Download or read book Cliffs End Farm Isle of Thanet Kent written by Jacqueline I. McKinley and published by Wessex Archaeology. This book was released on 2015-02-05 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excavations at Cliffs End Farm, Thanet, Kent, undertaken in 2004/5 uncovered a dense area of archaeological remains including Bronze Age barrows and enclosures, and a large prehistoric mortuary feature, as well as a small early 6th to late 7th century Anglo-Saxon inhumation cemetery. An extraordinary series of human and animal remains were recovered from the Late Bronze Age–Middle Iron Age mortuary feature, revealing a wealth of evidence for mortuary rites including exposure, excarnation and curation. The site seems to have been largely abandoned in the later Iron Age and very little Romano-British activity was identified. In the early 6th century a small inhumation cemetery was established. Very little human bone survived within the 21 graves, where the burial environment differed from that within the prehistoric mortuary feature, but grave goods indicate ‘females’ and ‘males’ were buried here. Richly furnished graves included that of a ‘female’ buried with a necklace, a pair of brooches and a purse, as well as a ‘male’ with a shield covering his face, a knife and spearhead. In the Middle Saxon period lines of pits, possibly delineating boundaries, were dug, some of which contained large deposits of marine shells. English Heritage funded an extensive programme of radiocarbon and isotope analyses, which have produced some surprising results that shed new light on long distance contacts, mobility and mortuary rites during later prehistory. This volume presents the results of the investigations together with the scientific analyses, human bone, artefact and environmental reports.

Download or read book Bronze Age Connections written by Peter Clark and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2009-09-03 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New and exciting discoveries on either side of the English Channel in recent years have begun to show that people living in the coastal zones of Belgium, southern Britain, northern France and the Netherlands shared a common material culture during the Bronze Age, between three and four thousand years ago. They used similar styles of pottery and metalwork, lived in the same kind of houses and buried their dead in the same kind of tombs, often quite different to those used by their neighbours further inland. The sea did not appear to be a barrier to these people but rather a highway, connecting communities in a unique cultural identity; the 'People of La Manche'. Symbolic of these maritime Bronze Age Connections is the iconic Dover Bronze Age boat, one of Europe's greatest prehistoric discoveries and testament to the skill and technical sophistication of our Bronze Age ancestors. This monograph presents papers from a conference held in Dover in 2006 organised by the Dover Bronze Age Boat Trust, which brought together scholars from many different countries to explore and celebrate these ancient seaborne contacts. Twelve wide-ranging chapters explore themes of travel, exchange, production, magic and ritual that throw new light on our understanding of the seafaring peoples of the second millennium BC.

Download or read book Continental Connections written by Hugo Anderson-Whymark and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2015-02-26 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The prehistories of Britain and Ireland are inescapably entwined with continental European narratives. The central aim here is to explore Ôcross-channelÕ relationships throughout later prehistory, investigating the archaeological links (material, social, cultural) between the areas we now call Britain and Ireland, and continental Europe, from the Mesolithic through to the end of the Iron Age. Since the separation from the European mainland of Ireland (c. 16,000 BC) and Britain (c. 6000 BC), their island nature has been seen as central to many aspects of life within them, helping to define their senses of identity, and forming a crucial part of their neighbourly relationship with continental Europe and with each other. However, it is important to remember that the surrounding seaways have often served to connect as well as to separate these islands from the continent. In approaching the subject of Ôcontinental connectionsÕ in the long-term, and by bringing a variety of different archaeological perspectives (associated with different periods) to bear on it, this volume provides a new a new synthesis of the ebbs and flows of the cross-channel relationship over the course of 15,000 years of later prehistory, enabling fresh understandings and new insights to emerge about the intimately linked trajectories of change in both regions.

Download or read book Lives in Land Mucking excavations written by Christopher Evans and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2015-12-31 with total page 788 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The excavations led by Margaret and Tom Jones on the Thames gravel terraces at Mucking, Essex, undertaken between 1965 and 1978 are legendary. The largest area excavation ever undertaken in the British Isles, involving around 5000 participants, recorded around 44,000 archaeological features dating from the Beaker to Anglo-Saxon periods and recovered something in the region of 1.7 million finds of Mesolithic to post-medieval date. While various publications have emerged over the intervening years, the death of both directors, insufficient funding, many organizational complications and the sheer volume of material evidence have severely delayed full publication of this extraordinary palimpsest landscape. Lives in Land is the first of two major volumes which bring together all the evidence from Mucking, presenting both the detail of many important structures and assemblages and a comprehensive synthesis of landscape development through the ages: settlement histories, changing land-use, death and burial, industry and craft activities. The long time-gap since completion of the excavations has allowed the authors the unprecedented opportunity to stand back from the density of site data and place the vast sum of Mucking evidence in the wider context of the archaeology of southern England throughout the major periods of occupation and activity. Lives in Land begins with a thorough evaluation of the methods, philosophy and archival status of the Mucking project against the organizational and funding background of its time, and discusses its fascinating and complex history through a period of fundamental change in archaeological practice, legislation, finance, research priorities and theoretical paradigms in British Archaeology. Subsequent chapters deal with the prehistoric landscape, each focusing on the major themes that emerge by major period from analysis and synthesis of the data. The authors draw on archival material including site notebooks and personal accounts from key participants to provide a detailed but lively account of this iconic landscape investigation.

Download or read book The Roman Watermills and Settlement at Ickham Kent written by Paul Bennett and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the account of 'rescue' excavations undertaken during gravel quarrying between 1972 and 1974 at Ickham on the Little Stour river in Kent. Initially excavated by a local amateur group led by the late Jim Bradshaw, who had discovered the site, the final season was funded by the then Department of the Environment and directed by Christopher Young. Four watermills were identified, flanking a road, possibly the main route from Richborough to Canterbury. The earliest mill was in use in the early third century AD, the others during the fourth and early fifth century. The timber mill buildings and channels were associated with fourth-century pottery, coins, a wooden votive figurine and many other finds. Metalworking waste, furnace debris and tools suggest the mills formed part of an industrial settlement. Other metal objects include parts of pewter dishes, fragments of a lead tank and unusual lead alloy pendants which may have been made on site in the late fourth or fifth century. With twenty-three specialist contributors, extensive reports on these and many other small finds, the millstones and the important assemblages of late Roman pottery, constitute a large part of this long-awaited monograph.

Download or read book The Social Context of Technology written by Leo Webley and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2020-06-30 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Social Context of Technology explores non-ferrous metalworking in Britain and Ireland during the Bronze and Iron Ages (c. 2500 BC to 1st century AD). Bronze-working dominates the evidence, though the crafting of other non-ferrous metals – including gold, silver, tin and lead – is also considered. Metalwork has long played a central role in accounts of European later prehistory. Metals were important for making functional tools, and elaborate decorated objects that were symbols of prestige. Metalwork could be treated in special or ritualised ways, by being accumulated in large hoards or placed in rivers or bogs. But who made these objects? Prehistoric smiths have been portrayed by some as prosaic technicians, and by others as mystical figures akin to magicians. They have been seen both as independent, travelling ‘entrepreneurs’, and as the dependents of elite patrons. Hitherto, these competing models have not been tested through a comprehensive assessment of the archaeological evidence for metalworking. This volume fills that gap, with analysis focused on metalworking tools and waste, such as crucibles, moulds, casting debris and smithing implements. The find contexts of these objects are examined, both to identify places where metalworking occurred, and to investigate the cultural practices behind the deposition of metalworking debris. The key questions are: what was the social context of this craft, and what was its ideological significance? How did this vary regionally and change over time? As well as elucidating a key aspect of later prehistoric life in Britain and Ireland, this important examination by leading scholars contributes to broader debates on material culture and the social role of craft.

Download or read book Archaeologia Cantiana written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Chadwell St Mary Ringwork written by Andrew A. S. Newton and published by British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Limited. This book was released on 2020 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a detailed description of the archaeological excavation of late Bronze Age and Anglo-Saxon site in southern Essex. The presence of circular enclosure, or ring-work, marks this site as similar to other well-known late Bronze Age sites in the area.

Download or read book Excavations at Downlands Walmer Kent written by Crispin Jarman and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evidence for prehistoric and Romano-British settlement was recently discovered on the southern outskirts of Walmer in Kent. The prehistoric occupation commenced in the late Bronze Age and continued into the early part of the middle Iron Age, the main phase of occupation being from c 600-350 BC. Roman activity began very soon after the conquest and continued until at least the third century when a large aisled building, possibly a barn associated with a villa, was built on part of the site. This publication gives an account of the archaeology with full reports on both the prehistoric and Roman pottery, the small finds and palaeoenvironmental evidence. The concluding chapter brings together discoveries and recent research elsewhere in Kent, in order to set this site at Downlands, in the far south-east corner of England, in its wider context.

Download or read book The Archaeology of Kent to AD 800 written by John H. Williams and published by Boydell Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent archaeological investigations have shed much new light on Kent's early history, as the contributions in this new survey of the period show.

Download or read book Highstead Near Chislet Kent written by Paul Bennett and published by Canterbury Archaeological Trust. This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Foreword, Barry Cunliffe writes: "The publication of the excavation of the multi-period settlement site at Highstead near Chislet is a matter for celebration. Highstead, with its long sequence of occupation spanning the first millennium B.C. and early first millennium A.D., was excavated under difficult conditions between 1975 and 1977 in those pioneering days when rescue archaeology was in its infancy. It is a story well told by Paul Bennett in his preface and is a stark reminder of how hand-to-mouth archaeology was in the era before developer-funding. What the small dedicated team managed to recover during the course of those three punishing years was little short of remarkable. More remarkable still has been the dogged determination of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust to see the project through to the completion of full academic publication." The value of Highstead is two-fold. It is a type-site for Late Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement in eastern Britain and it provides a pottery sequence without parallel in the region which demonstrates not only the longue durée development of ceramic technology throughout the first millennium but also the mobility of ideas and of course people between the Continent and Britain. It is no exaggeration to say that Highstead calls for a complete reassessment of connectivity in the ChannelNorth Sea zone. Paul Bennett, in his preface, says that this report is unashamedly old fashioned. If by this he means it is designed to be used rather than to impress, he is right. There is an unfortunate tendency these days to produce either superficial, colourful accounts bereft of necessary detail or tortured constructions muddling interpretation with observation. The Highstead report is crisp, well structured and a delight to use. The facts are logically presented and easy of access, and there follows a splendid interpretative essay succinctly placing the site in its national and international context. What more could one want?

Download or read book Wainscott Northern By pass written by Peter Clark and published by Canterbury Archaeological Trust. This book was released on 2009 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between January 1992 and October 1997 watching briefs, evaluations and an excavation were conducted on the route of the Wainscott Northern Link or by-pass. This relief road was constructed over a distance of 5km from the junction of the A2 and M2, west of the original Medway crossing at Rochester north-east to the Four Elms roundabout on the A228 north of Wainscott. Other than scatters of loose finds, little archaeological material was discovered over most of the route, but west of the Four Elms roundabout a multi-period settlement site was excavated. About 350 separate features and deposit sequences were examined, which may be divided into four periods: Prehistoric; Roman; Anglo-Saxon; Medieval and Post-medieval. The site, excavation and finds are all presented and assessed here and each period discussed.

Download or read book The British National Bibliography written by Arthur James Wells and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 2744 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Neolithic and Bronze Age Enclosures at Springfield Lyons Essex written by Nigel Brown and published by East Anglian Archaeology. This book was released on 2013 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excavation of the enclosure at Springfield Lyons quickly established its Late Bronze Age date, and the site now lends its name to a settlement type characteristic, particularly in eastern England, of the Late Bronze Age and earliest Iron Age. Excavation revealed a substantial enclosure ditch divided by causeways of undisturbed natural gravel, and with entrances facing east and west. Postholes inside the ditch was interpreted as support for a box rampart. The enclosure contained a number of roundhouses, including one with a large porch aligned on the east entrance. The finds assemblage was largely typical of the material associated with such Late Bronze Age circular enclosures, but remarkable amongst the finds were two large deposits of clay refractory material, recovered from the ditch by both the east and west entrances. Apart from some crucible fragments, the mould material was almost without exception derived from moulds for casting Ewart Park type swords. Examination of an area outside the east entrance of the Late Bronze Age enclosure revealed part of a Neolithic causewayed enclosure. It is suggested that the unusual causewayed form of the Late Bronze Age enclosure ditch was a conscious emulation of the nearby causewayed enclosure; and that the presence of that ancient site influenced the location of the Late Bronze Age enclosure.

Download or read book Grog tempered Belgic Pottery of South eastern England written by Isobel Thompson and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Surrey Archaeological Collections written by Surrey Archaeological Society and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: List of members.

Download or read book Townwall Street Dover written by Keith Parfitt and published by Canterbury Archaeological Trust. This book was released on 2006-12 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: n 1996 Canterbury Archaeological Trust conducted major excavations on the north-western side of Townwall Street, at Dover, ahead of the reconstruction of a petrol station. The site lies beyond the centre of the historic town, below Dover Castle, about 150 metres inland from the present seashore. It stands upon a ridge of sandy shingle, probably an earlier beach ridge. Contrary to local tradition, there was no evidence that the medieval town wall had ever crossed the site. Part of the area lay over East Brook Water, a large tidal lagoon formed during the sixteenth century. The earliest activity on the site occurred during the mid to late twelfth century. In the later twelfth century (Period 1 c.1175-1300), more intensive occupation began. A small series of building plots was established. Most of the Period 1 buildings were dwellings. They were associated with large quantities of domestic rubbish including broken pottery, small finds, animal bones and fish bones. The medieval pottery recovered represents a large and important assemblage, which has been analysed in some detail. The significant amount of fish bone found, together with many fish-hooks and other fishing equipment underlines the importance of fishing to the people who lived in this area. Following the densely packed timber buildings of Period 1, there was a marked decline in activity from the end of the thirteenth century. More intensive occupation resumed in the post-medieval period (Period 3, c.1550-1780). A series of buildings was constructed along Clarence Street, although the entire area on the southern side of the street was eventually cleared to make way for Clarence House and later, the Burlington Hotel. Extensive War damage led to large-scale demolition and limited re-development of the district during the 1950s and 60s.