{"title":"The Age of the Late Mesolithic on the North York Moors, England: radiocarbon dating a small flint tool stratified in peat from East Bilsdale Moor","authors":"J. Innes, T. Laurie, I. Simmons","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2012.12.1.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2012.12.1.003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract There has been a considerable amount of pollen-analytical research on the palaeoecology and palaeoenvironment of the Late Mesolithic culture of the North York Moors upland in north-east Yorkshire, which together with the Pennines is the most prolific area in Britain for Late Mesolithic flint sites. The peat sediments of the Moors have provided detailed data on the vegetation history of the mid-Holocene, both natural developments and also woodland disturbance by fire, as revealed in the macroscopic and microscopic charcoal evidence preserved in the peats and in its relation to the recorded changes in woodland composition and density. The Late Mesolithic vegetation history of the North York Moors can now be reconstructed with confidence and, given the high concentration of lithic sites of that period, linkages between the archaeological and palaeoecological records are often attempted with a view to explaining disturbance regimes as resulting from the impacts of foragers’ activities in the landscape. Unlike the Pennines, however, in the North York Moors no Late Mesolithic sites have been radiocarbon dated, so no chronological correlation can be made between the palaeoenvironmental data and the archaeological evidence. This paper presents the first radiocarbon date for a Late Mesolithic flint artefact from the North York Moors, from East Bilsdale Moor, and examines its implications for the age range of the Late Mesolithic on the Moors as a whole, and for the association of evidence of woodland disturbance on the Moors upland with the presence of Late Mesolithic hunters there.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"12 1","pages":"48 - 57"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2012.12.1.003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Settling and moving: a biographical approach to interpreting patterns of occupation in LBA Circum-Alpine lake-dwellings","authors":"Benjamin Jennings","doi":"10.1179/JWA.2012.12.1.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/JWA.2012.12.1.001","url":null,"abstract":"Lake-shore and wetland settlements of the Circum-Alpine region are well known for their excellent preservation of organic remains and their potential for accurate dating through dendrochronology. This settlement tradition spans from the Neolithic to the Early Iron Age, though several hiatuses in lake-dwelling construction are observed. Traditional models for the abandonment of lake-settlements rely upon climatically deterministic models, linking declining climatic conditions to increasing lake-levels, which would have impacted upon settlements and forced the inhabitants to relocate. Recent studies of Neolithic lake-dwellings have indicated that social factors also influenced the development of these settlements, while the ‘social biography’ of settlements has been an area of increasing interest in terrestrial settlements. A review of selected Late Bronze Age (LBA) lake-settlements illustrates the development sequence seen at many lake-dwellings from across the Circum-Alpine region. The proposal of a biographical model linking cultural influences to the development sequence observed in LBA lake-dwellings, and to the choice to abandon areas and relocate villages, offers further insights into the development of enigmatic settlements.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"12 1","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/JWA.2012.12.1.001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subneolithic Fishery in the Iijoki River Estuary, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland","authors":"Satu Koivisto","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2012.12.1.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2012.12.1.002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract A wetland site discovered accidentally in the western part of the Kierikki area in Yli-Ii, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland, surprised archaeologists in the mid 1990s by its size and the rare degree of preservation of the organic finds. A number of wooden objects had already been found during the draining of the present-day peatland agricultural field in the 1950s, but the age and the full scientific value of the prehistoric fishery were only recognized later. Since none of the wooden structures were intact, it has been challenging to reconstruct the Stone Age fishing methods in detail, but most of the finds point to ethnographically recognisable fish weir with lath screen traps set in shallow water. All of the radiocarbon samples returned Middle Subneolithic (nonagricultural Neolithic) dates ranging between 3934–2679 cal BC (2σ), but the relative dendrochronological dates indicate a distinct activity phase of only 19 years. The site is still in the process of being destroyed due to the progressive lowering of the water table. After a few decades, or a century at the most, a significant portion of the wooden artefacts of Purkajasuo will have deteriorated.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"12 1","pages":"22 - 47"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2012.12.1.002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hydrological Assessment of Star Carr and the Hertford Catchment, Yorkshire, UK","authors":"T. Brown, C. Bradley, T. Grapes, I. Boomer","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.36","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.36","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The survival of one of Europe's most important Mesolithic sites, Star Carr, has been threatened owing to recent changes in its hydrology and associated changes in groundwater geochemistry. Before this study it was unclear what was controlling these changes, but possible causes were changes in precipitation regime (notably the frequency of drought), changes in groundwater abstraction, recent agricultural drainage or a combination of these factors. This paper evaluates the hydrology of Star Carr and its environs within the River Hertford sub-catchment of the River Derwent. Available hydrological data (precipitation, evapotranspiration, river flow and groundwater levels) were collated and used to characterise the River Hertford catchment and provide a hydrological and hydrogeological context for the site. The data were augmented by the insertion of 12 dipwells into the site which were used for both site monitoring and model testing. The monitoring included water abstraction for isotopic analyses (δ2H v δ18O). Two modelling approaches were undertaken: firstly, calculation of the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI); and secondly, development of a three layer, finite difference groundwater model of the site using Modflow. The results strongly suggest that hydrological changes at Star Carr have not been caused by changes in precipitation patterns, although the water flowing through the site is largely of meteoric (rainfall) origin. Groundwater abstraction has also not had any impact upon the site. However, results from the groundwater model suggest that the dominant factor has been the insertion of under-drainage, which has lowered the water-table by >0.5 m into the archaeologically sensitive zone. The study reported here shows how high the sensitivity of a small wetland can be to local land management practices, and, significantly, illustrates how a hydrological assessment of wetland archaeological sites can be made even without a history of on-site monitoring.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"11 1","pages":"36 - 55"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.36","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Early Mesolithic Activity in the Wetlands of the Lake Flixton Basin","authors":"B. Taylor","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.63","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.63","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper discusses the results of new research that has been carried out on the Early Mesolithic wetland landscape of the eastern Vale of Pickering. Environmental profiles have been recorded from two areas of Early Mesolithic activity close to the former shore of the palaeo-Lake Flixton. These have refined our understanding of the sequence of environmental change taking place around the edge of the lake, and its relationship to the pattern of Mesolithic activity that took place within these wetland areas. The results of this work are then used to discuss the depositional context of the artefact assemblages from Star Carr and the wider relationship between Mesolithic people and the wetlands of this area.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"11 1","pages":"63 - 84"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.63","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Late Mesolithic Bark Floor of the Wetland Site of Rüde 2, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany","authors":"F. Feulner","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.109","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract While organic constructions from the Neolithic and later periods are more common, sites from the Mesolithic that have yielded large wooden sub-structures are rare. Only a few examples have been found and many undiscovered sites may be endangered by the draining of bogs and the reclaiming of land. This paper discusses a wooden structure found at the northern German site of Rüde LA2. This site, located within a favoured Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic settlement area, was excavated during an extensive wetland research programme in the 1950s. Artefacts associated with fishing and hunting as well as early pottery were recovered from this dwelling site as well.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"11 1","pages":"109 - 119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.109","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. Milner, P. Lane, B. Taylor, C. Conneller, Tim Schadla‐Hall
{"title":"Star Carr in a Postglacial Lakescape: 60 Years of Research","authors":"N. Milner, P. Lane, B. Taylor, C. Conneller, Tim Schadla‐Hall","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Star Carr has an international reputation in archaeology but it was just a small part of a former lakescape which has been systematically investigated at various periods over the last 60 years. The palaeo-lake and associated sites were first investigated by John W. Moore, a local amateur archaeologist and his findings led to the better known excavations of Grahame Clark. After a hiatus in research, survey and excavation resumed in the 1970s and has been ongoing ever since. The support over the last 25 years of the Vale of Pickering Research Trust has enabled the palaeo-Lake Flixton to be mapped prompting the discovery of new Early Mesolithic sites, resulting in an unparalleled understanding of an Early Mesolithic lakescape. In addition, Star Carr has been revisited at various times revealing new insights and further questions that remain to be answered. This paper presents a history of the investigations from the initial discoveries of Moore to the present day, and considers a range of issues including support, resourcing and the training of future generations of archaeologists.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"11 1","pages":"1 - 19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.1","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In Situ Preservation and Monitoring with Particular Application to Star Carr, Yorkshire, UK","authors":"M. Vorenhout","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.56","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.56","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Star Carr is an important archaeological wetland site. The current site conditions might not be favourable for in situ preservation and warrant further excavations. Recent work has shown that the soil pH can be as low as 2, leading to an unsuitable burial environment. A decision support system is shown in this paper, based on the experience in other in situ projects in Europe. The model is applied to Star Carr leading to the conclusion that in situ preservation is not feasible on the long run. A combined approach, with partial preservation by record and in situ could be the preferred option in the case of Star Carr.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"11 1","pages":"56 - 62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.56","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mesolithic Environments at Star Carr, the Eastern Vale of Pickering and Environs: Local and Regional Contexts","authors":"J. Innes, J. Blackford, I. Simmons","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.85","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.85","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Star Carr in the eastern Vale of Pickering is an emblematic site for the British Early Mesolithic and for the development of wetland archaeology, being one of the first studies where scientific techniques of environmental reconstruction were integrated within an archaeological research strategy, allowing detailed understanding of site conditions and the environmental context of human activities. Pollen diagrams from Star Carr and around palaeo-Lake Flixton record natural woodland development in the early Holocene and a mosaic of productive wetland environments as the lake progressively filled with sediment. High resolution pollen and microscopic charcoal data show that the lake-edge reedswamp was regularly burned during the Mesolithic occupation. Deciduous forest spread across the Yorkshire region, but fire was an important diversifying factor during the whole of the Mesolithic period in most areas, particularly in the later Mesolithic in the Pennine and North York Moors uplands where concentration of fire-disturbance episodes at higher altitudes may have prevented woodland extending to the summit plateaux. In places repeated disturbance led to environmental degeneration. Detailed reconstruction of the environmental history of the Vale and the Yorkshire region allows Star Carr to be considered within conceptual models of Mesolithic economic strategies, land-use and settlement patterns.","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"11 1","pages":"108 - 85"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.85","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Management of Star Carr","authors":"Keith Emerick","doi":"10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.120","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Recent archaeological evaluations at Star Carr have indicated that the formerly waterlogged deposits are approaching a chemical and hydrological crisis point. Star Carr and its wider landscape context also face additional conservation pressures from the extraction of aggregates, the expansion of urban Scarborough (and the concomitant changes in hydrology), intensive arable use and landscape change designed to create wetland landscapes. The paper presented by English Heritage in Cambridge considered the progress that had been made with regard to the protection and management of the site since the first seminar in York in 2008 and outlined the methodology being adopted to oversee its conservation management. The philosophical underpinning to the management of the Star Carr site is based on the English Heritage Conservation Principles (English Heritage 2008) which requires that the different values attached to a place are expressed and amalgamated into an agreed statement of its cultural significance. Of particular importance at Star Carr is its 'evidential value', its potential to yield evidence about past human activity. Once this value is lost the site will lose a key part of its significance, so how can this value be sustained?","PeriodicalId":37928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wetland Archaeology","volume":"11 1","pages":"120 - 132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/jwa.2011.11.1.120","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65609295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}