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Avebury Resource Assessment Page left blank intentionally A Research Framework for the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site Avebury Resource Assessment compiled and edited by Matt Leivers and Andrew B. Powell A Research Framework for the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site Avebury Resource Assessment compiled and edited by Matt Leivers and Andrew B. Powell with contributions by by Martyn Barber, Mark Bowden, Rosamund J. Cleal, Nikki Cook, Mark Corney, Paul Cripps, Andrew David, Bob Davis, David Dawson, Bruce Eagles, Jane Ellis-Schön, A. P. Fitzpatrick, Abigail George, Frances Healy, Katie Hinds, David Hinton, Ronald Hutton, Mandy Jay, Matt Leivers, Michael Lewis, Rebecca Montague, Janet Montgomery, David Mullin, Joshua Pollard, Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger, Andrew B. Powell, Andrew Reynolds, Clive Ruggles, Julie Scott-Jackson, Sarah Simmonds, Nicola Snashall, Chris J. Stevens, Anne Upson, Bryn Walters and Sarah F. Wyles Illustrations by Rob Goller Wessex Archaeology Monograph 38 2016 Published 2016 by Wessex Archaeology Ltd Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, SP4 6EB www.wessexarch.co.uk Copyright © 2016 Wessex Archaeology Ltd All rights reserved British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978-1-874350-98-9 Designed and typeset by Kenneth Lymer Cover design by Kenneth Lymer Copy-editing by Philippa Bradley Printed by Cambrian Printers Front cover Avebury – the Z stones in the southern Inner Circle (Steve Marshall) Back cover Upper – looking west from the Sanctuary on Overton Hill towards the West Kennet Long Barrow and the southern part of the World Heritage Site (Erica Gittins) Middle – the West Kennet Avenue (Steve Marshall) Bottom – the Valley of Stones in Clatford Bottom (Steve Marshall) Wessex Archaeology Ltd is a company limited by guarantee registered in England, company number 1712772. It is also a Charity registered in England and Wales number 287786, and in Scotland, Scottish Charity number SC042630. Our registered office is at Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6EB. Contents List of Figures . vii Late 20th century and early 21st century . 23 List of Plates . viii Non-fieldwalked surface material . 23 List of Tables . ix Lithic scatters. 24 Acknowledgements . x Environmental archaeology by Chris J. Stevens Foreword . xi and Sarah F. Wyles. 25 Abstract. xii Introduction. 25 Foreign language summaries . xiii Late Glacial to Mesolithic environment . 25 Early Neolithic . 30 Introduction by Matt Leivers, Andrew B. Powell, Middle to Late Neolithic . 31 Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger and Sarah Simmonds. 1 Beaker/Early Bronze Age . 34 Management Plans and Research Frameworks . 1 Middle to Late Bronze Age . 36 Review of the existing Frameworks Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age to by Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger. 3 Late Iron Age . 37 Recent research. 3 Romano-British . 38 The new Research Framework by Sarah Simmonds . 4 Saxon to medieval . 39 Aims and objectives . 6 Scientific dating by Frances Healy . 40 Consultation . 7 Introduction. 40 Geographical scope . 7 Mesolithic . 40 Structure. 8 Neolithic and Bronze Age . 41 Resource Assessment . 8 Overview . 46 Recent Agenda and Research Strategy . 9 The 1st millennium cal BC and later . 57 Research Agenda . 9 Iron Age, Roman and post-Roman. 57 Research Strategy. 9 Early medieval to modern . 57 The new Research Framework’s components . 10 Biomolecular analyses by Mandy Jay and Radiocarbon dates. 10 Janet Montgomery . 58 Lifespan . 10 Research on skeletal remains . 58 Utilising the available skeletal resource. 60 Part 1: Methods of Research Research on materials other than Introduction . 11 skeletal remains. 61 Geophysical survey by Andrew David. 11 Conclusions . 61 Introduction. 11 Museum collections by David Dawson with Background . 11 contributions by Jane Ellis-Schön and Assessment of current geophysical survey Rosamund J. Cleal. 61 coverage. 11 Introduction. 61 Conclusions . 15 Access to collections online . 62 Aerial archaeology by Martyn Barber . 15 Alexander Keiller Museum, Avebury and Introduction. 15 collections held within the World What is aerial archaeology?. 15 Heritage Site by Rosamund J. Cleal . 63 Aerial archaeology and Avebury . 16 Documentary sources by Nikki Cook . 64 Avebury and the National Mapping The documentary resource. 65 Programme . 17 The Wiltshire Historic Environment Record Avebury and lidar. 19 by Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger. 67 Analytical landscape survey and investigation Geographic information systems by Paul Cripps. 68 by Mark Bowden . 20 Background . 68 Introduction. 20 Resources. 70 The products of survey. 21 Recommendations and potential . 71 Previous work . 22 Metal detecting by Katie Hinds and Recent work. 22 Michael Lewis . 72 Surface artefact scatters by Nicola Snashall with Past history/investigation . 72 Rosamund J. Cleal. 22 Interpreting the archaeology of the Avebury Early collectors. 22 landscape by Joshua Pollard. 72 v Part 2: Period-based assessments The 2012 update by Mark Corney. 106 Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Post-Roman and early Anglo-Saxon (AD 410– by Julie Scott-Jackson . 77 c. 800) by Bruce Eagles. 107 Downland areas and the British Lower and Mid–late Saxon and medieval (AD 800–1500) . 110 Middle Palaeolithic archaeological record. 77 The 2001 Assessment by Andrew Reynolds . 110 Environment . 77 Anglo-Saxon and medieval settlement at Resource assessment . 77 Avebury: an assessment. 110 Late Glacial and Early Post-Glacial The Avebury area. 115 by Abigail George . 79 Conclusion. 116 Overview . 79 The 2012 update by David Hinton . 117 The Late Glacial and Early Post-Glacial in Post-medieval (AD 1500–1950) the wider area . 80 by Joshua Pollard. 119 Neolithic and Bronze Age by Rosamund J. Cleal Introduction. 119 and Joshua Pollard, with Nicola Snashall and Sources . 120 Rebecca Montague, and a contribution on Settlement . 121 archaeoastronomy by Clive Ruggles . 81 Agriculture and industry. 123 Introduction. 81 Communications . 124 Settlement and landscape. 81 Religion, ceremony and recreation . 124 Things . 84 Material culture . 125 Lifeways. 84 The archaeology of archaeology . 126 Monumentality 1. Earlier Neolithic . 85 Built heritage by Bob Davis, Anne Upson and Monumentality 2. Late Neolithic and Rosamund J. Cleal. 127 Early Bronze Age . 87 Study of the built heritage resources Archaeoastronomical interests in Avebury and to date. 127 its landscape by Clive Ruggles. 98 The designated resource. 127 Middle and Late Bronze Age by David Mullin. 98 Character of the built heritage . 128 Iron Age by A. P. Fitzpatrick . 101 Period summaries. 133 Settlements . 101 Modern Avebury by Ronald Hutton . 136 Field systems . 103 Single finds . 103 Appendix 1: Documentary sources . 143 Activity at earlier monuments. 103 Romano-British. 104 Bibliography . 151 The 2001 Assessment by Mark Corney and Bryn Walters . 104 Index . 174 vi List of Figures Figure 1 The WHS boundaries Figure 12 Neolithic and Early Bronze Age: places Figure 2 The Avebury WHS: places mentioned mentioned in the text in the text Figure 13 Middle and Late Bronze Age: places Figure 3 The Stonehenge WHS: places mentioned in the text mentioned in the text Figure 14 Iron Age: places mentioned in the text Figure 4 Part of the area mapped from aerial Figure 15 The Iron Age settlement OD X/XI at photographs in 1999, with some Overton Down (Fowler 2000b) updates from subsequent Figure 16 Romano-British: places mentioned in reconnaissance photography and lidar. the text The base map is derived from the Figure 17 Plan of the Silbury Hill Romano-British Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 mapping settlement (© Historic England and (© Historic England and © 2016 © 2016 Getmapping PLC/Bluesky NextPerspectives). This plan is International Ltd.). This plan is reproduced from Leary et al. 2013 reproduced from Leary et al. 2013 Figure 5 Places mentioned in the text Figure 18.
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