| Title: |
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION AT LAND AT HEATH LIVERIES, BROWSTON LANE, BELTON WITH BROWSTON, NORFOLK |
| Series: |
John Moore Heritage Services unpublished report series
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| Downloads: |
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johnmoor1-403163_1.pdf (660 kB)
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| Biblio Note |
This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.
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| Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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| DOI |
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| Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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| Abstract: |
The area comprising a 20m diameter centred on the above NGR point was stripped of the topsoil down to within 0.3m of the previously established archaeological horizon prior to the start of works. The remaining overburden was then removed under constant monitoring by the archaeological project leader with a 1.6m wide, toothless bucket until the ring ditch was fully exposed. At that time the archaeological features were cleaned by hand, photos taken and a site grid established. The monument was then 50% sampled by the excavation of 1m sections across the ring ditch, and section photos and drawings of each segment were recorded. All nonstructural pits and postholes were also excavated to achieve a 50% sample of the deposits. For palaeoenvironmental research, different sampling strategies were entertained. Ultimately it was agreed to sample 25% of the interventions with bulk samples, in addition to any deposits that produced finds or carbonised remains. The excavation and sampling of the ring ditch and associated features has determined that it appears to be of early prehistoric date. Based on the lack of charred plant remains and very limited number of associated finds, it is difficult to be able to provide a secure date or even refine more definitely the main period of construction and use of the monument. Unfortunately, despite heavy sampling, none produced material suitable for radiocarbon testing. The idea as conjured by the flint analysis that this site might have been in use during the late Mesolithic and early Neolithic period is intriguing due to the relative lack of understanding about the transition between the two cultures. However, limitations in the material record are unable to afford us this insight. The only remotely diagnostic material recovered were flints. These suggested a deliberate focus on blade production usually associated with Mesolithic or Earlier Neolithic industries. Of particular note, was a long blade from fill (1553) within a large pit on the internal NW surface of the ditch. Another blade-like flake was recovered from the basal fill (1534) of the ring ditch within intervention 1533. Most other flints were recovered from upper fills of the ditch, so have a greater likelihood of being residual. It is not uncommon for latent Mesolithic or early Neolithic flints, which were in the archaic topsoil, to become incorporated accidentally within the fills of various features surrounding and within the ring ditch. That said, a number of new insights have been added to our understanding of this ring ditch through this work. Possibly most worthy of note is that there was no associated burial or burials. However, this does not rule out the possibility of a funerary function, as there are plenty of examples where the burials have been lost from erosion and ploughing (Barclay & Halpin 1997; Lawson et al. 1981; Wymer 1996). Furthermore, the internal pits could have contained human remains that the acidic nature of the John Moore HERITAGE SERVICES Land at Heath Liveries, Belton with Browston, Norfolk geology may have destroyed, as the notable lack of bone on site could suggest. Some research has even suggested that monuments were sometimes constructed as performative rites for those whose remains may not have been present for the ceremony. With its small diameter, there was also the possibility of it having been a roundhouse, albeit unlikely. However, the excavation demonstrated that the depth of preservation of the remains of the ring ditch would help to further rule this out as a viable interpretation. Examples of ring ditches of similar size and absence of material have been found in the surrounding area and have been tentatively regarded as prehistoric features, likely late Neolithic or early Broze Age. The ring-ditch at Heath Liveries, Belton and Browston will ultimately have to be added to this unsatisfying category. |
| Author: |
S Duensing
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| Publisher: |
John Moore Heritage Services
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| Other Person/Org: |
Norfolk HER (OASIS Reviewer)
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| Year of Publication: |
2020
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| Locations: |
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Grid Reference: 49654, 1886 (Easting, Northing)
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| Identifiers: |
| OASIS Id: |
johnmoor1-403163 |
| Report id: |
3922 |
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| Source: |
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| Created Date: |
23 Feb 2024 |
