Book Reviews, Volume

BOOK REVIEWS Early Humans, by Nick Ashton, William Collins, the scene during the present interglacial, was that New Naturalist Library No. 134, 2017, 354 pp., possible. The amount of information that has been numerous graphs and col. photos, reference list, discovered about the lives of these early humans index. Hbk £60, Pbk £40. ISBN 978-0-00-815033-4 in Britain is truly amazing and the author, Nick (Hbk), ISBN 978-0-00-815035-8 (Pbk). Ashton, is to be congratulated on presenting this very valuable synthesis for us. An earlier volume in the New Naturalist Library – It may seem confusing to the reader that the story No. 18, A Natural History of Man in Britain – was jumps about from one place to another (rather than almost entirely concerned with Homo sapiens and describing the sequence of human activity over time the last 10,000 years of our history, mostly during in one given place). It should be remembered that, historic times. This new book takes us back to the just as no site in modern Britain displays a complete Cromer forest bed, laid down some 450,000 years exposure of the Geological record, survival of the ago; only Chapter 12, which considers the period evidence of past human activity is very patchy – between 11,000 and 6,000 years ago, overlaps the and buried. Essentially, all the evidence reviewed in earlier book in any way. this book became available as a by-product of some Despite its title, this book is not concerned with other human activity. the evolution of our ancestors from chimpanzees, or Even if the reader were only interested in the with the radiation of the various groups of hominids culture of early humans in Britain, this would prove ‘out of Africa’, but rather with the presence of pre- to be a worthwhile read. But, if the interest lies more historic humans in what is now Britain. As is so in the manner in which early humans interacted with often the case in anthropology, skeletal remains their environment in Britain, this book becomes a of humans are rare and most of the evidence for veritable mine of information. Human remains may the presence of hominids is of a palaeontological be sparse amongst the plethora of flint artefacts (and (footprints) or artefactual (worked flint) nature. The waste knappings) but, on occasion, there are useful reader is given fair warning of this from the cover remains of animals and plants that were surely which depicts various hand-held flint tools, arrow collected for food or other purposes. The remains heads and cave drawings of woolly rhinoceros and of insects, usually beetles, that were also (fatally) mammoths. interested in those collections provide additional It is evident that, at least until relatively modern information – and relevant pollen data was often to times, Britain was very much on the periphery of hand. Between them, the presence or absence of key human evolution. All the important developments species of animals and plants provides evidence for were taking place further south in Europe, if not the climatic regime experienced by the assembled the Middle East or Africa. Compared with any biota. novel, the story line of this book is slow moving Nobody would pretend that this book is light and repetitive. Britain was never really ‘habitable’ reading; it demands your whole concentration – during one of the glacial periods, but during for you will find it necessary to have remembered many of the interglacials of the last 400,000 details of one encampment’s circumstances to years small groups of hominids set up temporary appreciate the differences experienced by another. occupation in suitable sites. They may only have But if you give the book its due attention you will been summer visitors but they used the same sites be rewarded in spades. It is a worthy addition to the for many years. New Naturalist library and I am very glad to have It is unclear which of these early visitors should a copy. be referred to Homo antecessor, H. heidelbergensis or even H. neanderthalensis but, as no permanent JOHN CROTHERS settlement was established, it may not really matter. Not until our own species, H. sapiens, appeared on 340 15517 - Somerset Arch Vol 161 - 2018.indb 340 20/09/2018 11:51:20 BOOK REVIEWS Living on the edge: archaeological investigations eleventh century and continued until the smaller at Steart Point, Somerset, by Lorrain Higbee and tenements were abandoned in favour of larger farms Lorraine Mepham with other contributors, Wessex at Otterhampton and Steart in the seventeenth Archaeology Occasional Paper, 2017, 102 pp., b/w century. A notable point made by the authors is and colour illustrations, 33 figures, 19 plates, 20 the sequence of reclamation in this second phase tables and bibliography, £7.50, ISBN 978 1 874350 revealed by the allocation of fields among five 89 7. separate parishes. Land west of the drove seems to have been reclaimed first by Stogursey and Investigations by Wessex Archaeology took place Stockland acting together while most of the fields in advance of the construction of a floodplain that lay within the new landscape scheme were mitigation scheme on the Steart peninsula northeast allocated to Otterhampton and Cannington. The of Otterhampton and Combwich. Unlike the end of the peninsula near to Steart Point belonged evaluation work at Longforth Farm near Wellington to the parish of Huntspill on the opposite bank of published recently in their Occasional Series, no the Parrett, probably owing to some movement of spectacular or totally unexpected discoveries were the course of the river. made. This latest volume covers the evidence found The content of the book follows the usual for seasonal or permanent exploitation of a large sequence for archaeological reports familiar to part of the peninsula, although neither Steart village readers of Somerset Archaeology and Natural nor the freshwater marshes on the seaward side of History. Chapter 1 introduces the project and the Stert Drove were included in the scheme. The new related previous investigations and the geology, landscape had to avoid any threat to the existing topography, land-use and historical background. power line from Hinkley Point so all the saltwater Chapter 2 then describes periods of use of the creeks and major ponds lie to the northeast of the marshes from the Iron Age through to Post pylons beyond a new flood barrier. This extends Medieval in relation to each separate area or site, from the river Parrett to Stert Drove and then runs with plans showing individual features. Details of parallel to the drove until it curves eastwards back finds follow in Chapter 3 describing the pottery to the river beyond the new breech in its defences, analysis according to Wessex Archaeology’s own providing protection to Steart village. The part of recording system together with specialist studies of the site closer to higher ground is relatively dry other ceramics, metals and bone. Chapter 4 deals around the pylons but is still capable of storing in similar detail with the environmental evidence excess land water from the streams that continue to which should be particularly interesting to visitors drain areas west of Stert Drove. to the new nature reserve. Chapter 5 concludes The Steart peninsula was not such a remote and with a discussion of the significance of the Steart marginal habitat in antiquity as it appears to be peninsula in space and time and is followed by today. Shipping on the river Parrett combined with two appendices on pottery fabrics and thin-section an extension of the route along the Polden ridge analysis and an extensive bibliography. by way of a natural causeway over the river near At over one hundred pages, the report includes Combwich would have made the peninsula feel enough information to compare the Steart Marshes much more accessible before the turnpike roads with similar saltwater habitats, both around the diverted traffic further inland. The short distance Severn estuary and further afield in Britain and from settlements on higher ground would have northern Europe. In contrast to some of those allowed some direct initial exploitation of the rich marshes, the Steart peninsula lacked a ‘backfen’ resources usually found in coastal wetlands. After of lower lying peat bog inland, because drainage that the first phase of settlement on the marsh began was easy. The illustrations, many in colour, are with seasonal occupation of some sites in the Iron well laid out in relation to the text and the tables Age and more permanent occupation on the raised in chapters 3 and 4 will be a valuable resource for banks alongside tidal creeks during the Roman future scholarship in those fields. The A4 page period until it ended with a marine transgression. and slightly larger print size than that used by A second phase of settlement had begun by the many learned journals is also helpful and the lack 341 15517 - Somerset Arch Vol 161 - 2018.indb 341 20/09/2018 11:51:20 SOMERSET ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 2017 of constraint on the number of pages has enabled the Wallbridge and Welshmill dyehouses in Frome the authors to include more historical background based on dye recipe books discovered in Bath and to give fuller cover to the techniques used post Reference Library and the National Archives is excavation.This volume will be of particular interest very informative. It is illustrated with outstanding to members of SANHS who follow the publications photographs of the recipe books and selvidges. of the Severn Estuary Levels Research Committee There is an excellent chapter on Frome as a cloth and also appeal to anyone who wishes to explore town followed by an account of the dye workshops this remote part of Somerset.

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