
within the cave itself.
Towards Synthesis: Research and Discovery in Neolithic North-East England, by Clive
Waddington
The Tweed Valley and its tributaries, and particularly the Milfield Basin in north Northumberland,
is an area of strategic significance in the geography of the British Isles and it hosts a rich and varied
multi-period archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record. This paper summarises some of the
key findings for the Neolithic resulting from a long-term and in-depth landscape research project
and provides a new chronological sequence for the Neolithic of the region. Attention is drawn to the
discovery of what appears to be a new type of Neolithic structure associated with settlement activity
hitherto unrecognised in Britain: post-built timber buildings based on a triangular arrangement of
timbers. The paper then turns to a consideration of subsistence and land-use practices and the
evidence for cereal agriculture from the immediate outset of the Neolithic in the region. Since 1999
many more radiocarbon measurements are now available for Neolithic activity in the area and,
together with those obtained before 1999, have been recalibrated and subjected to Bayesian
modelling to produce more precise estimates for Neolithic activity. Important findings include the
provision of a more robust estimate for dating the onset of the Neolithic in the region, as well as
establishing a chronological framework for the Neolithic–Beaker period ceramic sequence. It also
reveals that the current dating available for the henge monuments indicates that this ritual complex
most likely dates to the Beaker period and not from the Neolithic proper as they do in some other
parts of Britain. Truly ‘Neolithic’ ceremonial monuments in the Milfield Basin remain elusive and
few of the potential sites that have so far been identified have yet to be tested by excavation and
scientific dating. A clear zoning of rock art is apparent though, with hundreds of sites all clustered
on the Fell Sandstone escarpment, whilst a variety of Neolithic burial types is attested suggesting
the region formed a meeting ground for different cultural influences.
The Excavation of Duddo Stone Circle, Northumberland, by Benjamin Edwards, Roger Miket and
Rosie Bishop
This paper reports on the 2008 excavations at Duddo Stone Circle, Northumberland; the first
excavation of a stone circle in the north-east of England under modern conditions. The project was
successful in radiocarbon dating archaeobotanical material that suggests a date for construction at
the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, and cremated human bone that dates its potential re-use for
burial to around 1700 cal BC. This report provides a stratigraphic account of the results of the
excavation and specialist reports on the archaeobotanical remains, the radiocarbon dates, and the
finds recovered. The discussion considers Duddo in the context of other stone circles in the NorthEast and Borders, and more generally across the United Kingdom, concluding that heterogeneity is
a regional trait in north-eastern England and southern Scotland, much as architectural or landscape
affinities link similar monuments in other regions. The contemporary context of Duddo, as a site for
modern depositional practices, is also addressed, with a focus upon how these differ from the
prehistoric use of the monument.
Hillforts, Emotional Metaphors, and the Good Life: a Response to Armit, by Gary Lock
Hillforts have always been central to interpretations of Iron Age society and Ian Armit’s paper in
this journal (2007) re-introduces the question of whether or not they represent ‘endemic warfare’.
This response will critique claims for warfare in the Early and Middle Iron Age of Wessex and
present an alternative view of hillforts and how they may have been used. It is argued that within
dispersed small scale agricultural societies the communal building, maintenance, and use of hillforts
can act to structure the sociality of people whose interests are in creating a harmonious existence.
Within this view, hillforts act as metaphors for the managing of emotional relationships within
groups of people as they go about their daily lives.