Internet Archaeology 5

The site was examined as part of general archaeological work in advance of the construction of a new golf course. The Mesolithic remains comprised a spread of discoloured soil and pits together with carbonised hazelnut shells and flaked flint, including microliths.

The excavation of West Heslerton North Yorkshire, undertaken on a seasonal basis between 1986 and 1995, has produced evidence that indicates the complexity and sophistication of settlement development in the Early Anglo--Saxon period has been under-rated. Prior to the completion of work on the site during 1995, it appeared that there was little that was exceptional about the nature of the settlement at West Heslerton and that the site may have followed what might be proposed as a standard sequence of development from a Late Roman farmstead to a Late Saxon settlement. The new evidence has cast some doubt on this view, with the Late Roman activity at the site relating to a ?shrine and ?temple complex rather than to domestic settlement. This ritual component at the site is seen as a continuing element of the Early Anglo--Saxon landscape, providing the impetus for settlement at this location during the Early Anglo--Saxon period. There was no indication of the ritual nature of the settlement core in areas examined prior to the final season. The new evidence offers the possibility of a unique context for the Early and Middle Saxon settlement and necessitates establishing to what degree this site can provide a testable model of settlement morphology and evolution during the formative years of the English nation.

A review of World of Money CD-ROM for PC/Mac [CD-ROM], published by British Museum Press, an interactive history of money.

In the summer of 1996 work to build a new golf course on the coast at Crail in Fife, Scotland, uncovered a small patch of dark soil associated with microliths. Excavation revealed an arc of seven pits or post-holes, a hearth site and several other pit-like features. There was a small lithic assemblage, and also a quantity of carbonised hazelnut shell, samples of which were sent off for radiocarbon assay.The site was remarkable for several reasons:SizeIts size (75m2) was unusual in that most mesolithic sites in Scotland (and elsewhere) are often much larger. Small sites have played an important role in theoretical interpretations of the mesolithic way of life, but few have been excavated.Lithic assemblageThe lithic assemblage was small, even for such a small site, and comprised solely of flint, which is very rare in Scotland. There was relatively little knapping debris, but several retouched tools, over half of which were narrow blade microliths. The microliths were very interesting because they were dominated by crescentic microliths, while more common types such as scalene triangles were absent.DatesA series of fourteen radiocarbon dates were obtained for the site and all centred round the same period: between 7400 and 7600 BC, calibrated. This was earlier than had been expected, and is an interesting addition to knowledge of the early settlement of eastern Scotland since most other early dates have been from west coast sites.The similarity of the dates adds weight to the argument that the site represents a single occupation which, in view of its size, is likely to have been of short duration. This, and the nature of the lithic assemblage, have lead us to the interpretation that the site was a specialised camp site, probably making use of coastal resources.