An Early Bronze Age Cremation Cemetery at Beggarwood Lane, Basingstoke, Hampshire

An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in February 2016, on land at Beggarwood Lane, Basingstoke, Hampshire. The excavation area was targeted on archaeological features identified by evaluation.<br/> Excavation identified a small Early Bronze Age cremation cemetery, comprising twenty-three pits containing deposits of cremated bone or pyre debris, seven of which were associated with urns. The identified vessels included both collared urn and 'food vessel' types, which are well-represented in cremation cemeteries of this date elsewhere in Hampshire. Cremated human bone was recovered from only nine features, of which three were associated with urns and six were unurned.<br/> Two pits contained possible evidence of post settings, and a small number of undated features had no association with cremation-related material, and were of unknown function.<br/> A single feature, of Roman date, contained a deposit of iron nails which, together with charred plant remains, suggested settlement or agricultural activity in proximity to the site. A number of ditched field boundaries of post-medieval date were identified during the evaluation.<br/> The Early Bronze Age cremation cemetery represents a rare example of its type in southern England, and one of at least regional importance.

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An Early Neolithic Grave and Occupation, and an Early Bronze Age Hearth on the Thames Foreshore at Yabsley Street, Blackwall, London

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society ◽

10.1017/s0079497x00000190 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 74 ◽

pp. 215-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sarah Coles ◽

Steve Ford ◽

Andy Taylor ◽

Sian Anthony ◽

Rowena Gale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Wild Plant ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Natural Sand ◽

Peat Deposits ◽

Plant Remains ◽

Middle Bronze Age ◽

Marked Decline ◽

Sand And Gravel

Excavation on the Thames floodplain in London revealed traces of Early Neolithic occupation and burial on a sand and gravel bar beneath alluvium. A large expanse of peat also buried by alluvium was recorded between these finds and the modern river Thames suggesting that the occupation was situated on or close to the foreshore. A single grave cut into the natural sand contained a poorly preserved crouched inhumation, possibly of a woman. The burial was accompanied by a fragment of carinated bowl, a flint knife, and other struck flints. A radiocarbon date from an oak retaining plank within the grave of 5252±28 BP (4220–3970 cal BC: KIA20157) makes this burial one of the earliest from the British Isles and the earliest known for London. A scatter of struck flint and pottery predominantly of Early Neolithic date was recovered from adjacent areas of the sand. A nearby hearth contained fragments of Early Bronze Age pottery pointing to later prehistoric activity nearby. Charred plant remains indicate both the collection of wild plant foods and cultivated cereals in the Early Neolithic. Radiocarbon dating of the adjacent peat deposits indicated their rapid growth within the Middle Bronze Age with a marked decline in woodland cover at the start of the sequence and a rise in grassland and herb species. Cereal pollen then briefly became a significant component of the sequence before declining to more modest levels.

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Early Bronze Age Strata at Tell Ghanem Al-Ali Along the Middle Euphrates in Syria: A Preliminary Report of 14C Dating Results

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200045434 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 383-392

Author(s):

Toshio Nakamura ◽

Mitsuo Hoshino ◽

Tsuyoshi Tanaka ◽

Hidekazu Yoshida ◽

Takeshi Saito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Preliminary Report ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Archaeological Excavation ◽

14C Dating ◽

Euphrates River ◽

Age Limit ◽

Sediment Layers ◽

Building Level

We collected charcoal fragments during an archaeological excavation at the Tell Ghanem al-Ali site, located on the lowest terrace of the middle Euphrates River, and measured their radiocarbon ages with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Two trenches, Square-1 and Square-2, were dug on the slope of the tell; 8 building levels were detected in the Square-2 trench. In total, 31 charcoal samples were collected from the 2 trenches, and their calibrated ages ranged from 3100–2900 cal BC at the lowest building level to 2400–2050 cal BC at the uppermost layers of the mound, and concentrated in the period 2650–2450 cal BC. The pottery fragments collected on the surface of the mound before the excavation survey was started, as well as those collected from the sediment layers during the excavation, were assigned on the basis of typological sequences to the Early Bronze Age (EB)-III and EB-IV periods. Thus, the concentrated dates (2650–2450 cal BC) obtained by 14C dating are consistent with the age estimated by archaeological contexts. However, the oldest dates of the lowest level (level-7) go back to 3100–2900 cal BC, and these dates may suggest the existence of the human residence prior to the EB period at the site, and may therefore lead to a revision of the oldest age limit of the EB period currently accepted in the region.

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Charred plant remains from neolithic–bronze age Platia Magoula Zarkou, Thessaly

The Annual of the British School at Athens ◽

10.1017/s0068245400015835 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 88 ◽

pp. 1-3 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Glynis Jones ◽

Paul Halstead

Keyword(s):

Hordeum Vulgare ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Economic Diversification ◽

Household Level ◽

Triticum Dicoccum ◽

Bitter Vetch ◽

Plant Remains ◽

Middle Bronze Age

Charred plant remains of middle neolithic to middle bronze age date indicate the processing for storage or consumption of emmer (Triticum dicoccum), hulled six-row barley (Hordeum vulgare), bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia) and acorns (Quercus sp.). Samples of emmer, barley, and bitter vetch from an early bronze age destruction level are valuable evidence for economic diversification at a household level.

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Early Bronze Age Plant Remains from İmamoğlu Höyük, Se Turkey

Anatolian Studies ◽

10.2307/3642905 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 173-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

E. Oybak ◽

Ş. Demirci

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Plant Material ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Plant Remains ◽

Se Turkey

İmamoğlu Höyük was situated in the Euphrates basin, ca. 15 km. northeast of Malatya in south east Turkey (Fig. 1). On account of the construction of a dam at Karakaya on the Euphrates, salvage excavations were carried out at the site from 1980 to 1987 under the direction of Edibe Uzunoğlu of İstanbul Archaeology Museums. In the 1986 excavation season, some Early Bronze Age remains (dated between 2300–2000 B.C.) were recovered. These remains included carbonised plant material, consisting principally of barley and pea. The five samples of plant remains were collected from the floors of buildings in squares 7H and 7I.

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Grapes or raisins? An early Bronze Age larder under the microscope

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00092322 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 77 (296) ◽

pp. 345-348 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Caroline R. Cartwright

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Conclusive Evidence ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Jordan Valley ◽

Plant Remains

The sudden conflagration of an Early Bronze Age room at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh in the Jordan valley resulted in the preservation of a remarkable assemblage of plant remains. Using microscopy and experiment, the author was able to detect fruits previously sun dried for preservation. Grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives, cereals, legumes and capers provided the most conclusive evidence for the drying and preservation of food.

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Excavation of two burnt mounds and a wooden trough near Ryeriggs, Fochabers, Moray

Scottish Archaeological Journal ◽

10.3366/saj.2020.0120 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Gary Savory

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Archaeological Excavation

The remains of two burnt mounds were identified and later excavated at Ryeriggs, Moray during an archaeological watching brief undertaken by CFA Archaeology Ltd in April 2016 ahead of works for the installation of an HVDC cable between Port Gordon and Blackhillock Substation in Moray. The subsequent archaeological excavation revealed a wooden trough underneath the deposits of one of the burnt mounds, the timbers of which were dated to the Early Bronze Age. This is the first such feature which has been excavated in Moray.

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Iron Age Settlements and Roman Roads: archaeological fieldwork along the Angelinos trunk water main in north Oxfordshire

Internet Archaeology ◽

10.11141/ia.56.13 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Owain Scholma-Mason ◽

◽

Michael Tierney ◽

Hayley Goacher ◽

Matt Edgeworth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Adult Male ◽

Roman Period ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Agricultural Activity ◽

Linear Features ◽

Single Structure ◽

Water Main ◽

Middle Iron Age

Excavations along an 18.5km stretch of the Angelinos trunk water main in north Oxfordshire between Tackley and Milton uncovered a panoply of prehistoric to post-medieval remains. Residual sherds of Beaker pottery suggest Chalcolithic/early Bronze Age activity within the vicinity of the development, but most of the excavated features were middle Iron Age in date, comprising linear boundaries and probable enclosures. At least three areas of domestic occupation were recorded, ranging from a single structure to multiple pits associated with various linear features. A double burial, comprising an adult male and a child, dating to the middle Iron Age was also recorded. Roman remains were largely limited to a section dug through Akeman Street, which formed a key arterial route during the Roman period. Other Roman evidence includes a possible midden or manure spread, suggestive of nearby agricultural activity. Medieval and post-medieval features ranged from plough marks to probable quarry pits.

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Plant diversity and storage at Mandalo, Macedonia, Greece: archaeobotanical evidence from the Final Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

The Annual of the British School at Athens ◽

10.1017/s0068245400016816 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 98 ◽

pp. 1-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Soultana M. Valamoti ◽

Glynis Jones

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Wild Plant ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Crop Failure ◽

Plant Resources ◽

Animal Dung ◽

Bitter Vetch ◽

Plant Remains ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

The charred plant remains from Final Neolithic and Early Bronze Age levels at Mandalo, Macedonia, Greece provide evidence for a broad range of crops and wild plant resources. There is clear evidence for the storage of some of these, in particular emmer, lentils and bitter vetch, but also barley, einkorn, Celtic bean, grass pea and acorns. There is also evidence for the possible storage and use of animal dung fuel, which has not previously been reported for Greece, and for the cultivation of flax dating back to the 5th millennium BC. The diversity of plant resources will have provided a ‘buffering mechanism’ against occasional crop failure, and the relationship of this to the proposed ‘marginal colonization’ of Greece is discussed. On the basis of the species found in animal dung, it is suggested that the arable and pastoral sectors were integrated, with relatively small numbers of animals grazed locally on stubble or fallow fields.

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