Ring Ditch Research Articles

Landscape-scale spatial variations of pre-Columbian anthropogenic disturbances at three ring ditch sites in French Guiana.

In the past two decades, repeated discoveries of numerous geometric earthworks in interfluvial regions of Amazonia have shed new light onto the territorial extent and the long-term impact of pre-Columbian populations on contemporary landscapes. In particular, the recent development of LiDAR imagery has accelerated the discovery of earthworks in densely forested hinterlands throughout the Amazon basin and the Guiana Shield. This study aimed to evaluate the extent and landscape-scale spatial variations of pre-Columbian disturbances at three ring ditch sites in the French Guiana hinterland. We carried out extensive soil surveys along approximately 1 km-long transects spanning from ring ditches through the surrounding landscapes, and drawn upon multiple indicators, including archaeological artifacts, macro- and micro-charcoals, soil colorimetry, and physicochemical properties to retrace the pre-Columbian history of these sites in terms of occupation periods, anthropogenic soil alteration, and ancient land use. Our results revealed a perennial occupation of these sites over long periods ranging from the 5th and 15th centuries CE, with local enrichments in chemical indicators (Corg, N, Mg, K, Ca) both within the enclosures of ring ditches and in the surrounding landscapes. Physicochemical properties variations were accompanied by variations in soil colorimetry, with darker soils within the enclosure of ring ditches in terra-firme areas. Interestingly however, soil properties did not meet all the characteristics of the so-called Amazonian Dark Earths, thus advocating a paradigm shift towards a better integration of Amazonian Brown Earths into the definition of anthropogenic soils in Amazonia. Soil disturbances were also associated to local enrichments in macro- and micro-charcoals that support in situ fire management that could be attributed to forest clearance and/or slash-and-burn cultivation. Taken together, our results support the idea that pre-Columbian societies made extensive use of their landscapes in the interfluvial regions of the French Guiana hinterlands.

Effects of Chemical Fertilizer Application upon the Water Quality Parameters of a Rice–Eel (Monopterus albus) Coculture System

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers causes many problems for which solutions are being sought in a variety of agricultural production systems. From the perspective of paying attention to the health requirements of aquatic animals in terms of water quality, this study investigated the impact of chemical fertilizer application on water quality in a rice (Oryza sativa L.; Cultivar “Qingxiangruangeng,” accession number: 2014004)–eel (Monopterus albus) coculture system in Shanghai, China. Chemical fertilizer was applied four times—as base fertilizer, rejuvenated fertilizer, tiller fertilizer, and ear granule fertilizer—during the production process of a rice–eel coculture system (June to October 2020). Changes in the water quality parameters of rice field’s surface water and ring ditch water in the regular chemical fertilizer group (RF) and no chemical fertilizer group (NF, the control) were compared before and at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after the chemical fertilizer application. The results for the analyzed physical and chemical indexes of each water area before and after four fertilizations revealed several consistent trends. First, the pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature (T), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of either water area were similar between the NF and RF groups, whereas their total nitrogen (TN), total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), and total phosphorus (TP) levels differed significantly. After adding the above fertilizer containing nitrogen and phosphorus, 24 h later, the TN, TAN, and TP content had already increased significantly in comparison with the control. The maximum average content of TAN and nitrite nitrogen (NO2−-N) in the ring ditch water reached 12.30 mg/L and 0.37 mg/L, respectively, at 24 h after the chemical fertilizer application. Nonlinear regression analysis results showed that there was a significant positive relationship TN (δTN) and TAN (δTAN) vis-à-vis the nitrogen content of the fertilizer. The results of this study provide a timely empirical reference and data support for improving fertilizer management in rice–eel coculture systems.

호서지역 청동기~초기철기시대 환호 검토

This paper attempts to classify the types of ring ditches from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age in the region called Hoseo today. In addition, it examines their features and how they have been changed.
 A total of five types are identified: Type Ⅰ, which has multiple rows, a flat irregular shape, and residential areas inside; Type Ⅱ, which has a single row, a flat circle or oval shape, and a vacant lot inside, but only a ring ditch is constructed; Type Ⅲ, also similar to Type Ⅱ, which is adjacent to residential space outside; Type Ⅳ, which has a single row, a flat oval shape, and including living relics inside; Type Ⅴ, similar to Type Ⅵ, but no relics existed inside the ring ditch.
 Type Ⅰ has separated residential groups according to ring ditch. Therefore, it could guess that it was a means that indicates hierarchies within a village. In terms of Type Ⅱ~Ⅴ, they are strongly considered ceremonial uses because of the following reasons. First of all, their ring ditches surround the top of the hill. Secondly, places separated by ring ditches are a vacant lot or have a few habitations found inside of them. The last one is the presence of entrances to them. Despite the types having a lot in common, they also show significant differences in the scale. The Type Ⅳ·Ⅴ seems that more labour was put into its construction because of its relatively large scale compared to the Type Ⅱ·Ⅲ. Furthermore, it is presumed that it played a role not only in the ceremony but also in making their community strengthen.
 When it comes to time, in the Hoseo area, Type Ⅰ first appeared in the early period of the Bronze Age, then followed by Type Ⅱ and Type Ⅲ. Afterwards, Type Ⅳ newly appeared in the latter period. Eventually, in the Early Iron Age, Type Ⅳ and Type Ⅴ coexisted, and Type Ⅱ·Ⅲ has not been longer identified.
 Since the result that estimated the scope of ritual ceremony illustrates that there are a number of remains in the visible areas of Type Ⅱ rather than Type Ⅲ, Type Ⅱ would have been a communal place that encompassed much more groups. Moreover, the number of remains in the visible areas is the same in the case of Type Ⅳ and Type Ⅴ in spite of their scale difference. It could lead to the possibility that Type Ⅳ, relatively large, did not cover the wider community. Thus, the Type Ⅳ could be the ring ditch managed by a similar scale of community to the Type Ⅴ.

Excavations at Musselburgh Primary Health Care Centre

An excavation was undertaken by CFA Archaeology Ltd (CFA) between August and November 2010 on the site of the new Musselburgh Primary Health Care Centre. The site, which lies to the south of Inveresk Road, is centred on NGR: NT 3428 7224. Until its demolition, the area had been occupied by Brunton Wireworks. The Scheduled Monument of Inveresk Roman Fort lies at the top of the steep slope c 50m to the south of the excavation site. The excavation identified six phases of activity on the site, the earliest being a Mesolithic flint scatter. The area was used as a burial ground in the Iron Age and a ring ditch may also be of prehistoric date. Later, six Roman inhumation burials (four of which had been decapitated) and a horse burial were interred, and a possible Roman fortlet was constructed. Across the site, a network of interconnected ditches formed part of a Roman-period field system, which cut through the rampart of the possible fortlet, and through a number of the graves. Along the southern boundary of the site a large accumulation of Roman midden deposits overlay features associated with the field system, although it may have started to build up while the latter was still in use. A post-built structure was also found, one post of which cut a ditch of the field system. The midden deposits extended along the full length of the southern boundary of the site, measuring 110m long by up to 20m wide. Numerous artefacts were recovered, representing the rubbish and discarded personal belongings of the fort occupants. The pottery included samian bowls with personal names scratched on the bases. Evidence from these, together with isotopic analysis of the human skeletons, shows that the ethnic origin of those living in the fort was diverse, as would be expected for the Roman army.

Neolithic pits and Late Bronze Age roundhouses in the Upper Ury Valley, Aberdeenshire

Archaeological monitoring of works on a gas pipeline route in Aberdeenshire, north-west of Inverurie, resulted in the discovery and excavation of several groups of Neolithic pits and four Bronze Age roundhouses. The Neolithic pits were concentrated around the Shevock Burn, a small tributary of the Ury, and in the East and North Lediken areas to the north. They produced significant assemblages of Early Neolithic Impressed Ware and of Modified Carinated Bowl. The Bronze Age roundhouses included the heavily truncated remains of a post-built structure near Pitmachie, the remains of a pair of ring ditch structures near Little Lediken Farm, and another ring ditch structure close to Wrangham village.

Scythian Barrow of the Second Half of the 5th Century BC in the Lower Dniester Region

Introduction. The article publishes and analyses the materials obtained during excavations of Scythian barrow 9 of the group Vodovod near the Glinoe village, Slobodzeysk district, on the left bank of the Lower Dniester. The barrow was surrounded by a ring ditch and contained two burials of medieval nomads - the main one, the Scythian, and the secondary, the inlet one. Methods. The mound was excavated by the method of parallel trenches, leaving stratigraphic profiles. When analyzing the materials obtained, a comparatively typological method was applied. Analysis. The main burial was made in a catacomb of unusual construction. The entrance well of the catacomb was filled with stone slabs and boulders characterized with utmost accuracy of production. Despite this, in antiquity the burial was robbed three times: through the entrance well, through the roof of the funeral chamber and through the robbery mine, which went to the burial chamber from the north-eastern floor of the mound. The preserved grave goods are represented with a handmade pot, an iron knife, an iron needle and an awl, a lead finial, a stone slab, a burned pebble, a piece of mineral paint, a wooden kneader, a bronze horse harness and golden pendants. The stone slab was made very carefully, and the wooden kneader is the second such find in the North-West Black Sea region. Bronze items of horse harness have no analogues in the Scythian burial complexes of the North Black Sea region. The construction of barrow 9 of the group Vodovod dates back to the second half of the 5th century BC and is determined on the basis of gold pendants, which analogies are known only in the Malyy Chertomlyk barrow in the Lower Dnieper region. Results.The most important is the fact that the studied barrow was found in the microzone (near the Glinoe village of the Slobodzeya district), where at the moment not only the Scythian burial sites of the 5th - 2nd centuries BC are known, but also a settlement of that time. This testifies to the continual dwelling of the Scythians on the left bank of the Lower Dniester River during this period.

Excavation of Four Barrows, and a Middle Bronze Age Cremation Cemetery, at Heatherstone Grange, Bransgore, Hampshire

Excavation at Heatherstone Grange, Bransgore, Hampshire, investigated features identified in a previous evaluation. Area A included ring ditches representing two barrows. Barrow 1.1 held 40 secondary pits, including 34 cremation-related deposits of Middle Bronze Age date, and Barrow 1.2 had five inserted pits, including three cremation graves, one of which dated to the earlier Bronze Age, and was found with an accessory cup. A number of pits, not all associated with cremation burials, contained well-preserved urns of the regional Deverel-Rimbury tradition and occasional sherds from similar vessels, which produced a closely-clustered range of eight radiocarbon dates centred around 1300 BC. Of ten pits in Area C, three were cremation graves, of which one was radiocarbon-dated to the Early Bronze Age and associated with a collared urn, while four contained only pyre debris. Barrow 1.3, in Area E, to the south, enclosed five pits, including one associated with a beaker vessel, and was surrounded by a timber circle. Area F, further to the south-west, included two pits of domestic character with charcoal-rich fills and the remains of pottery vessels, together with the probable remains of a ditched enclosure and two sets of paired postholes. Area H, located to the north-west of Area E, partly revealed a ring ditch (Barrow 1.4), which enclosed two pits with charcoal-rich fills, one with a single Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age potsherd, and the other burnt and worked flint. A further undated pit was situated to the east of Barrow 1.4. The cremation cemetery inserted into Barrow 1.1 represents a substantial addition to the regional record of Middle Bronze Age cremation burials, and demonstrates important affinities with the contemporary cemeteries of the Stour Valley to the west, and sites on Cranborne Chase, to the north-west.

REPEATED RESEARCH OF THE SCYTHIAN ROYAL ALEKSANDROPOLSKY KURGAN IN 2004—2009

After excavation of the Aleksandropolsky kurgan in 1852—1856 there was variety of questions on the kurgan design, lo-age structure buried in it, on possible presence in the kurgan of unknown tombs and funeral feasts. The special attention was deserved by a question on kurgan dating at modern level. According to excavation 1852—1856 and 2004—2009 the Aleksandropolsky kurgan looks as follows.
 Proceeding from volume of the remained sailings from excavation of the kurgan about 130000 m3, most probable height of Aleksandropolsky kurgan made 23—24 m, at diameter of the revetment about 80 m and diameter of a ditch of 110 m. The kurgan surface has been covered by a stone armour. At top of Aleksandropolsky kurgan there was Scythian or Polovcian a stone statue with which finds of a series of medieval products in 1852 and 2009 are connected. The kurgan surrounded an eartwork in height of 0.9—1.1 m, wich has passes from the western and east parties in width of 3.6—4.1 m. The eartwork had width from 6,5 m to 18—20 m. The eartwork has been built after carrying out of funeral feasts and blocked the layer of funeral feasts. Between eartwork and kurgan there was a ring ditch in diameter of 110 m, in the width 4.0—5.7 m and depth of 2.2—3.3 m. Stone revetment of Aleksandropolsky kurgan represented a vertical wall in height more than 4 m and diameter about 80 m, combined of huge stone plates. For building of the revetment 11 breeds of a stone have been used from the various deposits located 40—80 km from the kurgan on a straight line or from 80 to 160 km of real distances on roads. After end of funeral of royal persons, building of the embankment of Aleksandropolsky kurgan, building of the revetment around of it and the stone armour which has covered all surface of the kurgan, funeral feast near West side of the kurgan has been spent. On the area nearby 120 Ч 15 m (nearby 1800 м2) are found fragments of 457 Ancient Greek amphoras with 52 stamps, made in Gerakleja, Ikos, Chersonese, Fasos, Chios, Sinop, Menda and seven others for the present non-local Greek centers dated of 340—330 BC. Also bones of 99 animals eaten during funeral feast (bulls, horses, sheep, goats, dogs, pigs, a hare and a deer), fragments of Scythian modelled vessels, subjects of arms, a horse bridle, personal ornaments etc. are found. Some fragments of human bones that can testify to existence ritual cannibalism at Scythians. Among the funeral feast rests 11 burials of men, the woman and children of different age, which have been killed during funeral feast have been opened. Repeated excavation of Central tomb of the kurgan has allowed to specify its sizes and details of a design which had a bit different sizes and a configuration. Absence of lateral extortionate courses along longitudinal walls of the catacomb of Central tomb is reliably established. Also two more niches within the precincts of chamber, except one, opened in 1855 have been found. Modest enough sizes of the catacomb of Central tomb of Aleksandropolsky kurgan, structure of the things found here, defines possibility of funeral in the catacomb of the Central tomb of the man and the woman only. According to the newest anthropological definitions of skulls from the Central tomb belong to the woman of 20—35 years and the man at the age of more than 50 years. Proofs of full synchronism of all tombs and other objects of Aleksandropolsky kurgan (embankment, the revetment, ditch, nearkurgan funeral feast, subways) are received. Mysterious subways of Aleksandropolsky kurgan had ritual appointment. The kurgan has been plundered through a vertical well from kurgan top in an entrance hole of the Central tomb. At this robbery robbers used also subways.

Scythian barrow № 4 of the «Sluiceway» group on the left bank of the Lower Dniester

The paper publishes materials obtained during the study of Scythian barrow 4 of the Sluiceway group on the left bank of the Lower Dniester in 2016. The main burial, almost completely robbed in antiquity, was surrounded by a ring ditch with two ruptures - in the northwest and southeast. At the western extremity of the northern arch of the ditch a horses skull was found. Secondary burial of the barrow remained undisturbed. It was done in an oblong pit. Such constructions have not been fixed in the Danube-Dniester steppes so far, except for a pit of similar proportions, excavated in the barrow 5 of the same cemetery as the published complex. The analysis of the funeral rite and a few preserved inventories demonstrates that both burials belonged to ordinary members of the Scythian community. At the same time, the gold holder and bronze earring from the secondary burial have practically no analogies in the Scythian complexes of the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea Region. A nail-shaped earring from the secondary grave testifies to the cultural impulse from the population of the Middle Dniester Region (forest-steppe), reflected in the finery of the Scythians on the left bank of the Lower Dniester in the second half of the 4th century BC.

Excavations at Marne Barracks, Catterick, North Yorkshire, SE 254 970

This report concerns an excavation at Marne Barracks, Catterick, North Yorkshire, undertaken in the summer of 2015. The excavations were part of Operation Nightingale, working with Tri-Service personnel participating in archaeological projects on military bases. Six trenches were examined; two had scant remains and one trench exposed and sampled part of a substantial 20 m-diameter ring ditch. This was part of a Bronze Age burial mound and a radiocarbon date of 3223 ± 29 BP was obtained from material associated with the infilling of the ditch. The main focus of the excavation was around a Romano-British building first discovered in 1939. Excavations in 2015 re-exposed part of this fourth-century AD building and extended the outline of the structure to the south as well as discovering two Anglo-Saxon skeletons. The skeletons, like others from the immediate area, are dated to the sixth century AD.

Pre‐Columbian ring ditch construction and land use on a ‘chocolate forest island’ in the Bolivian Amazon

ABSTRACTWe present a palaeoecological investigation of pre‐Columbian land use in the savanna ‘forest island’ landscape of the north‐east Bolivian Amazon. A 5700‐year sediment core from La Luna Lake, located adjacent to the La Luna forest island site, was analysed for fossil pollen and charcoal. We aimed to determine the palaeoenvironmental context of pre‐Columbian occupation on the site and assess the environmental impact of land use in the forest island region. Evidence for anthropogenic burning and Zea mays L. cultivation began ∼2000 cal a BP, at a time when the island was covered by savanna, under drier‐than‐present climatic conditions. After ∼1240 cal a BP burning declined and afforestation occurred. We show that construction of the ring ditch, which encircles the island, did not involve substantial deforestation. Previous estimates of pre‐Columbian population size in this region, based upon labour required for forest clearance, should therefore be reconsidered. Despite the high density of economically useful plants, such as Theobroma cacao, in the modern forest, no direct pollen evidence for agroforestry was found. However, human occupation is shown to pre‐date and span forest expansion on this site, suggesting that here, and in the wider forest island region, there is no truly pre‐anthropogenic ‘pristine’ forest.

Pre-Columbian land use in the ring-ditch region of the Bolivian Amazon

The nature and extent of pre-Columbian (pre-AD 1492) human impact in Amazonia is a contentious issue. The Bolivian Amazon has yielded some of the most impressive evidence for large and complex pre-Columbian societies in the Amazon basin, yet there remains relatively little data concerning the land use of these societies over time. Palaeoecology, when integrated with archaeological data, has the potential to fill these gaps in our knowledge. We present a 6000-year record of anthropogenic burning, agriculture and vegetation change, from an oxbow lake located adjacent to a pre-Columbian ring ditch in north-east Bolivia (13°15′44″S, 63°42′37″W). Human occupation around the lake site is inferred from pollen and phytoliths of maize ( Zea mays L.) and macroscopic charcoal evidence of anthropogenic burning. First occupation around the lake was radiocarbon dated to ~2500 calibrated years before present (BP). The persistence of maize in the record from ~1850 BP suggests that it was an important crop grown in the ring-ditch region in pre-Columbian times, and abundant macroscopic charcoal suggests that pre-Columbian land management entailed more extensive burning of the landscape than the slash-and-burn agriculture practised around the site today. The site was occupied continuously until near-modern times, although there is evidence for a decline in agricultural intensity or change in land-use strategy, and possible population decline, from ~600–500 BP. The long and continuous occupation, which predates the establishment of rainforest in the region, suggests that pre-Columbian land use may have had a significant influence on ecosystem development at this site over the last ~2000 years.

Interdisciplinary archaeological prospection, excavation and 3D documentation exemplified through the investigation of a burial at the Iron Age settlement site of Uppåkra in Sweden

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the archaeological prospection, excavation and digital three‐dimensional documentation of a previously unknown neolithic grave, presumably late neolithic, at the outstanding Iron Age site of Uppåkra in southern Sweden, and exemplifies a multidisciplinary approach to modern archaeological fieldwork. In the framework of a large‐scale archaeological prospection pilot study conducted at the archaeological site of Uppåkra using remote sensing and large‐scale near‐surface geophysical prospection methods a peculiar circular structure was discovered and mapped using both manual and motorized high‐resolution ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) measurements. The structure, consisting of a ring ditch of ca. 10 m diameter, encloses an east–west oriented strongly reflecting rectangular body in the centre, which therefore was interpreted as being caused by the buried remains of a prehistoric barrow. Subsequent archaeological excavation was conducted across this structure in order to determine the exact cause of the GPR anomaly. This excavation resulted in detailed confirmation of the archaeological prospection results as well as in the discovery of dateable finds. The excavation was documented using the latest image‐based three‐dimensional modelling techniques. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Black soils, sediments and brown calcic luvisols: A pedological description of a newly discovered neolithic ring ditch system at Stephansposching, Eastern Bavaria, Germany

Because soils reflect past physical and chemical formation conditions, they are valuable geoarchives, but the knowledge of past soil patterns is restricted. Thus, buried soils of different ages are often used to reconstruct soil development stages. Soils were analyzed at a newly discovered and excavated Neolithic ring ditch system that was constructed some 6700 years ago in east Bavaria, Germany. Sediments and newly formed soils trapped in the former 2.5 m deep ditch are compared with adjacent sediments and in situ soils. Field descriptions, thin sections and extensive laboratory analysis, together with some geophysical measurements were applied for material characterization. At the bottom of the ditch are the remnant sediments of a fully developed Calcic Luvisol, which was the main soil type about 6700 years ago at the study site. Black sediments in the upper parts of the ditch, identified as Luvic Phaeozems, might be the result of anthropogenic fire management techniques. They are termed anthropo-thermal Luvic Phaeozems. No evidence of former Chernozems, other than in positions close to the floodplain of the Danube River, were found. The formation of black soils and black sediments adjacent to brown Calcic Luvisols is documented.

New Dates for Sarn-y-bryn-caled, Powys, Wales

The timber circle and other sites within the Sarn-y-bryn-caled ritual complex were excavated in advance of the construction of the Welshpool bypass and published in this journal in 1994 (Gibson 1994). The radiocarbon dating undertaken at the time relied totally on charcoal and, in the case of site 1 (the timber circle) and site 2 (a small panannular ring ditch), oak charcoal was the only available material. At the time, it was not possible to date cremated bone but now with this facility at our disposal, it seemed appropriate to redate these two important sites to check the existing dating and refine that dating if possible.

A superconducting quantum interference device system for geomagnetic archaeometry

AbstractA unique system for geomagnetic archaeometry is presented. It uses extremely sensitive superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) as magnetic field sensors, laid out as intrinsic gradiometers. These sensors are mounted on a non‐metallic cart, which guarantees smooth movement even at high speeds. Using a differential global positioning system (GPS) together with an inertial system the measured magnetic field gradient data are located on the mapped area with centimetre resolution and the height profile is also provided using the GPS. All data are stored in a data logger and partially online displayed on a laptop computer.At the time of this report, the system is pushed manually and has been tested on a Neolithic double ring ditch near Weimar, Germany. In a gateway through the rings, remains of palisades and buildings have been well resolved, confirming the high sensitivity of the SQUID‐based system. An excavation at the ring ditch showed that material with enhanced susceptibility was the origin of the magnetic field gradient signals. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Archaeometric prospection with high-T/sub c/ SQUID gradiometers

Mapping of the Earth's magnetic field or its gradient is a widely used method in archaeological prospection. The use of SQUID's promises to be advantageous for archaeometry, since they combine a high field resolution with a large bandwidth. Compared to conventional Cs vapor sensors SQUIDs can be used for much faster magnetic mapping, allowing, for the first time, the investigation of huge archaeological features in a reasonable time period. We have investigated several SQUID systems for their usability in archaeometry by measuring a Neolithic double ring ditch enclosure. We have used two electronic High Temperature Superconductor SQUID (HTS SQUID) gradiometers with base lengths of about 60 cm and a Low Temperature Superconductor SQUID (LTS SQUID) gradiometer with a base length of 4 cm. Their intrinsic magnetic field resolution was 6 pT/m//spl radic/Hz for the HTS SQUID gradiometers and about 0.1 pT/m//spl radic/Hz for the LTS SQUID gradiometer. In contrast to Cs vapor gradiometers, which measure the gradient of the total magnetic field, SQUID gradiometers measure one component of the gradient tensor. Since measurements have to be performed whilst movement in the background of the Earth's magnetic field, balancing is the limiting factor for the magnetic gradient field resolution of vector gradiometers.

La Nécropole de l'Age du Bronze de "La Croix de la Mission" à Marolles-sur-Seine (Seine-et-Marne)

Abstract The Bronze Age burial ground " La Croix de la Mission " at Marolles-sur-Seine presents a group of 13 ring ditches, 9 burials and 32 cremations of the Late Bronze Age. Two skeletons were dated by Carbon 14 : the first, buried in the central area of the largest ring ditch, confirmed the founding of the necropolis during the Early Bronze Age. The second, buried in the ditch of another of the monuments with a small collection of flint blades and flakes, dates to the Late Bronze Age and corresponds to the last phase of use of the necropolis. The Late Bronze Age cremations can be divided into different categories : cremations with a simple funerary urn or perishable container, complex burials consisting of a funerary urn accompanied by other vessels, or monumental burials. Anthropological studies raise new questions concerning burial rites of this period : recurrent manipulations reveal a wide variety of funerary practices.

Integrated Geophysical Prospecting at Ripa Tetta Neolithic Site (Lucera, Foggia-Italy)

The search for bodies of archaeological interest and buried anthropogenic objects at shallow depths, can be improved by using different geophysical methods. A comparison between two integrative methods (fluxgate differential magnetic and GPR methods) has been performed with the aim of defining the ring ditch at a neolithic site (Ripa Tetta, Lucera) near Foggia (Italy), the extent of which was uncertain. After processing the field data, the radar anomalies show a good agreement with the magnetic anomalies in the correspondence of some specific zones of the area investigated. The results of the geophysical survey have been confirmed by direct archaeological excavations carried out only at anomalous zones. In these zones the archaeologists found a ditch around the village.

Excavations in the Neolithic and Bronze Age Complex at Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, 1947–1952 and 1981

From 1946 to 1952. excavations were undertaken in advance of destruction by gravel workings of a series of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age monuments at Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxon. These included a long enclosure, a cursus, a double ditched henge, pit circles and ring ditches with primary and secondary cremation burials and a notable Beaker burial. Sites I, II, IV, V and VI, all pit circles or ring ditches, were published in 1951. This report describes sites III, VIII, IX, XI, XII, XIII and XIV. By the early 1950s much of the Neolithic complex had been quarried for gravel, and other adjacent areas subsequently were dug away. In 1981 the construction of a bypass led to the excavation of further surviving parts of the complex: site 1, a long D-shaped enclosure incorporated in the southern end of the cursus, and sites 2, 3 and 4.Both sets of sites are presented together, largely following the chronological scheme proposed for the complex by Bradley and Chambers (1988). Site VIII and site 1 are long enclosures of Earlier Neolithic date, with human remains. The latter site has a calibrated date of 3773–3378 BC. Site III is a cursus at least 1600 m long which cuts site VIII and incorporates site 1. A date of 3360–3040 BC was obtained from the primary fill of its ditch. Site XI is a three-phase ring ditch, perhaps successive enlargements of a barrow, but its innermost ditch is cut by a pit circle with cremations. There are Ebbsfleet sherds in the outermost ditch, and dates of 3037–2788 and 3024–2908 BC from the innermost, perhaps primary, ditch. Site XIV is a ring ditch succeeded by the Big Rings henge. Site 3 is a post circle between the ditches of the southern part of the cursus, with some secondary cremations. It has dates from the outer wood of its posts of 2890–2499, 2886–2491 and 2872–2470 BC; dates on charcoal associated with secondary cremations were 2880–2470, 2870–2460 and 2123–1740 BC. Site 2 is a penannular ring ditch with a primary date of 2912–2705 BC, and secondary cremations. Site XII is a notable Beaker burial within a two-phase ring ditch. An adult man was laid crouched on a bier and was accompanied by a fine W/MR beaker, a stone bracer, a tanged copper knife and a small riveted knife with at least one rivet of tin bronze. Traces of a stretcher-like feature were found in an adjacent pit which cuts the inner ring ditch. Site XIII, the Big Rings, is a large double ditched enclosure with central bank and opposed entrances. There was Beaker pottery in the primary fill of the inner ditch, but very little material was found in either ditch, and there were minimal features in the interior, part of which was stripped. Site 4 consists of two conjoined ring ditches within the southern end of the cursus. It encloses cremation burials. One, accompanied by an awl and Collared Urn, has a date of 2290–1910 BC. Traces of a ditched field system (originally referred to as a droveway, site IX) of later Bronze Age date were found cutting sites III, VIII and XIII, and paired ditches on site 1 may be related.The complex is related to its local and regional context, and the sequence of development is discussed. A timescale measured in generations is advocated, with phases of continuity and episodes of little activity both represented. Several aspects of monuments are considered: their differing scales including the monumental, their ability to endure and create tradition, and finally the choice of designs, from the locally customary to the exotic.