Environmental Archaeology. The journal of human palaeoecology

Volume 9, Number 1, Published April 2004

Research Papers

Hydrological Monitoring of an Alluviated Landscape in the Lower Great Ouse Valley at Over, Cambridgeshire: Results of the Gravel Extraction Phase

Charles French

Abstract

This paper sets out the dramatic results of the hydrological monitoring programme conducted during the first 2.5 year phase of gravel extraction at the Hanson Over quarry in Cambridgeshire. It follows on from the study of the pre-extraction phase detailed in Environmental Archaeology 4 (French et al. 1999). Less than two months after the start of gravel extraction and pumping, the groundwater table within the extraction area had dropped to 5m+ below the modern ground surface and has since been maintained at that level. This is 3.5-4m lower than the norm in the pre-extraction phase, and has been accompanied by marked increases in pH and dissolved oxygen values. Specific monitoring of a Bronze Age barrow within the extraction area has demonstrated significant dewatering and lowering of soil moisture contents in the mound, ditch and buried soil to minimal levels within six months. Moreover, the groundwater table downstream and beyond the extraction area gradually dropped to between 2m and 5m below the modern ground surface, at a distance of up to 500m from the quarry face. Beyond this ‘halo’ effect, the hydrological regime is apparently unaffected. Nonetheless, once the southern edge of the extraction area was bunded with impermeable clay, there was a rapid (within the month) restoration of groundwater levels to the south/upstream of the extraction area. But, the groundwater table to the north/downstream of the extraction area has continued to fall over a distance of 500m from the quarry face. These results are of wide applicability to lowland English river terrace valleys. To ensure the future curation of alluviated landscapes that are threatened with water and gravel extraction, groundwater and water quality monitoring programmes should be part of the archaeological brief in response to Policy Planning Guidance 16 (DoE 1990).

Keywords: HYDROLOGY, MONITORING, EXTRACTION, BUNDING, GROUNDWATER, DISSOLVED OXYGEN

A Record of Atmospheric Pollution and Vegetation Change as Recorded in Three Peat Bogs from the Northern Pennines Pb-Zn Orefield

Tim M. Mighall, Lisa Dumayne-Peaty and David Cranstone

Abstract

The metal mining landscape of the northern Pennines is unique, containing a relatively large concentration of mines dating back possibly to the Roman period. Little attention, however, has been given to understanding how the metal mining industry has altered the natural landscape. This paper sets out to address this by using palaeoenvironmental techniques to reconstruct the vegetational landscape and atmospheric pollution history surrounding the metal mines of the upper Rookhope valley, Weardale and Moorhouse National Nature Reserve in Teesdale. Results from pollen analysis suggest that small, temporary woodland clearance occurred during the Neolithic and Bronze Age, followed by more substantial clearances during the Iron Age and Romano-British period. Metal mining had little impact on vegetation, in particular woodland, until Medieval times. Evidence of higher lead concentrations and a permanent reduction in arboreal pollen percentages in the pollen diagrams correlate with the growth of the lead mining industry from the eleventh century AD onwards as documented in historical records.

Keywords: LEAD, IRON, MINING, NORTHERN PENNINES, POLLEN ANALYSIS, RADIOCARBON DATING

Plant Remains as Indicators of Seasonality of Site-Use in the Mesolithic Period

Petra Dark

Abstract

Attempts to identify the seasons during which Mesolithic sites may have been occupied have usually concentrated on evidence from faunal assemblages, while the potential of plant remains has been largely neglected. In this paper the use of plant remains as indicators of seasonality is discussed, especially where they represent the accidental charring of species unlikely to have been deliberately collected and stored. This is illustrated with reference to the early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, North Yorkshire, and discussed in the context of other Mesolithic sites from which assemblages of charred plant remains have been recovered.

Keywords: PLANT REMAINS, CHARCOAL, SEASONALITY, MESOLITHIC, STAR CARR

Do Insect Remains from Historic-Period Archaeological Occupation Sites Track Climate Change in Northern England?

Harry Kenward

Abstract

Remains of true bugs (Heteroptera) and beetles (Coleoptera) from archaeological occupation deposits of the past two millennia appear to provide evidence that temperatures in northern England in the 1st 4th and 9th 15th centuries AD were 1 2 C higher than those of the mid-20th century. It is argued that, although they derive from artificial conditions, if used appropriately the abundant records from occupation sites represent an important source of local terrestrial palaeoclimatic information which is easily available in the short term, though confirmatory data from natural deposits should also be sought. The potential of the bugs (Hemiptera) is particularly emphasised. The recent return to the north of some species presumed to have been driven south in the ‘Little Ice Age’ is discussed.

Keywords: PALAEOCLIMATE, NORTHERN ENGLAND, HISTORICAL PERIOD, HEMIPTERA, COLEOPTERA, RANGE EXPANSION, GLOBAL WARMING

Archaeological Implications of Plant and Invertebrate Remains from Fills of a Massive Post-Medieval Cut at Low Fisher Gate, Doncaster, UK

Harry K. Kenward, Allan R. Hall and Jane M. McComish

Abstract

Plant and invertebrate remains from a series of fills of an enigmatic early post-medieval cut feature at a site in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, were studied as part of a site-wide investigation. Some rich and diverse assemblages were recovered whose interpretation was not simple. It is argued that the material represents infill of a feature deliberately dug for water management, probably originally used as a pond for livestock, but latterly also for the dumping of a variety of materials during its life.

Keywords: OCCUPATION DEPOSITS, LOW FISHER GATE (DONCASTER), PLANT REMAINS, INSECT REMAINS, POST-MEDIEVAL, INTERPRETATION

The Introduction of Fallow Deer to Britain: A Zooarchaeological Perspective

Naomi Sykes

Abstract

Ambiguous historical evidence, misidentifications, contextual disturbance, as well as ancient trade in antler and other skeletal elements, have all confused our understanding of the past distribution and spread of European fallow deer (Dama dama). In order to determine the date and source of their introduction to Britain, this paper sets out to examine and, in some cases, re-analyse the zooarchaeological evidence for this species.

Keywords: FALLOW DEER, INTRODUCTION, BRITAIN, ROMAN, NORMAN, SICILY

Fragmentation: The Zonation Method Applied to Fragmented Human Remains from Archaeological and Forensic Contexts

Christopher J. Knüsel and Alan K. Outram

Abstract

Scattered and commingled human and animal remains are commonly encountered on archaeological sites, and this contextual relationship begs the question of whether human and animals were treated in a similar manner before burial. The recording system presented here provides a means by which to confront problems of equifinality - that is, when taphonomic alterations create apparently similar patterns and, therefore, confuse behavioural inferences drawn from them. This method hinges on a standardised representation of the zones on human skeletal elements that allow comparison with those described by Dobney and Rielly (1988) for animal remains. It is anticipated that the anatomical descriptions in combination with the zone drawings presented will aid others to apply the method generally across skeletal assemblages of any date. This system could also be used to aid the curation of museum collections and as a complement to forensic recovery.

Keywords: ZONATION METHOD, HUMAN REMAINS, FRAGMENTATION

Short Contributions

Phytoliths from a Norse Greenlandic Quern Stone: A Preliminary Investigation

Julie M. Ross

Abstract

The Norse inhabited Greenland between AD 1000 and AD 1500 and, toward the end of the occupation, according to archaeological evidence, they were predominately marine mammal hunters. Despite the fact that marine resources became important for subsistence, the Norse Greenlanders settled the area in order to farm. This is indicated by site locations, faunal material, archaeobotanical, and palynological evidence.

Phytolith analysis from a quern stone, likely made from stone of local origin, found at Gården Under Sandet, a Norse farmstead in Greenland, was examined to determine if there was any evidence indicating domestic cereal processing. The phytoliths found on the quern stone can be associated with grasses and sedges, but the absence of dendritic phytoliths likely indicates that the quern stone was not used to grind seed. This preliminary study demonstrates that information about Norse agriculture may be obtained by examining the phytolith remains from a quern stone.