An Investigation Into Prior Activity at Neolithic Monuments in Britain
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Durham E-Theses Windows into the past: an investigation into prior activity at Neolithic monuments in Britain GRAF, JANICE,CAROL How to cite: GRAF, JANICE,CAROL (2012) Windows into the past: an investigation into prior activity at Neolithic monuments in Britain, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3510/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Windows into the past: an investigation into prior activity at Neolithic monuments in Britain Janice Carol Graf Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD Department of Archaeology University of Durham 2011 i Abstract Windows into the past: an investigation into prior activity at Neolithic monuments in Britain Janice Graf This thesis investigates the nature of the buried ground surfaces beneath Neolithic long barrows and chambered tombs in Britain. Excavations at sites across the country have revealed the presence of pre-mound pits, postholes and artefact scatters on the preserved ground surfaces below the monuments, suggesting episodes of earlier human activity. These features offer tantalizing glimpses into Neolithic land-use, settlement, and burial practices, but until now, no systematic examination of this evidence has been undertaken. This study fills that gap by bringing together all of the available information on pre-monument Neolithic land surfaces for the first time, enabling a better understanding of the nature of the features, the frequency with which they occur, and their potential significance in terms of the importance of place and the persistence of significant landscapes in Neolithic Britain. Situated within the broader themes of landscape, memory and the significance of place, this thesis draws upon an extensive body of excavation reports and related literature to identify and record the extent and nature of the pre-monument evidence across the country. Two case studies place the evidence in a regional framework and ground it within the local Neolithic context. The analysis demonstrated that features or deposits on the buried ground surfaces are relatively common – more than half of the sites in this study reported at least one feature. Patterns of variation were identified in the use of pits and other features, suggesting regional preferences and acts of individual agency. Although many of the pre-mound features are likely the work of the builders and users of the monuments, some can certainly be attributed to earlier occupants, suggesting that significant places in the landscape may have been remembered, re-visited and re-worked over decades and centuries. i Windows into the past: an investigation into prior activity at Neolithic monuments in Britain Janice Carol Graf Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD Department of Archaeology University of Durham 2011 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it, or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author, and any information derived from it should be acknowledged. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract i List of Figures vii List of Tables ix Acknowledgements x Preface xi 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Buried Neolithic Land Surfaces 2 1.2 Chronology and Terminology 3 1.3 The Format of the Thesis 3 2. METHODOLOGY 5 2.1 Introduction 5 2.2 Research Aims 5 2.3 Research Design 7 2.4 Data Sources 7 2.4.1 Archaeological Site Records 8 2.4.2 Published Excavation Reports and Related Literature 11 2.5 Data Quality 16 2.5.1 The Fallibility (and Inherent Value) of Archaeological Literature 16 2.5.2 Pre-Excavation Disturbance and Damage 17 2.6 Data Collection 18 2.7 Project Database 19 2.7.1 Summary of Database Fields 19 2.8 Data Analysis 23 2.8.1 National Analysis 23 2.8.2 Regional Case Studies 23 2.9 Radiocarbon Dates 25 3. LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY: A REVIEW 26 3.1 Introduction 26 3.2 Defining Landscape 27 3.3 Approaches to Landscape 29 iii 3.3.1 Natural and Cultural Landscapes 29 3.3.2 Ethnography and Landscape 30 3.3.3 Phenomenological Approach 32 3.4 The Notion of ‘Place’ 36 3.5 Space and Time: Monuments and Memory in the Landscape 37 3.6 Micro-Landscapes: Buried Land Surfaces Beneath Neolithic Mounds 38 3.7 Neolithic Landscapes in the Present 41 3.8 Conclusion 44 4. REGIONAL CASE STUDY 1: ENGLAND’S WEST COUNTRY 46 4.1 Introduction 46 4.2 History of Archaeological Research in England’s West Country 47 4.3 The West Country Neolithic 51 4.3.1 The Physical Landscape 51 4.3.2 Neolithic Landscapes in a Changing World 52 4.3.3 Dwelling in the Neolithic 55 4.3.4 Building Monuments, Building Memories 56 4.4 The Buried Neolithic Land Surfaces of England’s West Country 58 4.4.1 Mesolithic Links? 63 4.4.2 Traces of Cultivation 66 4.4.3 Settlement Beneath The Monuments? 68 4.4.4 Cleansing the Ground – Making Way for Monuments 71 4.4.5 Pit Digging and Deposition at Long Barrow Sites 72 4.5 Discussion 91 5. REGIONAL CASE STUDY 2: SOUTHWEST SCOTLAND 95 5.1 Introduction 95 5.2 Archaeological Research in Southwest Scotland 96 5.3 The Neolithic in Southwest Scotland 101 5.3.1 The Physical Landscape 101 5.3.2 Looking Back: The Mesolithic in Southwest Scotland 102 5.3.3 Settlement in the Southwest Scotland Neolithic 107 5.3.4 Monumental Landscapes 112 5.4 The Buried Neolithic Land Surfaces of Southwest Scotland 118 5.4.1 Dark Soil Deposits 121 5.4.2 Burning the Ground 127 5.4.3 Pit Digging and Deposition 134 5.4.4 Structural Features and Artefact Scatters 140 5.5 Monumental Chronologies: Contextualizing the Buried Land Surfaces of Southwest Scotland 149 5.5.1 A Mesolithic Past? 150 5.5.2 Earlier Neolithic Beginnings 151 iv 5.6 Discussion 152 6. BURIED NEOLITHIC LANDSCAPES IN BRITAIN 155 6.1 Introduction 155 6.2 The Features and Deposits Beneath the Mounds 158 6.2.1 Pits 158 6.2.2 Structural Features 171 6.2.3 Artefact Scatters and Occupation Debris 180 6.2.4 Cultivating the Land 184 6.2.5 Sacred Groves and Tree-throw Pits: Natural Places Beneath the Mounds 186 6.2.6 The Deep Past – Indications of Mesolithic Activity at Neolithic Monuments 188 6.2.7 An Absence of Evidence 193 6.3 Making Meaning – Decoding the Pre-Monument Features and Deposits 195 6.3.1 Pre-Monument Occupants and Barrow Builders 196 6.3.2 Long-Term Dwelling, Short-Term Camping or Just Passing Through? 199 6.3.3 Inferring Intentionality – Were the Landscapes Deliberately Chosen for Re-use? 200 6.3.4 Erasing the Past? 204 7. CONCLUSION 207 7.1 Monuments in Place 207 7.2 Pit Practices 208 7.3 Regional Patterns 209 7.4 Pre-Monument Site Use 210 7.5 Re-using Places 212 7.6 Concluding Remarks 213 APPENDIX A SITE DATABASE 214 A-1 Site Database on CD 214 A-2 Description of Site Database Fields 216 APPENDIX B SITE INVENTORY 227 B-1. Northern Scotland 229 B-2. Southeast Scotland 235 B-3. Southwest Scotland 237 B-4. Northern England and the Isle Of Man 241 B-5. Central England 246 B-6. Southeast England 249 v B-7. Southwest England 252 B-8. Wales 261 APPENDIX C SITES WITH POSSIBLE OR PROBABLE EVIDENCE FOR PRE- MONUMENT ACTIVITY 264 APPENDIX D PIT CHRONOLOGY DATA (CHAPTER 6) 269 REFERENCES 279 vi List of Figures Fig. 2.1 Research questions ........................................................................................................ 6 Fig. 2.2 Excavations by time period of Neolithic chambered cairns and barrows in Britain ..... 12 Fig. 2.3 Plan and section of Helperthorpe (top) and plan of Aldro 175 (bottom) ..................... 14 Fig. 2.4 Sample data entry form ............................................................................................... 22 Fig. 2.5 Map of case study regions ........................................................................................... 24 Fig. 3.1 The Gwernvale long barrow in Powys, Wales .............................................................. 43 Fig. 4.1 Location of the West Country study area..................................................................... 46 Fig. 4.2 Excavations of Neolithic barrows in the West Country region by time period ............. 47 Fig. 4.3 Lugbury, Wiltshire, 1821 .............................................................................................. 49 Fig. 4.4 Avebury, Wiltshire ....................................................................................................... 57 Fig. 4.5 Proportion of West Country long barrows reporting buried features or deposits ....... 59 Fig. 4.6 Plan of Thickthorn Down .............................................................................................. 65 Fig. 4.7 The ground surface beneath the South Street long barrow ......................................... 67 Fig. 4.8 Plan of pre-barrow features at west end of Beckhampton long barrow ...................... 69 Fig. 4.9 Number of pits-per-site below long barrows in the West Country .............................. 74 Fig. 4.10 Comparison of pit contents between long barrows and non-monument sites ........... 77 Fig. 4.11 Comparison of pit sizes at long barrow and non-monuments in the West Country ... 88 Fig. 4.12 Box and whisker plot demonstrating greater variation in pit sizes at long barrows ... 89 Fig. 5.1 Location of southwest Scotland study area ................................................................