newsletterKENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Issue Number 85 Summer 2010 INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2-3 Neanderthal Occupation NEANDERTHAL 4-7 What’s On Kent Mills Society 8-9 You & Your Society: OCCUPATION Membership Matters Committee Round Up Notes from the Archives Earliest Evidence 10-11 Abbey of Cluny Anniversary 12-13 South East Archaeology Woodland Forum New Books Letters 14-15 Letters Roman Canterbury 16 KAS Awarded www.kentarchaeology.org.uk Neanderthal Occupation Fig. 2. A2/M25 roadworks reveal Neanderthal Occupation As most KAS members have no evaluation and mitigating work was present. Rather, when seen as part of doubt been aware, major carried out all around the junction, a wider whole, deposits that in improvements have been recently a full report on which has been isolation appeared to be fluvially lain made to the junction of the M25 prepared and will be available and well-bedded were revealed as with the A2, south of the Dartford through the Archaeology Data part of a chaotic jumbled mass that crossing. The roadworks, funded by Service. The work described here dipped and thickened downslope, the Highways Agency with the main took place in the northeast quadrant, representing a massive build-up of contractors being Jacobs Babtie and where a direct link was constructed slopewash sediments, probably Costain, were accompanied by between the southbound carriageway formed under cold climatic archaeological investigations, carried of the M25 and the eastbound conditions. These deposits produced out by Oxford Archaeology between carriageway of the A2 (Fig 1). a huge pointed handaxe (Front 2003 and 2006. What is probably A few test pits dug for preliminary Cover - Insert), obviously derived less well known, is that the geo-archaeological evaluation had out of its original context and so of archaeological programme had a established that deep Pleistocene uncertain age. major Palaeolithic/Pleistocene sequences were present in this area, element, carried out under the including gravel bodies thought to be At the southern end of the trench a direction of Francis Wenban-Smith of fluvial origin. Since one of the thick silt/sand body extended (School of Humanities, University of primary project aims was to develop broadly horizontally for more than Southampton), which has produced understanding of the history of 50m, overlying an undulating gravel important evidence of Neanderthal Pleistocene landscape development, sheet, which in turn stratigraphically occupation early in the last and this part of the site was to overlay the mass of slopewash glaciation, at a period when Britain undergo substantial impact, it was sediments. Two flint flakes were has until now been thought to be agreed to excavate a continuous found in situ in the trench section, at entirely deserted. stepped trench through these the interface where the base of the deposits. This trench (TP 8800) may silt/sand body overlay the gravel More than 75 separate trenches were be Britain’s largest ever archaeological sheet (Fig 2). These were absolutely dug, mostly small (but very deep!) test pit, reaching 160m long and 4m unstained and unpatinated, and in test pits, but also several much larger deep (Front Cover). such mint condition, that they did stepped trenches allowing direct not appear to have been subject to access to deeper-lying deposits of The resulting section revealed that in any depositional disturbance. It was potential interest. A range of fact few fluvial sediments were inferred that the surface of the gravel 2 Summer 2010 - KAS Newsletter Neanderthal Occupation sheet must at one time have been at sites such as Lynford (Norfolk) may be that we have devoted exposed as a palaeo-landsurface, and and Coygan Cave (Carmarthenshire, insufficient attention to the cold- that the lithic artefacts represent Wales) where bout coupé handaxes climate slopewash deposits that we undisturbed remains of early have been found in deposits of this do have, under the misapprehension hominin activity on that surface. age. There would have been no that they do not contain evidence of reason why Neanderthals could not sufficient integrity to have any At this point we had no idea of the have survived in Britain during the interpretive potential — perhaps we age of this occupation. No biological last interglacial — there is abundant need to start looking harder, and in remains were apparent (confirmed by evidence from the continent and different places. environmental sampling), so the only from earlier periods of them feasible dating technique was surviving under analogous conditions Francis Wenban-Smith optically stimulated luminescence — so the presumption is that they (OSL), carried out by Jean-Luc couldn’t get here because of the Department of Archaeology, Schwenninger of the Research Channel. This new evidence suggests University of Southampton. Laboratory for Archaeology and that, rather than waiting around for History of Art, University of Oxford. some reason, Neanderthals entered Samples were taken: (a) from a sand Britain almost as soon as the bed within the underlying gravel Channel sea-level dropped at the sheet; and (b) from a sandy part of start of the last glaciation. In fact the silt/sand body overlying the Kent is probably the first place they occupation horizon. The results reached, having crossed on what suggested that the occupation would have become the exposed HAVE YOU JUST horizon dated to between c. 115,000 plain (‘Boulognia?’) between, and to JOINED THE SOCIETY? and 90,000 BP (years Before the west of, the Dover strait, perhaps Present), corresponding with marine enticed by the visible flint-rich chalk Do you wish you could isotope stage (MIS) 5d-5c, early in downs of east Kent, which also the last (Devensian) glaciation, and a probably supported huge herds of collect all the back issues period when Neanderthals are the desirable large herbivores such as of Archaeologia Cantiana? only hominin species present in mammoth, rhino, horse and deer. Europe, with abundant evidence of their presence known from It is uncertain why it has taken so northern France. long for evidence of this phase of occupation to be discovered, and Britain, in contrast, is currently why it seems so rare. It may be that thought to have been unoccupied we lack, in the UK, deposits of this throughout the last (Ipswichian) period that preserve hominin interglacial, corresponding with MIS evidence such as the last glacial loess 5e, and to have only been reoccupied beds of northern France or the caves in MIS 3, c. 60,000 BP, represented and rockshelters of Belgium. Or it Now you can have 125 volumes of Archaeologia Cantiana at the amazingly low cost of £31 for individual members and £76 for institutional members on the KAS Sesquicentennial DVD. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– To order your copy, send a cheque payable to Kent Archaeological Society to Peter Tann, Town Place, Belmont, Nr Faversham ME13 0HE. Fig. 1. Summer 2010 - KAS Newsletter 3 WHAT’S ON KAS EVENTS nearby) through the ages. Topics covered will » KAS CHURCHES The place-names of Anglo-Saxon include coastal evolution, vegetation governance, Dr John Baker COMMITTEE VISIT history, recent archaeological work and » Kentish surnames in the Middle Ages, Dr agricultural change from the late Saturday 25 September Paul Cullen A visit is arranged to St Mary’s Church, medieval period onwards. Tickets £7.50 each. Cheques in advance Brabourne and to St Martin’s Church, please, payable to KAS. A booking form Aldington. We meet at St Mary’s at 1.45 Provisional speakers include: is included in this Newsletter, to be for 2pm and go to St Martin’s at returned by 25 October to Anita » The coastal deposits of Sussex/Kent, approximately 3pm. Thompson (KAS), Brattle Farm, Five Oak Martyn Waller (Kingston University) and Antony Long (Durham University) Lane, Staplehurst. Kent. TN12 0HE. Phone Tour £2. Tea and biscuits £1 extra. A » Holocene fire histories from the edge of booking form for the visit is included in 01580 891222. Email anita@ Romney, Marsh Michael Grant (Wessex this Newsletter (to be returned by 20th anitathompson9.wanadoo.co.uk. Archaeology) September please). Further details from » The evolution of southern Walland Marsh, KAS LECTURES IN THE LIBRARY Mary Berg (KAS), 5 Orchard St, Jason Kirby (Liverpool John Moores) Victorian England with Canterbury CT2 8AP. Phone: 01227 » Developer-funded archaeological work on Dr Jacqueline Bower 450426. Email: [email protected] the Romney Marshes, Casper Johnson 20 meetings on Mondays (East Sussex County Archaeologist) » KAS HISTORIC BUILDINGS from 20 September The Godfrey family of Lydd, Kent, Gillian Draper and Teresa Bellinger (University of COMMITTEE CONFERENCE 10.15am - 12.15.pm in the KAS Library, Maidstone Museum: Kent) Saturday 9 October » Cost £80.00 Farming practices on Christ Church Harrietsham Community Centre Priory’s marshland manors in the early 9.30am for 10 am, until 4 pm This class will study developments in the 14th century, Sheila Sweetinburgh This year’s conference will include talks social and economic history of England (University of Kent) by David Martin (Weald & Downland from 1837 to 1914. Topics will include » Changing agricultural landscapes on Open Air Museum): ‘Historic Buildings - electoral reform, the poor law, public Romney Marsh 1790 to1990, Hadrian Linking Documentary and Physical health and housing, the impact of Cook (Kingston University) Evidence’; and David Carder: ‘Kent’s railways and education. Agricultural Heritage in Buildings’. There The conference will finish with a A booking form for this course is included will also be reports on some of the parish discussion of future research on in the Newsletter. studies being carried out as part of the Romney Marsh. Peopling Past Landscapes Project. After EVENTS AROUND KENT the Conference, participants are invited to Tickets available from Hon Sec RMRT, 41 visit St. Margaret’s Church at Wychling Festival of Archaeology Mermaid Street, Rye, TN31 7EU. Please for a guided tour.