Late Mesolithic, Middle Bronze Age and Late Iron Age/romano-british Activity at Crowdhill, Fair Oak, Eastleigh

Nine areas, totalling 1.3ha were excavated after evaluation and desk-based assessment at land near Crowdhill, Eastleigh (NGR 448830 119560). Features were densest in Areas 1 and 2, with evidence dating from the Palaeolithic to the early Romano- British period. Three pieces of flint from a Long Blade assemblage were recovered, probably from a small localised scatter. A core tool rough-out, probably for a Mesolithic tranchet axe, was found in a pit with charred hazelnut shells from which two radiocarbon dates were obtained. Two cremation graves, each containing urned deposits, and an urned 'cenotaph' provide information about the inhabitants of the area although contemporary settlement evidence is lacking. By the Late Bronze Age there was evidence for settlement in the form of a pit containing flint-tempered pottery, worked flint and burnt flint along with charred cereal grain. A radiocarbon date was obtained on charred cereal grain from this pit confirming its age. There was sparse evidence for occupation in the late prehistoric period but by the early Romano-British period a number of ditches and intercutting pits as well as artefactual material (pottery, ceramic building material, fired clay and saddle quern fragments) indicates the presence of a small rural settlement in the vicinity of the site.

Language Contact in Unangam Tunuu (Aleut)

Unangam Tunuu (Aleut) is a highly divergent member of the Eskimo-Aleut language family; it has also experienced substantial language contact during several distinct periods of its history, including the late prehistoric period (ca. 1000–1741 ce), the Russian period (1741–1867), and the American period (1867–present). This chapter discusses each period, and the very different linguistic effects of the different nature of the respective periods of language contact: prehistoric contact was extensive enough to result in deep structural changes; Russian and early American contact were primarily lexical and did not overwhelm the Aleut language; and the late American period is characterized by language shift. The chapter focuses especially on the speculative first period, as it is of critical important in the divergence of Aleut within its language family.

Population Aggregation and the Emergence of Circular Villages in Southwest Virginia

Archaeological evidence from throughout much of eastern North America documents a transition from small, scattered settlements to nucleated, often circular, villages during the Late Woodland/Late Prehistoric period (ca. A.D. 1000-1600). In southwestern Virginia's Appalachian Highlands, this transition is marked by the appearance of large circular palisaded villages associated with what Howard MacCord called the Intermontane Culture. This paper investigates the origin, structure, and spatial distribution of Late Woodland circular villages across the southern Appalachian landscape and compares their emergence to similar trends in settlement structure and organization witnessed in other parts of the Appalachian Highlands and beyond.

Ceramic Types from Late Prehistoric Sites along the East Fork of the Trinity River

Ceramics are one of the key diagnostic artifacts that define the Late Prehistoric culture of the peoples that lived along the East Fork of the Trinity and its tributaries. We are completing a 42 year re evaluation of the Late Prehistoric period of the area and have st udied nearly 32,000 artifacts, of which over 10,200 are ceramic sherds. From this study, 20 distinct ceramic types have been recognized. Plain ware, both shell tempered and sandy paste/grog tempered, are the predominant ceramic types present, comprising ov er 90 percent of the total ceramic assemblage. While there is little direct evidence for indigenous manufacture, the abundance of these types suggests they were produced locally. Lesser quantities of decorated ware of distinct Caddo ceramic types from the Red River and East Texas suggest they are likely the product of exchange. There is also a small amount of Puebloan material indicative of a longer distance exchange.

Europe: The Birthplace of Mining?

The origins of mining extend back several million years to when the first hominines in Africa, and subsequently in Europe and Asia, used their bare hands to collect loose rock to make stone tools. This gradually evolved into the systematic collection of rocks with desired properties, as well as an interest in earth minerals such as iron ochre. A desire for these substances led in some cases to more organized collection, involving surface quarrying and eventually underground mining. This activity increased significantly in Europe with the adoption of farming after 7000 BC in the Neolithic period. There is evidence for highly organized mining of flint and other hard rocks to make stone axes and other tools at centres such as Grimes Graves in England, Spiennes in Belgium, and Casa Montero near Madrid, among many others. Mining is also the process by which metal was obtained from the Earth’s surface. Metal objects were first made in the Middle East approximately 10,000 years ago; however, the oldest known copper mines are recorded in Europe. The discovery there of thousands of copper, bronze, and gold objects is a strong indicator that the mining of these metals was a widespread activity during the late prehistoric period. This began with the first use of copper and gold in what is known as the Chalcolithic (‘Copper Age’), which occurred in different regions between the sixth and third millennia BC. Technical advances and growing demand for metal led to the widespread adoption of bronze by 2000 BC, or soon afterwards. This was made possible by the discovery of copper and tin sources in many parts of Europe. Some of these were mined intensively over long periods during the Bronze Age that followed, while others were worked on a smaller scale. The copper produced was supplied to areas without their own resources, creating trade networks that provided economic opportunities and played an important role in cultural exchanges across the Continent. This book is concerned with the prehistory of copper mining and its important place in shaping European societies during the period 5500–500 BC.

Landscape Evolution and Human Settlement in the Iroise Sea (Brittany, France) during the Neolithic and Bronze Age

The Molène archipelago appears to be particularly rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age remains and an exceptional concentration of megaliths has been brought to light. Several settlements are confirmed by dry-stone structures or by shell middens. These data give precious indications on the occupation chronology of the area. Moreover they allow us, for the first time in Brittany, to reconstruct everyday life during the late Prehistoric period. A prerequisite to this reconstruction was a better understanding of the evolution of the environment during this period, which locally implies a better knowledge of paleogeographic changes related to Holocene sea-level rise as well as on floral and faunal resources.The results obtained through paleogeographic reconstructions show that the archipelago since 4500bcwas already disconnected from the mainland. The megalithic monuments must therefore have been erected and used by islanders present on the archipelago from the middle of the 5th to the 2nd millenniumbc. The distribution of the megalithic tombs reveals landscape occupation strategies which respond to both cultural choices and natural constraints. Throughout the entire period, geographic isolation has continued to increase, although it did not imply strong cultural specificities. Nevertheless, the increasing remoteness of the islands has fostered the search for livelihoods based on the intense exploitation of coastal resources. Despite their focus on the sea, these people did not neglect what inland areas could offer as evidenced by the early agro-pastoral practices in the archipelago.