Simmonds, M., Hosfield, R. T., Branch, N. and Black, S. (2019). From findspot to site: a spatial examination of the Mesolithic resource in Surrey. Surrey Archaeological Collections 102. Vol 102, Guildford: Surrey Archaeological Society. pp. 43-69. https://doi.org/10.5284/1069452. Cite this via datacite
Title The title of the publication or report |
From findspot to site: a spatial examination of the Mesolithic resource in Surrey | ||||||
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Issue The name of the volume or issue |
Surrey Archaeological Collections 102 | ||||||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Surrey Archaeological Collections | ||||||
Volume Volume number and part |
102 | ||||||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
43 - 69 | ||||||
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Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. |
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DOI The DOI (digital object identifier) for the publication or report. |
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Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
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Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
Surrey has a diverse range of Mesolithic occupation evidence, spanning the Early Mesolithic, Horsham period and the Later Mesolithic. This paper collates these data and then quantitatively analyses the relationships between the geographical distributions of Mesolithic material and a range of environmental characteristics. The distribution of material is also analysed using a GIS to understand where 'hotspots' (and 'coldspots') of activity may be located and takes into account variations in collecting activity and modern discovery opportunities. There is evidence that the environment may have been important in determining the spatial extent of Mesolithic hunter-gatherer behaviour, and this is assessed through comparison of the Mesolithic resource and a range of environmental variables. The record shows a prevalence of hunting-type assemblages in the south-west of the county, where the majority of microliths and points were identified, together with sites with evidence for occupation (often excavated as such, or with evidence for domestic activities such as burning). There was also evidence that records identified on higher elevations and steeper slopes appeared to represent items used, discarded or lost on hunting trips and potentially highlighted the importance of these regions as lookout or observation locations; however, there was a lack of occupation sites based near these optimal viewing locations. The majority of occupation sites were located across an east-west Greensand band and situated within 5km of the Clay-with-Flints outcrops. These were wet/dry marginal regions, probably conducive to settlement owing to the benefits these locations may have had for hunting and gathering. A lower density of records from north-west and south-east Surrey appears to indicate these areas were used primarily for the processing of material while people were moving across the landscape. The overall high proportion of findspots and scatters within the dataset may result from the nature of hunter-gatherer living, with high levels of mobility within the landscape alongside ephemeral occupation and activity sites. | ||||||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
2019 | ||||||
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Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
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Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
ADS Library
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Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
08 Jan 2020 |