scholarly journals How Useful Are Osteoarchaeological Methods in Supporting Current Interpretations for Violent Death? A Review of the Data from Iron Age Burial Contexts in England

Author(s):  
Andrew Simms
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 173-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Ripper ◽  
Matthew Beamish ◽  
A. Bayliss ◽  
C. Bronk Ramsey ◽  
A. Brown ◽  
...  

The recording and analysis of a burnt mound and adjacent palaeochannel deposits on the floodplain of the River Soar in Leicestershire revealed that the burnt mound was in use, possibly for a number of different purposes, at the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. An extensive radiocarbon dating programme indicated that the site was revisited. Human remains from the palaeochannel comprised the remains of three individuals, two of whom pre-dated the burnt mound by several centuries while the partial remains of a third, dating from the Late Bronze Age, provided evidence that this individual had met a violent death. These finds, along with animal bones dating to the Iron Age, and the remains of a bridge from the early medieval period, suggest that people were drawn to this location over a long period of time.


1984 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
S P Carter ◽  
D Haigh ◽  
N R J Neil ◽  
Beverley Smith

Summary Excavations at Howe revealed a complex series of settlements which spanned the whole of the Iron Age period and were preceded by two phases of Neolithic activity. A probable stalled cairn was succeeded by a Maes Howe type chambered tomb which was later followed by enclosed settlements of which only scant remains survived. These settlements were replaced by a roundhouse with earth-house, built into the ruins of the chambered tomb. The roundhouse was surrounded by a contemporary defended settlement. Rebuilding led to the development of a broch structure and village. Partial collapse of tower brought about changes in the settlement, andalthougk some houses were maintained as domestic structures, others were rebuilt as iron-working sheds. The construction of smaller buildings and a later Iron Age or Pictish extended farmstead into rubble collapse accompanied a decline in the size of the settlement. The abandonment of the farmstead marked the end of Howe as a settlement site.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document