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An Early Beaker funerary monument at Porton Down, Wiltshire

An Early Beaker funerary monument at Porton Down, Wiltshire
An Early Beaker funerary monument at Porton Down, Wiltshire
Excavation of an Early Beaker-Early Bronze Age funerary monument at Porton Down revealed an unusually complex burial sequence of 12 individuals, spanning four centuries, including eight neonates or infants and only one probable male, surrounded by a segmented ring-ditch. In the centre was a large grave which contained the disturbed remains of an adult female, accompanied by a Beaker, which had probably been placed within a timber chamber and later ‘revisited’ on one or more occasions. This primary burial and an antler pick from the base of the ring-ditch provided identical Early Beaker radiocarbon dates. Two burials were accompanied by a Food Vessel and a miniature Collared Urn respectively, others were unaccompanied, and there was a single and a double cremation burial, both within inverted Collared Urns. A C-shaped enclosure nearby may have been contemporary with the funerary monument, but its date and function are uncertain. Other features included an Early Neolithic pit which contained a significant assemblage of worked flint, and several Middle Bronze Age ditches and a Late Bronze Age ‘Wessex Linear’ ditch that reflect later prehistoric land divisions probably related to stock control.
71-74
Andrews, Phil
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Thompson, Steve
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Barclay, Alistair J
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Dinwiddy, Kerstin Egging
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Grant, Michael J.
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Harding, Phil
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Higbee, L.
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Leivers, Matt
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McKinley, Jaqueline I.
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Mepham, Lorraine
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Wyles, Sarah F.
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Andrews, Phil
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Thompson, Steve
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Barclay, Alistair J
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Dinwiddy, Kerstin Egging
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Grant, Michael J.
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Harding, Phil
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Higbee, L.
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Leivers, Matt
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McKinley, Jaqueline I.
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Mepham, Lorraine
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Wyles, Sarah F.
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Andrews, Phil, Thompson, Steve, Barclay, Alistair J, Dinwiddy, Kerstin Egging, Grant, Michael J., Harding, Phil, Higbee, L., Leivers, Matt, McKinley, Jaqueline I., Mepham, Lorraine and Wyles, Sarah F. (2016) An Early Beaker funerary monument at Porton Down, Wiltshire. Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, 109, 71-74.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Excavation of an Early Beaker-Early Bronze Age funerary monument at Porton Down revealed an unusually complex burial sequence of 12 individuals, spanning four centuries, including eight neonates or infants and only one probable male, surrounded by a segmented ring-ditch. In the centre was a large grave which contained the disturbed remains of an adult female, accompanied by a Beaker, which had probably been placed within a timber chamber and later ‘revisited’ on one or more occasions. This primary burial and an antler pick from the base of the ring-ditch provided identical Early Beaker radiocarbon dates. Two burials were accompanied by a Food Vessel and a miniature Collared Urn respectively, others were unaccompanied, and there was a single and a double cremation burial, both within inverted Collared Urns. A C-shaped enclosure nearby may have been contemporary with the funerary monument, but its date and function are uncertain. Other features included an Early Neolithic pit which contained a significant assemblage of worked flint, and several Middle Bronze Age ditches and a Late Bronze Age ‘Wessex Linear’ ditch that reflect later prehistoric land divisions probably related to stock control.

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Published date: 2016
Organisations: Geology & Geophysics, Archaeology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 397441
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/397441
PURE UUID: d78f5560-96f2-4204-a127-890068f4267f
ORCID for Michael J. Grant: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4766-6913

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 Jun 2016 16:20
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:49

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Contributors

Author: Phil Andrews
Author: Steve Thompson
Author: Alistair J Barclay
Author: Kerstin Egging Dinwiddy
Author: Phil Harding
Author: L. Higbee
Author: Matt Leivers
Author: Jaqueline I. McKinley
Author: Lorraine Mepham
Author: Sarah F. Wyles

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