Excavations at Fort Street, Silvertown, London revealed a short length of a prehistoric trackway ... more Excavations at Fort Street, Silvertown, London revealed a short length of a prehistoric trackway constructed within the floodplain of the Thames. Two pollen profiles were obtained through peat together with four radiocarbon dates; two from the trackway itself, one from near the bottom and one from near the top of the peat. These dates indicate that the trackway was constructed in the Early Neolithic and that peat formation took place in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The trackway is of considerable importance in that it represents the earliest known structure of this kind yet discovered in the London area.
Humans have engineered their environments throughout the Holocene, especially in the construction... more Humans have engineered their environments throughout the Holocene, especially in the construction of hydraulic infrastructure. In many regions, however, this infrastructure is difficult to date, including the vestiges of water-management systems in the Andean highlands. Focusing on silt reservoirs in the upper Ica drainage, Peru, the authors use cores and radiocarbon dates to demonstrate the pre-Hispanic construction of walls to enhance and expand wetlands for camelid pasture. Interventions dated to the Inca period (AD 1400–1532) indicate an intensification of investment in hydraulic infrastructure to expand production capacity in support of the state. The results are discussed in the context of the hydraulic strategies of other states and empires.
The Acorn Business Centre at 1-16 Empress Road, Southampton was redeveloped in 2014-15. An archae... more The Acorn Business Centre at 1-16 Empress Road, Southampton was redeveloped in 2014-15. An archaeological condition on the application resulted in an archaeological watching brief on the ground investigations and the retrieval and analysis of a sleeved core taken through the below ground deposits, which included prehistoric peat. The lowest deposit observed in the piling was the London Clay. This was overlain from -5.27m OD by sands and gravels of the Whitecliff Sand Member. These were cut by the valley of the Itchen in the Pleistocene period. The earliest surviving river valley deposits were sand and silt that included pond weed remains indicating standing fresh water. This was followed by increased organic content suggesting vegetation encroachment leading to peat formation. The peat was a mix of sedge and alder with alder becoming more prevalent towards the top, after which tidal inundation began to affect the area. The base of the peat, which was at c.-4m OD, was radiocarbon dated to the early Mesolithic period (10225 to 10165 cal BP) and the top of the peat, which was at c.-1.55m OD, was radiocarbon dated to the mid-Mesolithic period (7715 to 7620 cal BP). This would give a total rise in relative sea level of 2.45m over approximately 2250 years being on average just over 1mm a year. The changes in lithology, vegetation and hydrology seen in the deposits undoubtedly resulted from positive relative sea-level change, well documented for the Solent. The prehistoric deposits were overlain by disturbed tidal flat deposits and 19th century made ground. The base of the peat (10225 to 10165 cal BP), is the earliest date to be obtained from a layer of peat in the Itchen valley. The Empress Road site therefore provides important new evidence for the early chronology of the river Itchen. The earliest peat (dated to the early-Mesolithic) probably lay in a narrow channel and this is the first time it has been found; the later peat ties in with the dates from two nearby sites suggesting a wider deposit of peat in the mid-to late-Mesolithic period. The archive contains text documents and raster images. The paper archive and the photographic archive; comprised of black and white negatives and prints, colour slides and digital images, was deposited with Southampton City Council Museums archaeological archive. Some environmental material was recovered from the geoarchaeological evaluation
Inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS) forms the upper parts of a vegetated point-bar that fo... more Inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS) forms the upper parts of a vegetated point-bar that forms the channel bank in the fluvial–tidal transition toward the head of the Severn Estuary. Continuing accretion of IHS occurs at the level of mean high water spring tides. The IHS overlies bar sands. The channel bank is convex upward with a tidal current-eroded scarp near the level of mean high water neap tides. At the foot of the scarp is a sandy bar reworked by tidal currents and weakly bioturbated by all but the lowest neap tides. The sandy bar is within the tidal channel and sections exhibit faint horizontal lamination with occasional ripple cross-lamination, mud flasers, reactivation surfaces, and convolutions. Convolutions are ascribed to pressure fluctuations due to tidal bores. In contrast, the IHS of the point-bar consists of distinctive thin laminations of sand, silt, and clay deposited by the higher spring tides. The channel bank top is inundated by slow currents, with little...
Lithics: The Journal of the Lithic Studies Society, 2016
fNTRODUCTION There are particular difficulties in assessing areas of Palaeolitruc archaeology. St... more fNTRODUCTION There are particular difficulties in assessing areas of Palaeolitruc archaeology. Structural features such as pits and ditches will nOt be present; deposits containing archaeological remains are entirely natural and likely to be deeply buried; understanding often complex namral depositional processes is critical to assessing the context and significance of any archaeological remains; acmal evidence for human activity can be limited, relying heavily on recognition of relevant artifacts or worked bone; the often sparse OCClUTence and relatively small size of such remains on the one hand and the depth of sediments on the other make the scale and method of sampling sediments a critical factor. This paper describes an approach to assessing Pleistocene deposits known to contain Palaeolithic remains at Purfleet, wruch may have scope for wider application and further development and adaptation. The Oxford Archaeological Unit (OAU) undertook a two stage archaeological evaluation...
The deforestation of upland areas in southwest Britain during the mid-Holocene has become an arch... more The deforestation of upland areas in southwest Britain during the mid-Holocene has become an archaeological narrative, derived from the analysis of pollen within upland peat deposits. The transition of these environments from brown earth soils supporting temperate deciduous woodland, into the now familiar podzolic peat mire landscapes is seemingly associated with abandonment of the uplands in late prehistory. The prehistoric archaeological records of these landscapes are rich and significant questions remain unanswered about prehistoric societies and their role in the environmental transition of these upland systems. Despite these rich archaeological records and detailed palaeoecological studies, the geoarchaeological study of the pre-peat sediments has remained somewhat limited. This paper provides the analysis of a Mesolithic heated pit infilled with a brown earth soil, and the pre-monument deposit sequences at two burnt mounds dating to the Late Neolithic – Early Bronze Age. The ...
Excavations at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, uncovered a Final Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage ... more Excavations at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, uncovered a Final Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage representing an open-air, short-term camp. The site is in the Test Valley on a low gravel terrace at the edge of the river system. Two scatters were found. Although not in situ, little lateral movement is indicated for at least one of these scatters from which several core reduction sequences could be determined through a programme of refitting. The other scatter appears to have suffered more post-depositional disturbance. One scatter appears to have functioned as a knapping station, while the other may have been an area of tool production. Chronological, technological, and cultural affinities are discussed and it is concluded that the flint assemblage belongs with the Final Upper Palaeolithic Hengistbury-type industries, probably dating to the second part of the Windermere interstadial (c. 12,500–11,000 cal BC; 12,000–11,000 BP).
A combination of archaeological and palaeo-environmental field work in the Avon Levels, western E... more A combination of archaeological and palaeo-environmental field work in the Avon Levels, western England, has enabled a much better understanding to be reached of the complex Holocene sedimentation in this part of the Severn Estuary, and of the close relationship between the upper part of that sequence and opportunities for exploitation of this wetland region during the later prehistoric and Romano-British periods. This paper explores that relationship, focusing in particular on two Iron Age to Romano-British sites. Both sites, at Hallen and Northwick, appear to have been short-lived and only seasonally occupied in order to exploit rich grazing but this occupation took place at different times and within rather different patterns of land-use. The paper concludes with an outline model for the human use of the Avon Levels from the Neolithic to Romano-British periods.
ABSTRACT Results of stratigraphic and palaeoecological studies carried out on deposits at Silvert... more ABSTRACT Results of stratigraphic and palaeoecological studies carried out on deposits at Silvertown in east London are discussed in relation to current models of Late glacial and Holocene alterations to river form, relative sea-level change, vegetation development and archaeology in the lower Thames. The data indicate that the braided bedform typical of British cold stage rivers evolved into a lower energy meandering form around 10 500 BP, a process that caused channel cut-off. The fill of one of these contained organic sediments and in-washed sands dating from 10 500-9300 BP in which there was palynological evidence for the replacement of Late Devensian tundra by early Holocene pine forest. Biostratigraphic evidence for the period 9000-5500 BP was limited owing to the absence of organic sediments and, instead, deposition was of in-channel sands. Peat formation began at c. 5500 bp, and these organic sequences contain evidence of the elm decline at 5010±70 BP and the lime decline at 3070±60 BP. The latter event was accompanied by forest clearance for Bronze Age agriculture and a consequent alteration to both the marsh and dry ground flora. Around 2500 bp the peats were submerged beneath estuarine muds as a result of further sea-level rise. A series of age/altitude points relating to Holocene sea-levels were constructed from the site data and were found to fit relatively well with current ideas of sea-level change in the post-glacial period. The results from Silvertown reflect data from shorter sequences in the London area, combining evidence of the Late glacial to early Holocene transition, with information on river development, changes in sea-level tendency and human-induced vegetation change.
Excavations at Fort Street, Silvertown, London revealed a short length of a prehistoric trackway ... more Excavations at Fort Street, Silvertown, London revealed a short length of a prehistoric trackway constructed within the floodplain of the Thames. Two pollen profiles were obtained through peat together with four radiocarbon dates; two from the trackway itself, one from near the bottom and one from near the top of the peat. These dates indicate that the trackway was constructed in the Early Neolithic and that peat formation took place in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The trackway is of considerable importance in that it represents the earliest known structure of this kind yet discovered in the London area.
Humans have engineered their environments throughout the Holocene, especially in the construction... more Humans have engineered their environments throughout the Holocene, especially in the construction of hydraulic infrastructure. In many regions, however, this infrastructure is difficult to date, including the vestiges of water-management systems in the Andean highlands. Focusing on silt reservoirs in the upper Ica drainage, Peru, the authors use cores and radiocarbon dates to demonstrate the pre-Hispanic construction of walls to enhance and expand wetlands for camelid pasture. Interventions dated to the Inca period (AD 1400–1532) indicate an intensification of investment in hydraulic infrastructure to expand production capacity in support of the state. The results are discussed in the context of the hydraulic strategies of other states and empires.
The Acorn Business Centre at 1-16 Empress Road, Southampton was redeveloped in 2014-15. An archae... more The Acorn Business Centre at 1-16 Empress Road, Southampton was redeveloped in 2014-15. An archaeological condition on the application resulted in an archaeological watching brief on the ground investigations and the retrieval and analysis of a sleeved core taken through the below ground deposits, which included prehistoric peat. The lowest deposit observed in the piling was the London Clay. This was overlain from -5.27m OD by sands and gravels of the Whitecliff Sand Member. These were cut by the valley of the Itchen in the Pleistocene period. The earliest surviving river valley deposits were sand and silt that included pond weed remains indicating standing fresh water. This was followed by increased organic content suggesting vegetation encroachment leading to peat formation. The peat was a mix of sedge and alder with alder becoming more prevalent towards the top, after which tidal inundation began to affect the area. The base of the peat, which was at c.-4m OD, was radiocarbon dated to the early Mesolithic period (10225 to 10165 cal BP) and the top of the peat, which was at c.-1.55m OD, was radiocarbon dated to the mid-Mesolithic period (7715 to 7620 cal BP). This would give a total rise in relative sea level of 2.45m over approximately 2250 years being on average just over 1mm a year. The changes in lithology, vegetation and hydrology seen in the deposits undoubtedly resulted from positive relative sea-level change, well documented for the Solent. The prehistoric deposits were overlain by disturbed tidal flat deposits and 19th century made ground. The base of the peat (10225 to 10165 cal BP), is the earliest date to be obtained from a layer of peat in the Itchen valley. The Empress Road site therefore provides important new evidence for the early chronology of the river Itchen. The earliest peat (dated to the early-Mesolithic) probably lay in a narrow channel and this is the first time it has been found; the later peat ties in with the dates from two nearby sites suggesting a wider deposit of peat in the mid-to late-Mesolithic period. The archive contains text documents and raster images. The paper archive and the photographic archive; comprised of black and white negatives and prints, colour slides and digital images, was deposited with Southampton City Council Museums archaeological archive. Some environmental material was recovered from the geoarchaeological evaluation
Inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS) forms the upper parts of a vegetated point-bar that fo... more Inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS) forms the upper parts of a vegetated point-bar that forms the channel bank in the fluvial–tidal transition toward the head of the Severn Estuary. Continuing accretion of IHS occurs at the level of mean high water spring tides. The IHS overlies bar sands. The channel bank is convex upward with a tidal current-eroded scarp near the level of mean high water neap tides. At the foot of the scarp is a sandy bar reworked by tidal currents and weakly bioturbated by all but the lowest neap tides. The sandy bar is within the tidal channel and sections exhibit faint horizontal lamination with occasional ripple cross-lamination, mud flasers, reactivation surfaces, and convolutions. Convolutions are ascribed to pressure fluctuations due to tidal bores. In contrast, the IHS of the point-bar consists of distinctive thin laminations of sand, silt, and clay deposited by the higher spring tides. The channel bank top is inundated by slow currents, with little...
Lithics: The Journal of the Lithic Studies Society, 2016
fNTRODUCTION There are particular difficulties in assessing areas of Palaeolitruc archaeology. St... more fNTRODUCTION There are particular difficulties in assessing areas of Palaeolitruc archaeology. Structural features such as pits and ditches will nOt be present; deposits containing archaeological remains are entirely natural and likely to be deeply buried; understanding often complex namral depositional processes is critical to assessing the context and significance of any archaeological remains; acmal evidence for human activity can be limited, relying heavily on recognition of relevant artifacts or worked bone; the often sparse OCClUTence and relatively small size of such remains on the one hand and the depth of sediments on the other make the scale and method of sampling sediments a critical factor. This paper describes an approach to assessing Pleistocene deposits known to contain Palaeolithic remains at Purfleet, wruch may have scope for wider application and further development and adaptation. The Oxford Archaeological Unit (OAU) undertook a two stage archaeological evaluation...
The deforestation of upland areas in southwest Britain during the mid-Holocene has become an arch... more The deforestation of upland areas in southwest Britain during the mid-Holocene has become an archaeological narrative, derived from the analysis of pollen within upland peat deposits. The transition of these environments from brown earth soils supporting temperate deciduous woodland, into the now familiar podzolic peat mire landscapes is seemingly associated with abandonment of the uplands in late prehistory. The prehistoric archaeological records of these landscapes are rich and significant questions remain unanswered about prehistoric societies and their role in the environmental transition of these upland systems. Despite these rich archaeological records and detailed palaeoecological studies, the geoarchaeological study of the pre-peat sediments has remained somewhat limited. This paper provides the analysis of a Mesolithic heated pit infilled with a brown earth soil, and the pre-monument deposit sequences at two burnt mounds dating to the Late Neolithic – Early Bronze Age. The ...
Excavations at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, uncovered a Final Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage ... more Excavations at La Sagesse Convent, Romsey, uncovered a Final Upper Palaeolithic flint assemblage representing an open-air, short-term camp. The site is in the Test Valley on a low gravel terrace at the edge of the river system. Two scatters were found. Although not in situ, little lateral movement is indicated for at least one of these scatters from which several core reduction sequences could be determined through a programme of refitting. The other scatter appears to have suffered more post-depositional disturbance. One scatter appears to have functioned as a knapping station, while the other may have been an area of tool production. Chronological, technological, and cultural affinities are discussed and it is concluded that the flint assemblage belongs with the Final Upper Palaeolithic Hengistbury-type industries, probably dating to the second part of the Windermere interstadial (c. 12,500–11,000 cal BC; 12,000–11,000 BP).
A combination of archaeological and palaeo-environmental field work in the Avon Levels, western E... more A combination of archaeological and palaeo-environmental field work in the Avon Levels, western England, has enabled a much better understanding to be reached of the complex Holocene sedimentation in this part of the Severn Estuary, and of the close relationship between the upper part of that sequence and opportunities for exploitation of this wetland region during the later prehistoric and Romano-British periods. This paper explores that relationship, focusing in particular on two Iron Age to Romano-British sites. Both sites, at Hallen and Northwick, appear to have been short-lived and only seasonally occupied in order to exploit rich grazing but this occupation took place at different times and within rather different patterns of land-use. The paper concludes with an outline model for the human use of the Avon Levels from the Neolithic to Romano-British periods.
ABSTRACT Results of stratigraphic and palaeoecological studies carried out on deposits at Silvert... more ABSTRACT Results of stratigraphic and palaeoecological studies carried out on deposits at Silvertown in east London are discussed in relation to current models of Late glacial and Holocene alterations to river form, relative sea-level change, vegetation development and archaeology in the lower Thames. The data indicate that the braided bedform typical of British cold stage rivers evolved into a lower energy meandering form around 10 500 BP, a process that caused channel cut-off. The fill of one of these contained organic sediments and in-washed sands dating from 10 500-9300 BP in which there was palynological evidence for the replacement of Late Devensian tundra by early Holocene pine forest. Biostratigraphic evidence for the period 9000-5500 BP was limited owing to the absence of organic sediments and, instead, deposition was of in-channel sands. Peat formation began at c. 5500 bp, and these organic sequences contain evidence of the elm decline at 5010±70 BP and the lime decline at 3070±60 BP. The latter event was accompanied by forest clearance for Bronze Age agriculture and a consequent alteration to both the marsh and dry ground flora. Around 2500 bp the peats were submerged beneath estuarine muds as a result of further sea-level rise. A series of age/altitude points relating to Holocene sea-levels were constructed from the site data and were found to fit relatively well with current ideas of sea-level change in the post-glacial period. The results from Silvertown reflect data from shorter sequences in the London area, combining evidence of the Late glacial to early Holocene transition, with information on river development, changes in sea-level tendency and human-induced vegetation change.
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Papers by Rob Scaife