Abstract: Abstract In this chapter, we contribute to the discussion about importance of plant gathering in Mesolithic Europe by presenting archaeobotanical evidence recovered in the last few decades from archaeological sites in northwestern Europe. The recovery and identification of plant food remains from early archaeological sites can be challenging. However, novel archaeobotanical techniques and the increasing interest of archaeologists to include archaeobotany within their research strategies have considerable implications for how we view the plant component in the diet of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. The study presented in this chapter shows the diversity of plant species and plant parts used and the environments that were explored by the Mesolithic groups in their search for food plants. This, we hope, will create a more balanced view of the complex relationship between animal and plant food components in the European Mesolithic diet.

Abstract: ABSTRACT Single-piece bone fishhooks and gorges have been recovered archaeologically from several coastal settlements from the Late Mesolithic Ertebølle culture (5400–4000 cal BCE) in northern Europe. However, little is known about the fishing techniques and other implements associated with their use. This article presents the results of experiments carried out during the summer of 2019. Replicas of Ertebølle fishhooks from selected settlements were made and tested in different fishing contexts to assess how they function and which techniques work best, and to consider the broader implications for the people who used them. Cooperation with present-day fishermen was decisive in the success of this experiment.

Abstract: Abstract This chapter asks two simple questions: what the Mesolithic is and why it matters. Answering the first question requires a review of the history of the definition of the Mesolithic including an emphasis on alternative ways of approaching the periodization of human activity. The second question asks what value knowledge about the Mesolithic brings and what might be distinctive about the period. Beyond increasing our understanding of particular regional sequences, is there something that the study of the Mesolithic might contribute to broader understandings of human variation? Both questions require reflection on the ever-expanding academic industry that is the Mesolithic. The chapter concludes by affirming the potential for a reflexive, creative Mesolithic archaeology that can celebrate different forms of human life.

Abstract: Abstract The Baltic Sea basin represents the southern and eastern Baltic shores and hinterlands of the countries Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The Mesolithic in this area begins roughly at the Pleistocene–Holocene transition and ends with the appearance of pottery in Latvia and Lithuania or the establishment of agrarian Neolithic cultures in the other countries under consideration. It comprises several archaeological entities that are differentiated by artefact spectra and were present in different timespans. During the Preboreal and Boreal, the pan-European Maglemosian was present in the western parts and the last Swiderian and Pulli complex in the east. The area is characterized during the middle Mesolithic by the Kongemose and Chojnice-Pieńki cultures, while the Kunda culture appears at the beginning of the Boreal in the eastern Baltic area. During the Late Mesolithic, the Ertebølle culture establishes itself in Germany and western Poland, while the Janisławice (Neman) culture is distributed in eastern Poland and Lithuania. Further north, the Narva culture is present in Latvia and Estonia. While most of the cultural entities in the area were originally defined from a national perspective, modern research has shown that several of these belong to superregional technocomplexes.

Abstract: Abstract Ancient DNA (aDNA) research opened a direct window into the study of evolutionary history. This cross-disciplinary field, at the intersection of genetics and archaeology, has not only revealed genomic discontinuities and population transformations throughout human prehistory but also helped clarify or reformulate standing hypotheses, previously based solely on archaeological evidence. This chapter provides an overview of the basic genetic concepts underlying aDNA studies and summarizes the unique challenges and opportunities associated with the field of archaeogenomics. This is followed by a summary of the current state of the knowledge regarding the genetic makeup of Mesolithic peoples in Europe, highlighting the four main lines of ancestry found and their geographical distributions, with a special focus on the regional dynamics of the Scandinavian Mesolithic. The chapter also discusses how genomic data can be, and has been used, to study metabolic and physical appearance traits of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Expectedly, future studies incorporating abundant and more representative samples of Mesolithic Europeans, as well as new theoretical and technological approaches, will provide a more detailed picture of the genetic structure and sociocultural aspects of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Europe.

Abstract: Abstract This chapter deals with the variability of anthropogenic shell deposits usually called shell middens and the different uses of molluscs during the Mesolithic in Europe. We present the geographical distribution and environmental setting of these emblematic archaeological sites, as well as their settlement patterns and their roles in symbolic and subsistence systems. The uses by Mesolithic societies of the major component found in the shell middens—i.e. the shells—are addressed. We focus on issues such as the sampling methods, the use of shells as food, ornaments, and tools, and the daily activities related to the exploitation of marine resources, from their collection to their discard. We present the latest methods used in the study of marine molluscs in relation to the main research themes applied to shell middens.

Abstract: Abstract The period between the ninth and sixth millennia cal bc is that of the very last hunter-gatherer societies of the western Mediterranean. With shifting shorelines, the development of forest, and abrupt climate changes, these groups had to continually adapt to a changing environment. Long-distance exchanges and synchronous, yet geographically distant, technical and cultural developments show just how dynamic these societies were. The colonization of the islands, particularly Corsica and Sardinia, which had been uninhabited until then, indirectly testifies to the mastery of deep-sea navigation. Cultural developments are mainly based on the evolution of lithic industries, which constitutes the main part of their remains. This Mediterranean Mesolithic can be divided into two main phases, the passage from one to the other perhaps being due to a movement of populations along the coast. The spread of the Neolithic from east to west, however, put an end to this traditional world of hunter-gatherers.

Abstract: ABSTRACT Cabeço da Amoreira, a key Mesolithic shell mound in the Muge region (central Portugal) provides critical insights into the funerary and socio-cultural practices of Western Europe’s last hunter-gatherer-fisher populations. Recent systematic excavations have provided new data into biological diversity and funerary practices, particularly in relation to non-adult individuals. This study focuses on three non-adult burials uncovered since 2019. By employing state-of-the-art imaging techniques, we digitally recorded, virtually excavated, and analysed the biological profiles of these individuals. Our results demonstrate a notable variability in funerary practices, including differences in burial orientation, the presence or absence of artefacts, and even the construction of a purposeful burial feature for one individual. These discoveries contribute significantly to the growing body of research on Mesolithic funerary traditions, illustrating the complexity of social and ritual behaviours in southwestern Iberia’s last hunter-gatherer-fisher societies and opening new avenues for comparative research on childhood and burial practices in prehistory.

Abstract: Abstract Mesolithic hunter-fisher-gatherers manufactured many kinds of composite tools, among them a variety of adzes and axes with antler, bone, stone or wood heads and other insets. The adzes and axes were constructed from two or three parts, sometimes including a fixed or a separate one- or two-part intermediate piece between handle and blade. These sleeves were made of different raw materials and shapes. This paper presents new results on wooden sleeves, especially the one-part sockets, which seem to have been used exclusively by the Mesolithic and Neolithic foraging cultures in Europe. Sleeves from 15 sites in Germany, Latvia, Poland and Russia are described and discussed. Attention is drawn to the use of roots and burrs (burls) which were utilised for the sleeves, illustrating the detailed technical and material knowledge of these post-glacial populations.

Abstract: Desk based assessment draws together the available archaeological, historic, topographic and land-use information in order to clarify the heritage significance and archaeological potential of the site. The study site has moderate potential for activity within the Mesolithic and Neolithic date, but moderate/low potential for prehistoric ritual/mortuary monuments. There is also Moderate potential for Bronze age settlement and field system is considered. The frequency of Iron Age and Roman period settlement and landscape from the investigations suggest a moderate presence within the site. There is low archaeological potential for burial evidence of Saxon/Early Medieval date. Based on the information noted here, current evidence suggests that the archaeological potential of the site is not sufficient enough to constrain development. However given the archaeological evidence within the surrounding of the site suggesting potential for buried remains to be present, it is anticipated that a programme of archaeological work will be required by the local planning authority.

Abstract: This paper provides a review of the Mesolithic sequence at the Romagnano loc III site through Bayesian modelling, combining the radiocarbon dates obtained in the 1970s with more recent 14 C dates. The results suggest a chronology associated with the Castelnovian complex that predates those identified in other areas of Southwestern Europe, thus offering a new working hypothesis regarding the origin of this complex. Finally, these findings are discussed within the broader context of the origin and expansion of the Blade Trapeze Complex in Southwestern Europe indicating that the emergence of this new complex was a multifaceted process that can only be fully understood through a comprehensive global approach.

Abstract: Archaeological works undertaken in 2019 and 2020 in advance of development of the Cairn Distillery, Grantown-on-Spey identified remains of a multi-period landscape spanning the Late Mesolithic to the medieval period. The earliest phase of activity on site was evidenced by residual material from the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. A Late Neolithic cremation pit was also identified, comprising the cremated remains of at least one adult male. Following this funerary activity, the remains of a Late Bronze Age fire pit were identified. Additionally, at least three post-defined Middle Iron Age roundhouses and metalworking features were recorded. Late Iron Age and early medieval settlement and industrial activity was evidenced by the remains of at least three roundhouses, with fire and refuse pits, a four-post granary, a metalworking furnace, and metal waste pits. The artefact assemblage included worked and coarse stone, as well as metal finds. Notable stone finds included a Late Mesolithic chipped stone, several Late Iron Age rotary quernstones and a large millstone roughout, while Middle Iron Age and early medieval slag and metalworking waste were indicative of small-scale smelting at the site. The finds at Craggan represent a significant site along the River Spey, comprising multiple phases of settlement, funerary activity, and craftworking from the Mesolithic to the medieval period.

Abstract: Trench evaluation (no. = 531) leading to c. 50 Set Piece Excavations along the 67 km-route of the onshore part of the Viking Link High Voltage Direct Current Interconnector cable. Intrusive fieldwork undertaken by Network Archaeology Ltd in Zones 1 and 2, and Wessex Archaeology in Zones 2 and 3. Zone 1 crossed the Lincolnshire Marsh from Boy Grift Bridge to Haugh. Zone 2 crossed the Lincolnshire Wolds between Haugh and Hagnaby Lock. Zone 3 was the fenland section, between Hagnaby Lock and Bicker Fen. Evidence for human activity was found from the Mesolithic through to modern times, with signs of agriculture detected from the Early Neolithic period onwards. Remains of Bronze Age date were scant, and chiefly comprised funerary monuments, with a barrow uncovered at Callow Carr on the southern edge of the Wolds and a probable second example at Back Lane, on the northern Fen-edge. During the Middle Iron Age, the first evidence of settlement and enclosure on a significant scale appears: around ten of the excavated sites date to the Middle or Late Iron Age. The tempo of activity remained high during the Romano-British period, with over a dozen sites dating to that time. Most comprised small farmsteads, although a small cemetery was discovered at White Crofts on the Lincolnshire Marsh, and there is evidence for saltmaking at the Mown Rakes site on the edge of the Fens around the time of the Roman Conquest. Only around half of the Iron Age sites appear to have thrived in the Romano-British period, with most of the sites of the latter period appearing as pioneering operations as the landscape of the Roman province was developed and utilised. That the countryside continued to be exploited to the same degree during the Anglo-Saxon period cannot be supported by the excavation results. Settlement remains were much sparser, and the dataset from the period is dominated instead by the newly discovered cemetery at Callow Carr, which reused the Bronze Age barrow described above. This site joins one of a small number of small, rural Early-Middle Anglo-Saxon cemeteries known around the southern Lincolnshire Wolds, and is the first to be analysed and published. Its use lasted approximately 80-100 years and probably did not extend beyond the later 7th century, at a time when Christianity was becoming dominant. Callow Carr was a relatively small burial ground probably used by an extended family or local community over a few generations. Isotope studies reveal these people had largely grown up in the area, but their home range lay a little way from the cemetery site. Osteological data from the burials reveals a general healthy population engaged in a physically strenuous agrarian lifestyle, with one male having died shortly after, and possibly because of, a blow to the back of the neck with a sword or seax. Analysis of the grave goods from the cemetery as a whole has revealed something of the nuances of the local selection and use of such material, including the potential marking of kinship relationships by the comparable arrangement of grave goods within adjacent burials. No medieval or post-medieval remains of particular significance were recorded from the Interconnector; the absence of such material probably reflects the longevity of the current pattern of villages and field boundaries in the area, with the cable scheme routed to avoid modern settlements - and therefore their medieval forebears also. One noticeable focus of activity lay in the Lymn Valley at the southern tail of the Lincolnshire Wolds, where five of the sites reported on in this volume were located. These contained an archaeological record shedding light on how the local landscape was used between the Neolithic and Anglo-Saxon periods.

Abstract: The aim of the archaeological works prior to the start of development construction was to - Record, report and advance our understanding of the character and significance of any archaeological remains within those areas of the site which could be impacted by the proposed development. The objectives required to meet these aims and the appropriate methodology was in accordance with a Written Scheme of Investigation produced by Lanpro Services Ltd (2021). The works involved the pre-construction archaeological excavation of targeted areas within the footprints of proposed buildings. This investigation contributes to some of the research priorities noted within the North-East Regional Research Framework (2021) regarding the location, spatial extent, character, dating, chronology and lithics of the Mesolithic period within the excavation areas. The results clearly show the adverse impact of modern and post-medieval construction and demolition activity on the underlying prehistoric remains at the Riverside Sunderland development site. The upper surface of the prehistoric deposits ranged from 31.80m AOD to 31.32 AOD; while modern and post-medieval construction and demolition activity generally exceeded these depths to a greater or lesser degree. The small lithics assemblage of late Mesolithic or early Neolithic date indicates that there was occupation of the area, evidence for which has been truncated by the Vaux Brewery site. The site's location on high ground overlooking the River Wear is likely to have been an attractive environment for hunter gatherers.

Abstract: Archaeological research on Ihaste Mesolithic settlement site

Abstract: Reconstructing ancient shoreline with geophysical methods, Hunter-gatherers preferred shoreline location for ritual activities, Oldest cremation burial found in Northern Germany made by Mesolithic hunters

Abstract: Between October 2018 and February 2019 Oxford Archaeology East undertook open area excavations at Bartlow Road, Linton, Cambridgeshire, in advance of residential development on the south-eastern edge of the modern village. Following geophysical survey and trial trenching of the 2.5ha development site, two areas covering a total of 1.95ha were subject to open area excavation. The site lay on the lower slopes of the valley side, overlooking the river Granta to the south. Extensive deposits of colluvium were exposed across parts of the site, overlying the chalk bedrock on the higher ground and terrace gravels closer to the river. The earliest phases of activity were represented by exceptionally dense scatters of worked and burnt flint found both within the colluvial deposits and in the weathered top of the terrace gravels. Surface collection and test pitting of these deposits - including intensive excavation of selected areas of the terrace gravels - accompanied by large-scale off-site wet sieving of excavated deposits, recovered a very large assemblage of over 30,000 worked flints and more than 100kg of unworked burnt flint. The flintwork is overwhelmingly dominated by Later Mesolithic (c. 7000-4000 BC) material (including 172 microliths), representing the largest assemblage of this date yet recovered from the county, which is a very important addition to the record for Late Mesolithic activity in Eastern England. There was very little evidence for subsequent, later prehistoric activity, essentially limited to a single Early Iron Age pit and a small number of residual/unstratified finds. Romano-British (c. AD 43-410) remains were also restricted to residual/unstratified finds, including metalwork, pottery and ceramic building material, and this material reflects the location of the site within the hinterland/agricultural holdings of a major villa complex located less than 200m south of the site. More substantial evidence of Early Anglo-Saxon (c. AD 450-650) activity was revealed in the form of three sunken-featured buildings and a small number of associated pits. These structures produced a typical range of finds including pottery, metalwork, worked bone and a relatively substantial faunal assemblage, representing some of the only evidence for Early Anglo-Saxon settlement in the parish, complementing the record of several contemporary cemeteries in and around the village. The site was not directly occupied during the medieval and post-medieval periods, but a series of linear ditches attest to agricultural land use and a hollow way was revealed in the northern part of the development area, representing the latest (post-medieval) iteration of a trackway running between Linton and a deserted medieval settlement at Barham, some 300m south of the site. There was also evidence for extensive medieval and post-medieval/early modern quarrying of the natural chalk and gravels across the site.

Abstract: Fitzwise Limited is preparing an application for planning permission for reclamation work at Kiveton Park Colliery, Kiveton Park, South Yorkshire. This will include removing the existing tip, recovery of coal between the tip and the M1, and the reopening of the Norwood Canal Tunnel. Pursuant to this application, Fitzwise have requested that a desk-based archaeological assessment be undertaken. This will form part of the documentation submitted in support of the application. The study area lies within the South Yorkshire Coal Field, a poorly understood but important archaeological landscape with known human occupation from the Mesolithic (circa 8,000 B.C.) to the present. Twenty five sites of interest were identified within the study area, several with more than one component, of which eight lie wholly or partially within the proposed development area. The study area contains no Scheduled Ancient Monuments legally protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The study area contains 13 Listed Buildings, legally protected under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Two of these lie within the proposed development area. The curtilage and setting of two Listed Buildings will be affected by the proposed development. The desk based assessment revealed no definite prehistoric sites, 3 sites with Roman components, 5 with early medieval components, 7 with medieval components, 13 post-medieval sites, and 5 sites which could not be dated. Eight of the sites identified are wholly or partially within the proposed development area. These comprise standing buildings associated with Kiveton Park Colliery (1866-1994), the site of the early post-medieval Hard Mill, the site of the early post medieval Wales Colliery, the line of the Killamarsh Branch of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (1851-1994), the line of the Norwood Tunnel of the Chesterfield Canal (1771-1908), a well and building seen on early maps, the probable site of Wales Carr, a vanished landscape feature, and the findspot of 11 sherds of Romano-British pottery. The lack of sites predating the medieval period may be a bias of modern recovery conditions. While a thorough search of the available documentary evidence has been made, this should not be seen as an exhaustive record of the actual archaeology within the proposed development area. Potential exists for the presence of unknown sites of all periods.

Abstract: The nature of the relationships hunter-gatherer-fisher societies had with their natural environment is key to understanding their “being-in-the-world”. Indeed, while organic remains reflect the palaeoenvironment, they also offer a unique insight into daily subsistence strategies, settlement patterns, mobility, techniques, health, worldviews and cultural traditions. Throughout the Mesolithic, the use of plants and animals has some uniformity and great heterogeneity over time and space, reflecting the diversity of environmental and socio-economic interactions at play. Although central, the place of organics within Mesolithic societies remains difficult to grasp due to taphonomic issues but also because historically, most remains of organic origin have received less attention than stone (and bone) artefacts that have been used as “diagnostic fossils” to define Mesolithic techno-cultural complexes. Over the past decades, a range of techniques have developed, allowing us to identify “invisible” or undeterminable remains (e.g., through proteomics, microscopic or organic residue analyses), interpret incremental patterns (e.g., cementochronology), and traces (e.g., traceology on inorganic and organic remains, dental use-wear). These advances have broadened our interdisciplinary research frameworks and have significantly increased the body of knowledge about Mesolithic environments, used taxa and palaeoethnoecological practices. This session deals with the interactions of Mesolithic humans with their biological environment, focusing on how specific components of this environment were acquired, prepared/transformed, used and/or discarded, and what these actions may have implied in societal terms (economy, social organisation, territories, seasonality, diet, etc.). We welcome contributions dealing with palaeoenvironmental, palaeoclimatic and/or palaeoeconomic reconstructions based on plant, animal, fungal or bacterial remains.

Abstract: 36no 50m x 1.8m evaluation trenches covering 4250 square metres over a site area of c. 37ha. Following a desk-based assessment and geophysical survey 38no. trenches were excavated across the site, targeting both geophysical anomalies and apparently 'blank' areas. A single shallow pit containing a flint blade of probable late Mesolithic date was identified in Trench 5 at the north-east portion of the site and suggests a background prehistoric use of the site, with peat deposits also recorded in the low-lying areas of the site. The pits presence likely to relate to transient Mesolithic activities such as hunting or gathering and suggests that hunter-gather communities were moving across the landscape surrounding Lichfield during the Mesolithic period. The rest of the features recorded dated to the post-medieval and later periods, including former field boundaries which correspond to 1st Edition OS Mapping of the site, post-medieval quarry pits and modern land drains demonstrating the agricultural use of the site from the post-medieval period onwards. There were no archaeological finds, features or deposits which suggested any settlement or prolonged occupation of the site prior to the post-medieval period.

Abstract: An archaeological watching brief and concurrent excavation was carried out under the terms of a Written Scheme of Investigation dated 8 September 2021. Based on the results of the excavation a programme of post excavation analysis was requested by Angus Council. The scope of this work was set out in a Post-Excavation Research Design. The archaeological excavations at Letham Grange have provided valuable insights into the site's historical timeline and human activity, spanning from the Mesolithic to the medieval period. The Mesolithic period was represented by the discovery of a red deer skull with antlers, dated to 8214-7952 cal BC. This finding suggests Mesolithic hunting practices, although the isolated nature of the skull leaves the broader context open to interpretation. Limited prehistoric activity was observed in the excavation area before the Iron Age, contrasting with the rich archaeological landscape in the wider region, which includes the significant Neolithic and Bronze Age site at Carnoustie. The possible round ditched barrow (SM 6126) identified through aerial photography close to the site may explain the presence of the Bronze Age flaked lithics. Iron Age features dominate the site, with two post-built structures resembling a possible roundhouse and a four-post structure. Determining the roundhouse type highlighted challenges in classification due to the absence of a surviving post-ring. The presence of a substantial entrance structure and the discovery of querns near the structure suggest agricultural activities related to grain processing. Later activity on site was represented by the kiln, dated to 1499-1645 cal AD and 1480-1638 cal AD. The design of the kiln showed similarities with Type III kilns found elsewhere in the UK, particularly in construction features and materials. The archaeobotanical analysis of material from within the kiln reveals a focus on oat and hulled barley, indicative of medieval cereal processing. The field boundaries on the site, which predate Ordnance Survey mapping, may contemporaneously align with the kiln. Overall, the archaeological findings at Letham Grange contribute to a deeper understanding of the site's evolution, highlighting human activities across various prehistoric and historical periods. The Iron Age structures, Bronze Age finds, and the medieval kiln collectively demonstrate the complexity and continuity of human habitation in the Angus region.

Abstract: Light eyes, hair, and skins probably evolved several times as Homo sapiens dispersed from Africa. In areas with lower UV radiation, light pigmentation alleles increased in frequency because of their adaptive advantage and of other contingent factors such as migration and drift. However, the tempo and mode of their spread is not known. Phenotypic inference from ancient DNA is complicated, both because these traits are polygenic and because of low sequence depth. We evaluated the effects of the latter by randomly removing reads in three high-coverage ancient samples, the Paleolithic Ust’-Ishim from Russia, the Mesolithic SF12 from Sweden, and the Neolithic I5077 from current Croatia. We could thus compare three approaches to pigmentation inference, concluding that for suboptimal levels of coverage (<8×), a probabilistic method estimating genotype likelihoods leads to the most robust predictions. We then applied that protocol to 348 ancient genomes from Eurasia, describing how skin, eye, and hair color evolved over the past 45,000 y. The shift toward lighter pigmentations turned out to be all but linear in time and place, and slower than expected, with half of the individuals showing dark or intermediate skin colors well into the Bronze and Iron ages. We also observed a peak of light eye pigmentation in Mesolithic times, and an accelerated change during the spread of Neolithic farmers over Western Eurasia, although localized processes of gene flow and admixture, or lack thereof, also played a significant role.

Abstract: EVALUATION: Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Richborough Estates Limited to conduct a 52 trial trench evaluation (2% sample) on a 26 hectare parcel of land located at Land North of Oakley Lane, Wimborne, Dorset, centred on National Grid Reference (NGR) 402500 098800. EXCAVATION: The earlier geophyical survey and evaluation identified seven areas of archaeological potential ('Areas 1-7'; 1.71 hectares in total) which were examined by the strip, map and sample excavation. EVALUATION: The evaluation revealed features dating from the Early Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Iron Age along with a large number of undated features. Finds dating from the Late Upper Palaeolithic or Mesolithic to the medieval periods were also recovered. The features included ditches, gullies, pits and postholes. Two pieces of Late Upper Palaeolithic/ Mesolithic worked flint, a blade and a burin, were recovered from a possible palaeochannel along the northern boundary of the Site. Four pits contained Early Neolithic pottery, one pit contained a near complete Early Bronze Age Collared Urn, two trenches had post-holes forming semi-circular shapes, interpreted as roundhouses, one of these postholes contained Iron Age pottery. Four semi-circular gullies, although undated, were also interpreted as possible roundhouses. The majority of archaeological features were located on the two high plateaus which form the southern third of the Site. EXCAVATION: Of the seven areas excavated, Areas 1, 5 and Area 6 were the most archaeologically fruitful: Area 1 contained two segmented ring ditches and a linear ditch, all broadly datable to the prehistoric period, along with eight pits of the same broad date or undated. Within Area 5 were fourteen Neolithic pits, four Bronze Age pits, eight other pits and a gully broadly datable to the prehistoric period, an Iron Age/Romano-British pit, a medieval tree-throw hole and a variety of undated features. Area 6 contained three Bronze Age pits and a variety of linear and discrete features datable only to the prehistoric period generally, including a cremation grave and a nearby pit containing redeposited pyre debris. Three post-medieval field boundary ditches and a group of undated discrete features were also recorded in Area 6. Remains were sparser in the other areas and may be summarised thus: Area 2: An undated ditch; Area 3: A small number of undated minor linear and discrete features; Area 4: Post-medieval ditches and an undated pit and gully terminal, and Area 7: an undated posthole. Finds amounting to 23.13 kg were recovered from Areas 1-7, the majority dating to the prehistoric period. The pottery provides the primary dating evidence and includes material of Late Neolithic through to post-medieval date, with a Late Neolithic and Bronze Age focus. The worked flint assemblage (469 pieces, 5315 g) derives largely from Areas 5 and 6, where much came from pits of prehistoric date, including examples securely dated to both the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. A significant assemblage of environmental evidence, including charred plant remains and wood charcoal, has been recovered from the Late Neolithic and early Bronze Age pits. Further analysis of these samples would provide information in the nature of the activities at the site, plant exploitation practices, the availability of wild resources, and the nature of the local environment.

Abstract: The Element considers historiography - the extent to which insular prehistorians have integrated their findings with the archaeology of mainland Europe; and the ways in which Continental scholars have drawn on British material. An important theme is the cultural and political relationship between this island and the mainland. The other component is an up-to-date account of prehistoric Britain and her neighbours from the Mesolithic period to the Iron Age, organised around the seaways that connected these regions. It emphasises the links between separate parts of this island and different parts of the Continent. It considers the links across the Irish Sea as only one manifestation of a wider process and treats Ireland on the same terms as other accessible regions, from France to the Low Countries. It shows how different parts of Britain were separate from one another and how they can be studied in a European framework