Antiquity 48

[SE 6052]. Preliminary report on the fauna and flora from the Lloyd's Bank (Pavement) site at York. Identification of the site as a leatherworker's tenement of the Anglo-Danish period was confirmed by the presence not only of leather fragments but of plant material and insects connected with leather preparation and its waste products. The squalid conditions contrasted with the comparatively fine jewellery and imported pottery.

Review-article "for numerate archaeologists" of two volumes emanating from international conferences held at Marseilles in 1969 and 1971. The first volume, Archéologie et calculateurs (see abstract 73/2058) includes verbatim records of the discussions, often of great interest, from a rewarding conference. The second title, Les méthodes mathématiques de l'archéologie (Marseilles, CNRS, 1971) contains thirteen lectures on topics like seriation, multidimensional scaling and the application of formal methods of typology. Both volumes demonstrate the importance of this work and the amount still needing attention.

The history of Beaker research since 1900 is recalled and Palliardi's 1919 theory of a dual origin is revived and developed. If the Beaker is a skeuomorph of esparto grass baskets, multiple origins are just as likely for it as for megalithic graves or W European Neolithic "plain" wares. On this basis, Maritime Beakers evolved at Villa Nova de San Pedro II and their spread is related to copper exploitation; All-Over-Cord Beakers originated in the Rhineland; and the Central European sequence appears to stem from the Vucedol culture of Hungary whose pottery shapes may have influenced AOC Beakers. See also P Bosch-Gimpera in Arch Espan Arqueol, 44, 1971, 3-37, supporting an origin in Spain.

Early Danish military levies required the provision of ships and their crews, each of 40 rowers plus steersman and pilot. When this requirement was later [12th century) transformed into tax-payments, the figures 40 and 42 continued to recur, providing confirmation that the number of coins in the royal purse of Sutton Hoo - 40 coins and blanks plus two ingots - was determined by the size of the crew.

To understand the church architecture of the Anglo-Saxons we must perceive the symbolic terms in which it was erected and generally interpreted. For instance, the Saxon church-goer, when he saw multi-coloured light streaming through the single-splayed windows, would call to mind Bede's well-known allegorical interpretation of the "oblique windows" of Solomon's Temple; these were likened to the learned holy men who catch the light of heaven and disseminate it to the faithful.

To overcome the uneven distribution of published petrological identifications of stone axes, relative frequency distribution maps are presented for 1840 axes in selected groups from well-sampled areas. It appears that whereas Groups XVI, XVIII and XX were traded mainly locally, Groups I and VI concentrate at a conspicuous distance from the factory sites. Group VII looks, so far, fairly localised.

SU 486506 (centre). Two air photographs of 1962 show traces of large rectangular and small subrectangular structures, probably houses of Chalton and sunken-floored type respectively. The site is adjacent to, and throws new light on, Leeds' Saxon site dug 1921-37; suggested parallels are Hatton Rock and Yeavering.

Thermoluminescence investigation, by three separate laboratories, of a wide range of ceramic objects from Glozel shows that none of them can be the modern forgeries generally believed, and the site dates to within the range 700 BC to AD 100. At least some of the tablet inscriptions can be shown to be certainly of the same age as the tablets. A fresh study of all aspects of the site material should now be undertaken. Au(adp)

Recent works of synthesis by Cunliffe and Harding (see abstracts 74/2694-5) will both be read with profit. Both have made clear the long history of the mixed farming economy in S England and the difficulty of detecting the scale of innovative influences, though it is evident that this was a period of turmoil. Language is, reasonably enough, not discussed though climate might have been. The varied graves of the Arras Culture provide many stimulating problems for future careful work, and links with Germany need more study (eg currency bars).

SO 9828. Preliminary report on a hoard of LBA metalwork which came to light through ploughing and was subsequently completely retrieved by excavation. Catalogued are two swords of Ewart Park type and a shorter variant, a Thorndon type socketed knife, a late looped palstave, a scabbard chape and miscellanea.