The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca

Hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic
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structures is limited to several hearths, what appears to be a substantial cooking pit, and a pavement.
The tool assemblage includes an impressive number of picks, made of local Portland chert,
perhaps used for removing limpets from rocks, or for extracting chert from outcrops.
Year round occupation may have been possible in light of the likely abundance of coastal
resources, and those from nearby woodland environments. Culverwell offers an indication of the
substantial nature of some Mesolithic occupation sites in Britain—although quite how much of
the site belongs to this period is unclear. The importance of coastal resources is evident at several
other south-west English middens, such as Westward Ho! and Blashenwell.
Mount Sandel, Co Antrim
Dated to c.9,000 radiocarbon years BP, this site is located on a 30 m high bluff overlooking the
River Bann (Figure 3.9). Mount Sandel (Woodman 1985) has substantial numbers of microliths
dominated by scalene triangles; this is one of the earliest narrow blade assemblages known in the
British Isles. Other stone tools include awls, scrapers and axes made on either cores or flakes.
The important evidence for
structures consists of a large
number of postholes that were dug
within an enlarged natural hollow.
These postholes evidently relate to
numerous structures as some
intercut, or were cut by other
features. They seem to represent
substantial circular huts, about 5.5m
in diameter, that contained hearths
and pits, perhaps for storage.
TOOLS, SITE ACTIVITIES,
MOBILITY AND
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
Stone tools and manufacturing
waste provide the largest body of
evidence for the British Mesolithic.
The basic types comprise
microliths, scrapers, burins, axes and
Figure 3.9 Excavations of the hut at Mount Sandel (P.Woodman)
adzes. The simple presence of
microliths within an assemblage suggests a Mesolithic date—although the possibility that microliths
were also made later in prehistory should not be discounted.
Artefact frequencies, site activities and settlement patterns
The relative frequencies of tool types may indicate the activities that were undertaken at a site.
Pitts’ use (1979) of the proportions of end-scrapers and burins at Star Carr in arguing for specialized
antler working has been noted. In Hampshire, the sites of Iping II and Oakhanger VII have
contrasting tool assemblages. Oakhanger VII has more scrapers, serrated blades and truncated
pieces than microliths, while microliths far outnumber these types at Iping. Microburins—quite
rare at Oakhanger—are more numerous than microliths at Iping, suggesting that (if microliths
are indeed for projectiles) hunting weapons were made there, while processing activities, such as
cleaning hides, appear dominant at Oakhanger (Jacobi 1981).