The Quest for Mounds

Tags

Archaeology, English Heritage, Museum, News, Wessex, Wiltshire

Last week, we reported on Dr Leary’s talk about his team’s work at Marden henge in the Vale of Pewsey.  Just part of the work involves the study of the remains of the hill within the henge, called Hatfield Barrow, now flattened.

It had been excavated by Sir Richard Colt Hoare in the early nineteenth century, found to be largely empty, and when it collapsed into the excavation hole it was levelled by the farmer. The modern excavations of the remains show this mound was contemporary with Silbury, though smaller than, (the largest pre-historic mound in Europe), built circa BC 2 400. Dr Leary was sufficiently intrigued by this to consider an excavation of another, apparently similar, mound in the area, Marlborough Mound in the grounds of Marlborough School.

Legend has it that Marlborough Mound contained the bones of Merlin, and it certainly was the motte on which the Norman keep of Marlborough Castle was built around AD 1100. Was it older than this? With considerable support from the College itself, and from other agencies, Dr Leary was able to co-ordinate the extraction of cores from the mound which, with carbon dating by English Heritage, showed that the mound was also originally built c BC 2 400.  Three such mounds in one small area!

Silbury – the largest of the three mounds mentioned here

For Jim Leary, this raised the question – what about the other mounds, scattered around the country, and most, like Marlborough, assumed to be Norman mottes?

He was able to do similar research on a number. The audience at the museum talk waited with bated breath as the slide with time-lines went up on the screen, to reveal….. No, all the mounds further investigated were, as originally thought, about one thousand years old, ie Norman. Except one.  It wasn’t circa 5 000 years old, but Iron Age (just over two thousand years old). And the only known example in this country.

It is at Skipsea in Yorkshire.  On the Continent these Iron Age hills were the wealthy ‘seats’ of nobility, always associated with enclosures which, in turn, always show, through finds, amazing cultural links with far-flung places.  Does Skipsea have an enclosure?  Oh yes……. it does. What a time to be in archaeology!

See the Round Mounds Project for more.

 

Does Size Matter?

Tags

Archaeology, English Heritage, Museum, Stonehenge, Wiltshire

It does when it comes to henges, apparently.  At another of the museum’s excellent talks last week, Dr Jim Leary spoke about his work over the last few years at Marden, in the Vale of Pewsey, and about the amazing discoveries there, with Reading University and Historic England (formerly English Heritage). Marden is described as Europe’s largest Neolithic henge, enclosing over 15.7 hectares, and an even larger one is probably waiting to be excavated at nearby Cat’s Brain (yes, really!), both beating Avebury for size.

Marden Henge, Vale of Pewsey

The Vale of Pewsey lies between Stonehenge and Avebury but is not part of the World Heritage Site. Nevertheless, it is as full of archaeological ‘goodies’ as anywhere else in Wiltshire.  Perhaps even more so.  Dr Leary explained that the relative lack of interest in the area is because, unlike the higher ground where Stonehenge and Avebury stand, the Vale has been ploughed continuously for thousands of years and any remains are less obvious.

As with Avebury , the ditch around the henge at Marden is on the inside, with a bank outside of that.  The assumption is that this was to protect the people/audience/congregation from what was inside.  Whatever that was! Like Avebury, and, indeed, Durrington, there is evidence of Neolithic buildings on the site before the banks and ditches were built.  In this case, there is a rectangular building with a chalk floor where the archaeologists are even investigating the layer of dirt and dust which had accumulated on the floor when it was in everyday use. A PhD student is doing a thesis on what this dirt can tell us!  There is evidence of burning in the area, the same signs of  ceremonial feasting as at Durrington, and a midden.

The artifactual finds are of astonishing beauty (exquisite arrowheads) and possibly unique (pottery with a white ‘slip’ made from crushed bone, possibly human).

Thanks to Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and English Heritage for this photo. Wilts Museum has an on-going display of information and artifacts from this excavation

Inside the henge was a large conical mound known as the Hatfield Barrow (now levelled) and an inner henge. Hatfield barrow stood tall in the eighteenth century when it was mapped but was later ploughed out.  It was likely to have been similar to Silbury.  This had Dr Leary on a mission.  How many other mounds in the area, in the country even, might have been built in Neolithic times?  More on this next week.

The smaller henge has been excavated and shows evidence of huge holes which must have held timber, or possibly stone, at some early time, now completely gone.  There is evidence of similar such holes at Stonehenge, marked in the carpark there.

What a time to be in archaeology. Scientific advances will allow that PhD student to do her research on a layer of dirt just a few millimetres thick. DNA and isotope analysis allow us to pinpoint dates and origins to a very exact degree. Dr Leary said that things were changing so fast he was never able to recycle his lectures to students anymore!

The excavations continue this year, having begun in 2015.  After that will come the analysis of what has been found and the publications.  If we want to visit the Marden site we are more than welcome.  The team are there every day this summer except Fridays and the students of Reading University conduct guided tour for visitors. Go in the coming weeks or miss the chance! Click here for further details.

A Little Bit of Background

Tags

Anglo-Saxons, DCMS, English Heritage, Garfield Weston Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, Linbury Trust, Old Sarum, Pitt Rivers Wessex Collection, Salisbury Museum, Stonehenge, Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Stonehenge World Heritage Site, Wessex, Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Wolfson Fund

In this post I thought I should give a little bit of background into the redevelopment of the archaeology galleries and how it fits into the future of the museum. In a previous post I mentioned that the new Wessex Gallery is the first part of a major redevelopment that will eventually see Salisbury Museum transformed. Salisbury Museum will be gradually updating all of their galleries and improving accessibility, over the next ten to fifteen years.

The redevelopment of the museum as a whole has been in the planning for several years and the archaeology galleries (with their designated collections of outstanding national importance) were quickly identified as a key area for updating.  In 2008, when the process began, it was common knowledge among museum staff and the board of trustees that the archaeology galleries were out of date in terms of academic information and appearance.

Display case from the Pitt Rivers Gallery

Remains and pot from a beaker burial displayed in the old Pitt Rivers Gallery.

Early Man Gallery in the mid-80s

Both The Early Man Gallery and The Pitt Rivers Gallery had been designed in the 1970s by Robin Wade and Pat Read. Although innovative at the time of construction, the galleries had become oppressive, confusing, and inaccessible to many visitors. The colours in the galleries were dark, and the materials were looking worn. They were perceived as a space reserved for academic intrigue and enquiry, rather than a place of interest and enjoyment for all types of audiences – which the new archaeology gallery aims to be!

In contrast, The Stonehenge Gallery that was designed in 2001 took a less academic approach. The target audience of the gallery was families, and displays included a number of interactives that had become worn, outdated or broken.

Display in Stonehenge Gallery

‘The Changing Faces of Stonehenge’ in the Stonehenge Gallery

The differences in approach between the three galleries were confusing to visitors. People frequently missed viewing parts of the museum’s collections because displays were either thought too academic or too family orientated.

The new Wessex Gallery (which replaces these three previous galleries) is due to open late Spring 2014 and will become a space of discovery and investigation for all visitors, both young and old. Visitors will discover Anglo-Saxons, Romans, the beaker people and those who lived during the creation of Stonehenge as they are taken back through time, starting with William the Conqueror at Old Sarum and ending in the deep prehistory of Wessex.

Salisbury Museum has been working in partnership with English Heritage and Wiltshire Heritage Museum to develop an integrated approach to the interpretation of Stonehenge. Whether visiting the new Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes, or Salisbury Museum, visitors will discover a different aspect of Stonehenge.

The creation of the new archaeology gallery was made possible by a grant of nearly £1.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The total cost for the new gallery will be £2.4 million. The remaining funds have been raised through grants and donations from trusts and foundations, including major grants from English Heritage, the Linbury Trust, DCMS/Wolfson Fund, and the Garfield Weston Foundation – a complete list of funders can be found on the museum’s website: (http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk/about-us/archaeology-wessex-gallery).

Keep an eye on the website for news of further museum developments!