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Although excavated over twenty years ago, the material recovered from the Lower Palaeolithic site of Red Barns can contribute significantly to current Palaeolithic research. The site contains undisturbed lithic artefacts in association with faunal and molluscan remains. The site dates to a cool stadial late in the Middle Pleistocene, a period during which significant hominid physical evolution was taking place, but also a period for which very little is known about hominid behaviour and how it compared with behaviour at much earlier sites such as Boxgrove. Analysis of the sediment samples, artefacts and faunal remains already recovered from the site has the potential to date the site accurately and place it in an environmental and climatic context and also to investigate hominid behaviour at the point when the Archaic colonisers of Britain were evolving into Neanderthals.
British Palaeolithic archaeological research is currently undergoing a dynamic phase of growth. New scientific techniques and well excavated sites, such as Boxgrove (Pitts and Roberts 1997) and Barnham (Ashton et al 1998), have combined to provide a clear picture of the date of the first hominid colonisation of Britain and the Pleistocene chrono-stratigraphic and climatic framework accompanying this initial colonisation and the subsequent occupation of Britain. Britain was first occupied approximately 500,000 years ago by an Archaic hominid species, Homo cf. heidelbergensis during the interglacial preceding the major Anglian glacial event which led to the burial of most of Britain by ice sheets several kilometres thick. Archaic hominid occupation persisted in Britain during the climatic fluctuations of the next 450,000 years, the later Middle and early Upper Pleistocene, during which time Homo cf. heidelbergensis changed its physical characteristics, evolving into Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis. The Archaic line died out in Britain between 40,000 and 30,000 BP, towards the end of the Upper Pleistocene, when Neanderthals were replaced by anatomically modern humans.
Research over the last one hundred years has led to a fairly full understanding of how the types of flint tool changed during the Archaic occupation of Britain during the Middle and Upper Pleistocene. A basic framework of technological and typological change through time having been established, current Palaeolithic research has moved on, as highlighted in Exploring our Past (English Heritage 1991) to address more social, behavioural and environmental themes. Of particular concern are issues such as:
It has become recognised that the integration of environmental and archaeological evidence has a major role to play in addressing these strictly archaeological questions. Besides the clues to dating provided by environmental evidence, the prevailing climate and local environment posed problems which the Archaic hominids had to solve in order to survive. Investigation of how these solutions, or strategies for survival, changed in Britain during the climatic fluctuations of the Middle and Upper Pleistocene can help address the question of mental capability. Therefore current Palaeolithic research is also concerned with:
As emphasised in Exploring our Past (English Heritage 1991), of particular importance for current Palaeolithic research is the investigation of undisturbed Palaeolithic sites combining biological with artefactual evidence. Red Barns is such a site. The density of artefactual material on the working floor at Red Barns is, at over 200 artefacts m2, unsurpassed in the British Palaeolithic (Gamble, in press). By contrast, the main working floors excavated at Boxgrove (Q1 Area B, Q2 Area A and GTP 17) and Barnham have artefact densities of between 12 and 62m-2. This extra richness makes Red Barns unique in the British Lower Palaeolithic and emphasises its interpretive potential. In fact only one site in Europe is richer, the little known site of San Quirce in Italy (ibid.). Despite having been excavated over twenty years ago, the quality of the excavation methods and the surviving site archive enable analysis of the data recovered to make a significant contribution to current Palaeolithic research.
The site is located on the eastern side of a small dry valley running down the south-facing flank of Ports Down (NGR SU 808062), approximately 8km northwest of Portsmouth. Ports Down is an east-west chalk anticline rising to 120m OD between Portsmouth Harbour to the south and the Hampshire Downs to the north. The site lies at approximately 30m OD on a south-facing slope cut across the dip slope of the chalk. The site is in middle of an open turfed space within a housing estate built in the early 1970s, just to the west of Dore Avenue and opposite the entrance of Jute Close.
The site was discovered in December 1972 by C. Draper, a local amateur collector, during monitoring of the construction of the housing development for the South Hampshire Archaeological Rescue Group (SHARG). During 1973 Draper identified three main findspots of lithic artefacts (Sites A, B and C) amongst a network of drainage and sewer trenches dug at the start of the construction programme. The lithic artefacts were recovered from machine-excavated spoil, but nonetheless it was possible to establish that they mostly came from a grey ‘soil’ sealed beneath an indurated calcrete layer near the base of the sewer trenches. The grey soil appeared to extend over most of the development area, although its thickness was variable. Site A was the most prolific findspot, with over 300 artefacts being recovered and was approximately 185m to the west of Sites B and C, which were close together.
In June 1974 Draper, together with A.G. Woodcock, excavated a small test-pit (Site D) 12m to the west of Site A, immediately to the north of an east-west sewer run. Approximately ninety mint condition flint artefacts including three handaxes, as well as numerous chips and spalls, were recovered from this trench. At this point it became clear that the site was probably of national importance, appearing to have undisturbed Palaeolithic artefacts preserved at a particular stratigraphic horizon of substantial lateral extent. Draper contacted A.M. ApSimon of Southampton University (SU) and it was arranged for a larger archaeological excavation, directed by Apsimon and C.S Gamble (also of SU), to take place with the help of SHARG adjacent to Site D during 1975.
The larger excavation at Site D was carried out in March and April 1975 by SU with the assistance of SHARG and was also financially aided by a grant of £100 from English Heritage, made available by G. Wainwright, then the Regional Inspector for the Department of the Environment.
The original objectives of the 1975 excavation were:
Objectives 1, 2 and 3 were addressed by the excavation of an area thought to be large enough to cover the presumed Site D activity area and the recording of the spatial locations of archaeological material. A trench 5m x 8m was excavated immediately to the south of the original small testpit at Site D, on the opposite side of the sewer run.
The series of chalky solifluction deposits, loams and brickearths which overlay the calcrete layer and from which no archaeological material had been found, were excavated by machine and the surface of the calcrete was exposed by heavy hand tools. The layer of calcrete itself was then removed with heavy hand tools and the underlying grey soil, which was the main source of artefacts, was excavated by trowelling. Artefact recovery was total, with all spoil from each metre square being put through a sieve mesh size 6mm x 6mm, ensuring recovery of small chips and spalls. Larger artefacts found during trowelling had their spatial position recorded either to the nearest centimetre or to 10cm x 10cm quadrats within the trench.
Objectives 4 and 5 were addressed by recording the full stratigraphic sequence and by the recovery of associated biological evidence. All four sections of the 1975 trench were levelled in relation to the Ordnance Datum and were drawn at a scale of 1:20. A grid of spot-heights was established by levelling on the surface of the calcrete layer and on the top and base of the grey soil layer, in order to establish the 3-dimensional geometry and slope of the Pleistocene units revealed. Full descriptions were made of each different sedimentological unit. Mammalian faunal remains were recovered during excavation of the artefact-bearing grey soil and the presence of molluscan remains was also noted in this deposit and the overlying calcrete. A series of sediment samples was recovered both from the excavated calcrete and grey soil and also from the overlying sequence of deposits exposed in the sections.
A preliminary report on the SU/SHARG excavation has been published summarising the stratigraphic sequence and archaeological material recovered (Gamble and ApSimon 1986). The stratigraphic sequence at the site was 2.5m deep, with the artefact rich grey soil (layer 11) capped by calcrete occurring at the base of the sequence and being buried by archaeologically sterile loams, brickearths and chalky solifluction deposits.
|
Unit |
Description |
|
1 |
Topsoil |
|
2 |
Brown clay with broken flints |
|
3 |
Chalky mud with frost-cracked flints |
|
42 |
Brown clay-loam |
|
41 |
Dark red-brown silty loam |
|
5/51 |
Brown/red-brown loam |
|
61 |
Light brown gritty mud |
|
65 |
Grey soil with flints |
|
66 |
Gritty pale chalky solifluction with occasional larger flints |
|
6 |
Sandy loam with chalk fragments |
|
7 |
Red-brown clayey loam |
|
8 |
Pockets of fractured flints in clayey matrix |
|
9 |
Pockets of brown clay abutting 8 |
|
10 |
Calcrete layer, fractured and fissured (with molluscs) |
|
101 |
Chalk brecchia |
|
11 |
Grey soil (with mint flint artefacts, molluscs and fauna) |
|
12 |
Cemented chalk rubble with flint nodules |
Table 1: The stratigraphic sequence at Red Barns
A large quantity of flint artefacts was recovered mostly from the grey soil, although some were found partly embedded in the overlying calcrete. The use of sieving successfully ensured complete recovery of the smaller chips and spalls. Artefacts were more concentrated at the northern end of the trench. Several complete or partial handaxes were found. The very sharp condition of the majority of the artefacts, their concentration in one part of the trench and the large quantities of small debitage all suggest that the assemblage represents the undisturbed remains of Palaeolithic activity. Two mammalian remains were recovered from the grey soil, both from a large horse, possibly the same individual. Preliminary examination of a small sample of the grey soil produced a molluscan assemblage indicating an open grassland environment associated with a period of cool climate.
So far as dating the site goes, the Red Barns site is 800m east-south-east of the east-west Goodwood-Slindon raised beach feature (sea-level of around 40m OD) and 300m west of a spread of pebbles on a sloping bench between 35 and 40m OD, which may represent a palaeo-shoreline complex contemporary with or shortly post-dating the main 40m raised beach (ApSimon et al 1977), or which may represent the slipped remnants of an exposure of the 40m raised beach itself. In either case, the Red Barns site is at least 5m lower, so is clearly of younger date. Recent work (Pitts and Roberts 1997; Parfitt 1998) has shown that the 40m OD Goodwood-Slindon raised beach dates to approximately 500,000 BP and represents the high sea-level associated with the interglacial immediately preceding the major Anglian glaciation. The molluscan evidence from Red Barns suggests the site is not associated with a full interglacial climax, but with a cool stage before or after an interglacial. On the current evidence it is not possible to state with certainty how soon after the pre-Anglian interglacial the Red Barns site was formed. However, the emphasis on handaxes, the absence of Levalloisian flake core techniques and the absence of Middle Palaeolithic types of flake tool indicate that the Red Barns site predates 300,000 BP, after which Levalloisian technology became common in southern England (cf. Bridgland 1996).
This is a period when significant human biological and cultural development is taking place. The earliest British inhabitants (Homo cf. heidelbergensis - as represented at Boxgrove) were evolving into Neanderthals. Preliminary results from Boxgrove, whose archaeological horizons date to the end of the pre-Anglian interglacial (probably late Oxygen Isotope Stage 13 - approximately 475,000 BP), have suggested that practices such as hunting and butchery were part of the behavioural repertoire of the first colonising population, although whether these activities can be accepted as evidence of a capacity for essentially modern behavioural capabilities is hotly debated (Gamble 1995 and 1997; Pitts and Roberts 1997). Boxgrove has provided a window into the lifestyle of the very first British inhabitants, but less is known about how the behavioural capacity and practices of the descendants of this hominid group subsequently changed in conjunction with changing physical characteristics. Analysis of the archaeological material recovered from the Red Barns site has the potential to address this gap in current understanding of the Palaeolithic.
Following the SU/SHARG excavation in 1975, the archaeological material from the site and the associated documentary archive was stored at Southampton University, where a substantial amount of post-excavation processing was carried out. All the flint artefacts were washed and marked with their spatial location. In 1988, the lithic material and the associated documentation was passed for comparative study to M. Roberts, at that time excavating at Boxgrove on the Goodwood-Slindon raised beach approximately 25km to the east of Red Barns. The lithic material was returned to Southampton University in October 1996 and the associated documentation in early May 1997.
The artefacts from the SU/SHARG excavation are currently stored at the British Museum (Franks House) and the faunal remains are stored at the Natural History Museum. The site archive is currently in the possession of F.F. Wenban-Smith, for study and sorting as part of this project design. The other lithic material recovered from the site by Draper and Woodcock is stored at the Portsmouth City Museum, along with its associated archive, parts of which are also duplicated within the SU/SHARG archive. Sediment samples collected during the SU/SHARG excavation are stored in the Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton.
Approximately 10,000 lithic artefacts have been recovered from the Red Barns site, most from the SU/SHARG excavation in 1975, but several hundred from Draper and Woodcock's work (Table 2). The bulk of the collection comes from the SU/SHARG trench and Draper's Sites and D. All these artefacts come from the same grey soil horizon, so can be regarded as part of a single assemblage containing over 9,000 artefacts. The assemblage includes between ten and twenty whole or partial handaxes and at least one stone percussor. The facts that numerous small flint chips and spalls were also recovered and that the great majority of the artefacts are in mint condition suggests that the assemblage comes from an undisturbed Palaeolithic knapping floor.
|
Site location |
|
Number of artefacts |
|
SU/SHARG 1975 excavation |
|
8,678 |
|
Draper 1973 |
Site A collection |
371 |
|
Draper 1973 |
Site B collection |
112 |
|
Draper 1973 |
Site C collection |
83 |
|
Draper and Woodcock 1974 |
Site D excavation |
175 |
|
Total |
|
9,419 |
Table 2: the lithic collection from Red Barns
The preliminary analysis of the artefactual material at Southampton University involved the division of the artefacts into basic technological categories and the counting and weighing of artefacts in each category. The spatial location of each artefact was also inked onto it at this stage. The size and bulk of the assemblage meant that a discard policy was carried out after this process, with certain categories being disposed of, particularly ‘shatter’ (lumps of debitage affected by frost-fracturing), tested nodules and unstruck nodules presumed to have been imported to the site as raw material. Detailed records were kept of the material discarded. Samples of the material discarded have been retained in the collection, which will give an indication of whether any significant archaeological evidence has in fact been lost. Preliminary examination suggests this is not the case.
Two mammalian faunal remains were recovered from the grey soil horizon by the SU/SHARG excavation. These are a horse astragalus and calcaneum, both from a large specimen, possibly the same individual. The bone is in generally good condition, although the surface is weathered in places.
A total of seven sediment samples were taken in 1975 from various stratigraphic units at the site and have subsequently remained in storage at Southampton University.
A total of fourteen different section drawings are preserved in the site archive, including original drawings of all four sections of the SU/SHARG trench annotated with detailed sedimentological descriptions and sampling locations. Original detailed drawings of the stratigraphic sequence in the sewer trenches around the SU/SHARG trench are also preserved, as well as various notes on the stratigraphic sequence in other parts of the housing development. There are also inked copies to publication standard of two sides of the SU/SHARG trench. These were used in the preliminary report (Gamble and ApSimon 1986). All the section drawings are tied in with Ordnance Datum.
A total of thirteen different sketches and plans are preserved in the site archive. These show the location of the SU/SHARG trench and associated site-grid in relation to Draper and Woodcock's nearby sites (A and D) and in relation to the sewer's and manholes which formed part of the housing development. The manholes in these plans can be identified on the ground surface in the present day, allowing precise relocation of the SU/SHARG trench and of Sites A and D. The plans also show the locations of all of the section drawings and one master plan of the housing estate has Draper's original annotations on the quantity and locations of all lithic material collected by him during his extensive monitoring of the housing development.
The site archive includes three original inked illustrations of lithic artefacts, two from the SU/SHARG trench and one from Draper and Woodcock's Site D. These were used in the preliminary report (Gamble and ApSimon 1986).
The site archive includes four files containing complete records of the material recovered from the site, with preliminary categorisations of the lithic assemblage and details of the material discarded. There are also three notebooks containing information on the locations and stratigraphic context of the sediment samples and the subjects of some of the colour slides.
There is a fairly large documentary archive (sixty items) consisting of letters and miscellaneous notes in relation to the SU/SHARG excavation. These include correspondence about the site with Draper, English Heritage and Fareham Borough Council, a report on the analysis of a sample of molluscs from the grey soil and general notes about the personnel involved and the requisition of site equipment. There is also a formal report drawn up by Woodcock summarising the results of his investigation at Site D, together with a detailed analysis by him of the archaeological material recovered from Site D.
A total of 126 colour slides are preserved in the site archive. Approximately forty of these have specific notes relating to their subject, but the subjects of the remaining slides are mostly self-apparent. Forty-nine negatives of black and white prints are preserved, twenty of them standard 35 mm and twenty-nine of them 2 inch square format. Contact sheets for these black and white prints are also preserved, along with a few large prints of selected negatives.
The flint artefacts represent complete recovery from what appears to be an undisturbed Palaeolithic activity area of 40m2. The large quantity of flints recovered from precisely recorded spatial locations make the assemblage of very high potential for investigating the Palaeolithic. The artefact density (210m-2) is more than treble the next richest British Lower Palaeolithic sites (Barnham Area I, Boxgrove Q1/B - both c. 60m-2). It is more than ten times richer than the other claimed undisturbed knapping floors at Boxgrove, Q2/A and GTP 17, which both have artefact densities of c. 15 m-2. The complete recovery of small debitage enables its spatial and size distributions to be used to investigate the formation process of the grey soil and to confirm the lack, or degree, of disturbance to the contained archaeological material. It is possible to investigate the range and diversity of knapping strategies and tool types, the distribution within the site of different categories of artefact (such as tools, primary debitage, secondary debitage and tool re-sharpening) and the stages of reduction present in the assemblage, thus enabling a picture to be constructed of the activities carried out and the nature of occupation at the site.
The high degree of patination on the lithic material means that, although in very fresh condition, it is unlikely to be appropriate for microscopic use-wear analysis (Mitchell, pers. comm.). Macroscopic examination of the edges of tools and flakes can give an indication of the intensity and nature of use, although recent work (Sala 1996) highlights the problems caused by chemical regimes and shifting within the soil over long burial periods. Therefore, while it would be prudent to conduct a precautionary microscopic examination of the edges of any fresh condition tools, where there are signs of macroscopic damage, it is unlikely that this avenue of research has the potential to contribute significantly to understanding behaviour at the Red Barns site.
Analysis of the lithic assemblage can also make a significant contribution to current Palaeolithic research into the causes and significance of variability in handaxe shape. Tyldesley (1986) suggests that the plano-convex types of handaxe found in the Red Barns collection are of chronological significance, whereas White (1995) argues that shape is dictated by raw material availability. The proximity of Red Barns to a source of fresh chalk flint, the collapsed cliff above the Goodwood Slindon raised beach, enables this issue to be addressed. Conclusions about the nature of the hominid activity at Red Barns and the causes of the technological and typological variability observed also feed into the debate about the extent to which the later Middle Pleistocene hominids were capable of fundamentally modern human behaviour. Some (Gamble 1996; 1997) see these Middle Pleistocene hominids as carrying out inflexible patterns of behaviour superimposed on the landscape whether in Africa or Europe, with minimal logistic organisation. Others (Wenban-Smith 1996; Pitts and Roberts 1997) see them as much more like ourselves, planning ahead and constructing a cultural geography across the landscape (cf. Binford 1987). Analysis of the stages of production and raw material usage in relation to availability at Red Barns may also contribute to this debate.
The small size of the faunal assemblage limits the potential for faunal analysis. Such faunal remains may preserve cutmarks from butchery, or marks from use as a knapping percussor, which is of interest for reconstructing the nature of human occupation at the site. Inferences can also be made about the local environment from the species represented. Obviously a larger and more diverse assemblage would be more useful, but taken in conjunction with other lines of environmental enquiry, the presence of horse can add to our understanding of the local environment and climate. Current research suggests that the size of horses may be a useful biostratigraphic marker within the Middle Pleistocene of northwest Europe. However, it is clear following discussion with Dr. Simon Davis of the AML that statistical analysis of a reasonable sample of material is critical if biometric data is to be used for dating. The small size of the Red Barns faunal assemblage means that this avenue cannot be followed.
The preservation of larger mammalian remains recovered during excavation together with the known presence of molluscan remains suggest that smaller vertebrate remains may have been preserved in the grey soil, although these were not sieved for at the time of excavation. However, small vertebrate remains may well be preserved in the surviving sediment samples and their recovery and analysis have a key role to play in reconstructing climate and environment and in dating the site (cf. Section 4.3.3).
Molluscs were recovered in 1975 from a sample of the grey soil, although their current whereabouts is not known. The remaining sediment samples have not yet been processed, but include further samples from the main archaeological layer at the site (the grey soil), as well as from the overlying loams and brickearths. These samples are potentially a highly significant resource for addressing climatic, environmental, depositional and dating issues at the Red Barns site. Besides the molluscan evidence which is already known to be present, the generally calcareous depositional environment also favours the preservation of small vertebrate remains such as fish, small mammals, amphibians and reptiles. The predominantly fine-grained nature of the surviving samples suggests that ostracods may also be present. The samples also may contain wood charcoal fragments and charred plant macro-fossils. Despite the generally calcareous environment, it is also possible that the samples contain pollen and diatom evidence.
While each of these categories of evidence is potentially significant in its own right, their value as a whole is greater than the sum of the parts since they often contribute complementary information and a much more sensitive picture of local environment and prevailing climatic regimes can be built up by combining information from different areas of biological evidence such as small vertebrates, diatoms and pollen. In view of the importance of all these categories of evidence both separately and collectively for understanding the Red Barns site, a full programme of analysis is essential and statements of potential for each category of evidence are provided below, produced in consultation with the respective named specialists.
Careful co-ordination is necessary for the different aspects of environmental work carried out on the sediment samples. Small samples need to be taken from each sample for pollen, diatom and ostracod analysis respectively before any other processing took place. The remaining parts of the samples can then be processed by a combination of flotation and wet-sieving with a 500 micron mesh to recover other types of evidence. The resulting residues can then be sorted and different types of evidence separated out for study by relevant specialists.
Study of these samples will inevitably lead to their destruction, other than of the specific evidence recovered from them. However, as discussed below, the potential of the samples to address key objectives at the Red Barns site makes their study worthwhile. Furthermore, the original deposits still survive over a wide area, so are still available for subsequent reinvestigation.
Molluscs
Dr. R. Preece, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Molluscs were found in a sample of the grey soil - the main archaeological horizon - studied by Kerney during the original investigation of the site in 1975. The only species identified was Pupilla muscorum, typically associated with cool open grassland conditions and when found as the only species present often taken as an indicator of a cold isotopic stage. The whereabouts of this original mollusc sample is unknown. It is clear from Kerney's letter in the site archive that only a preliminary sample was studied and that molluscan remains were also present in other, unspecified stratigraphic horizons. Therefore it is likely that the surviving sediment samples contain molluscan evidence from both the main archaeological horizon and also other overlying horizons. The surviving sediment samples are larger than the usual bulk sample size taken for molluscan analysis (c. 0.75kg), so even if molluscan evidence is scarce, there is probably sufficient surviving sediment in the samples to provide satisfactory assemblages for analysis.
Molluscs are sensitive to both local environment and climate and have long played a major role in Palaeolithic research addressing these issues. Pupilla muscorum, known to be present at the site, also exhibits changes in morphology in relation to prevailing temperature. Therefore the study of molluscan remains from the surviving sediment samples has the potential to contribute significantly to reconstructing both the local environment and climatic regime at the time of the main archaeological occupation and also in the overlying layers, hence facilitating the location of the Red Barns site within the middle Pleistocene climatic framework.
Recovery and analysis of molluscan material can contribute in two other ways to the dating of the site. Firstly, several species or assemblages of species have biostratigraphic value and secondly individual specimens of molluscs can be used for Amino Acid dating, one of the few absolute chrono-metric dating techniques available in the later Middle Pleistocene and the only one applicable to the surviving material from the 1975 investigation of Red Barns. Bowen et al. (1989) have demonstrated that, particularly in the later Middle Pleistocene, rates of epimerisation vary consistently with isotopic stage for various mollusc species from terrestrial sites, although it is important to make sure comparisons are so far as possible based on the same species. In the case of Red Barns, there is comparative data for Pupilla muscorum from several sites from the Sussex raised beach staircase, so Amino Acid determinations from fresh specimens from the surviving sediment samples have the potential to provide an absolute date to complement the essentially biostratigraphic dating indications from other sources.
In order to get a reliable Amino Acid determination it is preferable to carry out at least six determinations from a particular horizon to eliminate the possibility of relying on a single rogue date. If suitable specimens or species for dating are found at different stratigraphic horizons, it would be valuable to carry out determinations from more than one horizon to establish the length of time between the formation of different horizons to aid correlating the full sequence with the established climatic framework of the Middle Pleistocene.
S. Parfitt, University College London
Small vertebrates can include small mammals such as bats and voles, as well as fish, reptiles and amphibians. The known survival of molluscan evidence and generally calcareous nature of the deposits and Red Barns suggests that the fine-grained sediments which form the bulk of the surviving sediment samples are likely to contain small vertebrate evidence. In order to recover a satisfactory sample of small vertebrates it is usually necessary to process bulk samples of 10-20kg, although if small vertebrate remains are common smaller samples can be adequate. Since the Red Barns samples are all less than 5kg it is possible that few small vertebrate remains will be recovered. Nevertheless, even individual specimens can be useful and if the samples are rich then adequate evidence should be recovered.
Small vertebrates, particularly when information from diverse orders of taxa is combined, can be sensitive indicators of both local palaeoenvironments and also prevailing climatic regimes. The presence of samples from a vertical sequence of stratified deposits including the main archaeological horizon is potentially of particular value for investigating climate and environment both at the time of hominid occupation and also subsequently. This will help place the archaeological horizon within the framework of climatic change for the Middle Pleistocene which is becoming increasingly well understood.
Small mammal remains can provide an independent route to dating the site by biostratigraphic correlation with assemblages from other sites whose location within the Middle Pleistocene framework has already been securely established, the so-called vole-clock (Gamble 1994). There are several extinctions and range changes within the Middle Pleistocene which can be used to delimit terminus post quem and terminus ante quem of a particular horizon and current research (Parfitt 1998) has demonstrated that certain species of vole (particularly Microtus oeconomus) develop distinctive size-changes and characteristics of the M1 occlusal surface towards the end of the Middle Pleistocene.
Small vertebrate assemblages have been collected and studied recently from a range of sites within the Sussex raised beach sequence (Bates et al. 1997; Murton et al., ed's 1998) and should small vertebrate remains be recovered from the surviving samples it would probably be possible to use them to help date the site as well as to understand the nature of the local environment and prevailing climate.
Fish remains are usually well-preserved in more calcareous sediments such as at Red Barns. Besides being a good indicator of a waterlain depositional environment, the species of fish present and the assemblage composition can indicate the extent of marine influence. Several species are obligate marine or freshwater and others can indicate brackish or estuarine conditions. The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is often a common component of fish assemblages and research has suggested that this species becomes larger and more robustly developed in more saline marine-influenced environments. Analysis of fish remains from the Red Barns samples has the potential to establish the depositional environment of the main archaeological horizon and the overlying layers and to clarify whether the archaeological horizon is part of the staircase of marine/estuarine deposits associated with the Sussex raised beach sequence or whether it merely unconformably overlies these deposits.
Dr. J.E. Whittaker, Natural History Museum
Ostracods are microscopic crustaceans that live in all manner of aquatic environments and are identifiable from their distinctive carapace (made up of two valves), usually preserved after death. Foraminifera are protists which live in brackish and marine waters (but not freshwater) and also leave behind a characteristic shell. Both, however, can be vulnerable to decalcification and can also be damaged by post-depositional soft sediment deformation. The known presence of molluscs in the main archaeological horizon and the generally calcareous nature of the sediments at Red Barns suggests suitable conditions for the preservation of ostracods and foraminifera, should they have been present in the sediments originally. The relatively even bedding, moreover, shown in the section drawings from the site indicates a lack of soft-sediment deformation. Subject to environmental consideration, it is likely, therefore, that foraminifera and ostracods are present in the sediment samples. These microfauna are recovered by sieving with mesh sizes in the range 75-500 microns. Sample-sizes of c. 30g are usually more than adequate to recover a sufficiently plentiful and diverse assemblage.
Ostracods and foraminifera are sensitive indicators of water salinity and oxygenation. Ostracods, in particular, are often niche specific. Because their modern distribution is well-known, they can be useful as palaeo-climatic indicators, but their use as potential biostratigraphic markers in the Middle Pleistocene is still in its infancy. Analysis of the assemblage composition can distinguish between autochthonous and allocthonous components, enabling a detailed picture to be built up of the environment. Thus, the study of the vertically stratified sequence of samples from the fine grained sediments at Red Barns should establish the palaeoenvironmental conditions under which the main archaeological horizon and its overlying sediments were laid down. This would also clarify how the Red Barns site fits into the established framework of the Pleistocene raised beaches, i.e. whether it is essentially associated with the marine regression and hence early in the sequence, dating to shortly after the high sea-level event represented in the Goodwood-Slindon raised beach, or whether it is superimposed on that part of the landscape at a later date and hence referable to later in the Middle Pleistocene.
Dr. R. Scaife, Department of Geography, University of Southampton
The predominantly calcareous nature of sediments at the site suggests that if pollen is present, it is likely to be in low concentrations. The recovery of samples from a vertically stratified sequence of fine-grained deposits, including the main archaeological horizon, means that if pollen is present it will be possible to reconstruct the climate and environment both at the time of the main hominid occupation and also to follow subsequent changes. This evidence will help to locate the date of the site within the known climatic framework of the Middle Pleistocene and also to understand the natural resources available to hominids at the time and the problems posed for survival and the maintenance of stable populations under the seasonal regime of more northerly latitudes.
Although it is possible that pollen evidence may not be well enough preserved for useful analysis, it seems essential to investigate the possibility that it is there in view of its potential significance. The likely low concentration of pollen means that larger than usual samples (20g rather than 2g) will be required. Following preliminary examination of the prepared slides it will be possible to decide to what extent further analysis is worthwhile.
Dr. N. Cameron, Environmental Change Research Centre, University College, London
Diatoms are microscopic algae which live in water and are characterised by their ornamented silica shells. They can be recovered from a wide variety of sedimentary conditions and it is not possible to include or exclude their preservation in the Red Barns samples without analysis. They grow as single cells or colonies which may be free-living in water, attached to submerged surfaces or motile in and on underwater surfaces. After the death of the diatom the shells are often preserved in the sediments of ditches, ponds, lakes, rivers and in coastal or ocean sediments. Diatoms are a particularly diverse group with many thousands of species and the composition of species growing together is a sensitive indicator of water quality factors such as the level of acidity, phosphate and salinity. In the context of Pleistocene studies, diatoms are mainly of use for reconstructing local environment when one is dealing with freshwater or coastal sediments, although they have the potential in certain circumstances to aid in climatic reconstruction.
Within the context of the Red Barns site, diatom analysis is of particular relevance for understanding the depositional regime associated with the sedimentary sequence. It is still uncertain whether the main archaeological horizon is part of the descending staircase of raised beach deposits, or whether it overlies them, separated by an unconformity in the depositional sequence. The sensitivity of diatoms to factors such as salinity can help resolve this issue, as well as aiding in the reconstruction of local environmental conditions and possibly climate. The investment in preparation time is low compared to the investment in analysis time, so if diatom preservation is poor in the Red Barns samples, then the analysis can be discontinued before time-consuming research takes place. Samples of only 1-2g will be adequate for diatom analysis to be carried out.
Dr. M. Robinson, Environmental Archaeology Unit, University of Oxford
Once wood or plant material has been charred it is chemically stable and hence can be preserved for long periods although subject to mechanical degradation. Wood charcoal and charred plant remains can be recovered by flotation with a 0.5mm mesh and so can be looked for as part of the wet-sieving process. Such evidence is usually scarce, so the small samples preserved from the 1975 fieldwork at Red Barns are not expected to produce significant quantities of this material, if any is preserved at all. In the event of material being identified, it has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the climate and environment prevailing at the time of sedimentary deposition of the sample from which the evidence came, since certain plant and tree species have clearly defined ranges and climatic preferences.
The four section drawings from the site and the section drawings from the surrounding sewer trenches enable the full sequence and local geometry of the Pleistocene sediments to be reconstructed. The drawings also record sedimentological descriptions of the different stratigraphic units. These two categories of information, combined with the information on the distribution of flint chips and spalls and the analysis of the surviving sediment samples, should enable the identification of the climate, environment and depositional processes associated with the sequence of sedimentary units overlying the archaeological material. Two of the section drawings from the site have been inked in to a standard acceptable for inclusion in a published report.
The site plans contain key information for locating the various archaeological findspots in relation to the buildings and roads of the present day housing estate. They also provide the site-grid, enabling the references written on the flint artefacts to be used to reconstruct their spatial distribution within the excavated area. None of the site plans are inked to sufficient standard for publication and much significant information on section location and archaeological findspots is contained on different plans. This information needs to be collated onto a single plan showing the site grid and trench outline in relation to the present day layout of the housing estate.
The three artefact illustrations are fairly diagrammatic and are not of sufficient quality to be part of a further publication.
The site notebooks contain some information on sediment samples and photographic subjects but beyond this no information helpful to interpreting the nature of Palaeolithic occupation at the site. The information on the sediment samples needs to be summarised and retained with the samples themselves and the details of the photographic subjects need to collated as part of an index detailing the subjects of all the colour slides and black and white prints.
These documents contain useful information on the history of previous research at the site and on the archaeological material recovered by Draper from different findspots within the housing development. These documents need to be read through and all background information of relevance to the excavation and archaeological analysis of the site extracted and collated.
The surviving black and white print and colour slide archive contains a detailed record of the progression of excavation, the physical appearance of the calcrete and the grey soil (the main archaeological horizon) and the full sequence of deposits exposed in the sections of the SU/SHARG trench after completion of excavation. Examination of the photos of the surfaces of the calcrete and the grey soil and of the sections after excavation, may reveal unrecorded sedimentological structures or other data useful for reconstructing geological depositional processes. It is also possible to investigate site formation processes by examining the long axis orientation of a sample of the artefacts in the grey soil illustrated in the slides. This would be a useful supplement to the other approaches to this issue outlined above. Some of the slides have accompanying details of their subjects, but most do not. It is necessary to order the black and white negatives and slides and collate the information on subject into a formal index, adding information on the subject matter of slides lacking accompanying explanations, gleaned from notes in the various notebooks and the rest of the archive. The black and white negatives also have the potential to provide images for use in the final publication report, should it be discovered following examination of the images and analysis of the archaeological material that they show anything of significance.
The site archive is currently dispersed between five locations, Southampton University (SU/SHARG sediment samples and some of Draper and Woodcock's documentary archive), F. F. Wenban-Smith's London office (all SU/SHARG trench documentary archive), Portsmouth Museum (most of Draper and Woodcock's artefacts and documentary archive), the British Museum Franks House (some of Draper and Woodcock's artefacts and all SU/SHARG trench artefacts) and the Natural History Museum (SU/SHARG trench faunal remains). Steps are being taken to rationalise this situation in conjunction with the landowner and it is intended that all the SU/SHARG material will end up in the British Museum and all the Draper and Woodcock material will end up in Portsmouth Museum with their respective accompanying documentary archives.
The landowner at the time of the SU/SHARG excavation was Gudgeon and Farrier Ltd, a local building and development company. This company ceased trading shortly after completion of the development, merging with Wiggins Homes and ultimately being incorporated within the Wiggins Teape group. Contact has been made with Brian Gudgeon, head of Gudgeon and Farrier at the time of the SU/SHARG excavation and written consent has been given by him for donation of the archaeological material and accompanying archive from the SU/SHARG excavation to the British Museum.
Jill Cook, Assistant Keeper in the British Museum Department of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities, has agreed to accept the material and archive and to curate it alongside the other British Palaeolithic collections held in the museum’s Quaternary Section at Franks House. Portsmouth City Museum service have also expressed their willingness to accept the material and archive from Draper and Woodcock's work, to add to the large collections they already hold resulting from Draper's activities.
None of the material poses any immediate preservation problem, although the photographic and paper archive is vulnerable to deterioration in the long term. Much of the documentary archive has been duplicated and the provenance of the artefacts, based upon the information inked directly on them, is supported by information written on the bags containing them.
Despite having been excavated over twenty years ago, the material recovered from the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic site of Red Barns can contribute significantly to current Palaeolithic research. The site contains undisturbed lithic artefacts in association with faunal and molluscan remains. The site dates to a cool stadial late in the Middle Pleistocene, a period during which significant hominid physical evolution was taking place, but also a period for which very little is known about hominid behaviour and how it compared with behaviour at much earlier sites such as Boxgrove.
Analysis of the sediment samples, artefacts and faunal remains already recovered from the site has the potential to date the site more accurately and place it in a detailed environmental and climatic context and also to investigate hominid behaviour at the point when the Archaic colonisers of Britain were evolving into Neanderthals. Although the range of environmental evidence preserved in the surviving sediment samples which are the key resource for the dating and environmental aspect of the proposed programme of study remains uncertain, what is known is that they almost certainly contain good molluscan evidence and that the species represented include Pupilla muscorum. This allows the use of Amino Acid dating to date the site more precisely, since unpublished epimerisation data are available for this species from nearby sites, allowing the Red Barns site to be integrated within the chrono-stratigraphic framework recently established for the Pleistocene deposits of the southern raised beach region by Bates et al. (1997).
Although it would be disappointing not to find biological evidence allowing better dating in the sediment samples, enough is already known about the site to know that it dates to a window within the Middle Pleistocene between c. 500,000 and c. 300,000 BP. Lack of more precise dating would, therefore, not undermine the key research objective of addressing hominid behaviour in the long period following initial colonisation during which Neanderthals were evolving.
Further fieldwork, supported by the Southampton University Department of Archaeology, site is planned to take place in summer 1999 at the Red Barns site, rolling over after completion of the planned programme of analysis of the 1975 SU/SHARG material. The Department of Archaeology has committed twenty days funding at ACRF13 for a core project worker to organise and direct fieldwork in the Red Barns area using SU students and equipment. This fieldwork is currently aimed at complementing the programme of analysis outlined in this project design by surveying a wider area of Pleistocene deposits in an attempt to locate the 1975 site in a wider topographical and environmental context. If the planned programme of analysis of the sediment samples fails to produce appropriate biological evidence for climatic and environmental reconstruction and dating, then the 1999 programme could be refocused on re-investigation of the 1975 site to recover biological evidence for these purposes.
The nature, scope and theoretical basis of Paleolithic research has developed considerably since the mid-1970s when the Red Barns excavation was conceived and executed. At that time the emphasis was on constructing pan-British sequences of cultural change based primarily on handaxe typology and to a lesser extent on knapping strategy and sites were fitted into this sequence
and dated on that basis. The subsequent development of a more refined Pleistocene chrono-stratigraphic and climatic framework based on Oxygen Isotope stratigraphy and the increasing use of bio-stratigraphic and chronometric dating techniques has demonstrated that cultural practices did not change steadily during the Palaeolithic and furthermore that sites of the same age can contain quite different cultural material.
Since the 1970s a more behavioural agenda has been developed, one in which, as emphasised in Exploring our Past (English Heritage 1991), the emphasis has been shifted from documenting cultural change and contemporaneous variability to explaining it. Alongside this shift in emphasis increasing knowledge of the hominid species involved in the initial colonisation of Britain and of their subsequent physical evolution has thrown up specific questions about how the behaviour of these early human species changed in association with their changing physical characteristics. In particular, the fundamental issue in current debate is whether these pre-Modern Middle Pleistocene hominids had essentially modern human mental capabilities for organising their behaviour, communicating and planning ahead.
Current Palaeolithic research is, therefore, focused upon explaining the increasing detailed picture of cultural variability in time and space, understanding the nature of activity at specific sites, integrating these into a broader picture of patterns of behaviour within the particular environmental, climatic and geographic context and building from these results to address more deep-rooted issues such as the mental capabilities of pre-Modern hominids (Gamble 1995; 1996).
The material from the SU/SHARG trench at Red Barns retains the potential to address present day agendas, a result of the immaculate stratigraphic and plan records and the complete recovery and spatial recording of the lithic assemblage. Red Barns is of particular importance as, although its date is not yet precisely known, it is already clear that it post-dates Boxgrove by a considerable period, probably two or three hundred thousand years. Therefore the nature of Palaeolithic occupation at Red Barns can be compared and contrasted with that at Boxgrove to address the key issue of how hominid behaviour and mental capabilities were changing in the Middle Pleistocene accompanying the development of Neanderthal physical characteristics.
The large lithic assemblage from the grey soil horizon gives a full picture of the range of technological and typological variability and can contribute to current debate about the relationship between knapping strategy, handaxe shape and raw material availability (White 1995). Analysis of the lithic material from the site can identify the stages of lithic production present and establish whether the site reflects predominantly tool use and abandonment, tool manufacture and export, or tool maintenance for instance. Having established by this means the nature of activity at the site, the wider pattern of behaviour in the local landscape can be inferred and consideration given as to whether such a pattern corresponds with modern human capabilities or not. The sediment samples preserved from the site have particular potential for contributing to further understanding of the dating and environmental and climatic context of the site by the study of the small vertebrate and molluscan remains which they probably contain.
The completion of the proposed programme of analysis will establish the nature and likely extent of the Red Barns site and will allow assessment of its significance at regional and national levels. This will aid the local authorities (Hampshire County Council and Fareham Borough Council) in the application of developmental controls as part of planning determinations in the Red Barns area. A fuller understanding of the Red Barns site may also allow inferences to be made about the potential Palaeolithic significance of sites in similar topographic locations and altitudes along the south-facing slope of the South Downs. Such information would be a valuable predictive tool, supplementing the results of The English Rivers Palaeolithic Survey (TERPS) which is based on the collation of known Palaeolithic findspots.
Publication of the proposed final report has been discussed with the editor of Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. The editor has agreed in principle that this journal would be an appropriate place to publish a report on the Red Barns site, although obviously actual publication would be dependent upon the peer review process. Further dissemination of the results would involve participation in a conference, such as one of the regular Palaeolithic and Mesolithic day meetings.
The final publication report would take account of the results and conclusions of specialist studies on different categories of evidence, if material is found in the analysis of the sediment samples which requires specialist study. The final report will include contributions from specialists summarising their key results and conclusions. It is not intended to include specialist reports in their entirety as the final publication report is aimed to be a coherent synthesis of the different lines of study pursued in the course of the project. Agreement has been reached with Alicia Wise of the Archaeology Data Service in York for the full specialist reports to be archived with unrestricted access on the internet with all charges waived.
Site archive: The faunal and lithic artefacts from the SU/SHARG trench have been washed and marked with their spatial location. Those recovered by Draper and Woodcock have mostly been washed although not marked. The sediment samples have been listed and are stored under conditins of controlled temperature and humidity. All the remaining elements of the site archive (section drawings, site plans, colour slides, artefact illustrations, site notebooks and miscellaneous documents) need indexing and selective duplication has been carried out to insure against data loss by accidental damage.
Research archive: The analysis of material intended for publication will produce a research archive which will need ordering and indexing before deposition at the institution which eventually receives the project archive.
Storage: The project archive poses no problems for short term preservation, although over the long term the paper and film elements are vulnerable to decay. Ultimately all elements of the project and photographic archive should remain together, in the institution which eventually receives the project archive. Negotiations are currently under way to try and ensure that the Red Barns project archive joins the national collection held by the British Museum in the Quaternary Section at Franks House.
It is necessary to study and collate all available primary data on the stratigraphic sequence at the site, namely the SU/SHARG section drawings, the SU/SHARG photographic archive, Draper's records in the SU/SHARG documentary archive and Draper's records in Portsmouth Museum. The location of each recorded section needs to be collated on a single plan and the stratigraphic information should then be collated in two orthogonal summary diagrams, one north-south and the other east-west. The stratigraphic and sedimentological notes in the field notebooks need to be synthesised with the sedimentary descriptions on the section drawings and the surviving sediment samples need to be formally described in terms of lithology and particle-size to both supplement and act as a control on the original sedimentary descriptions.
The achievement of this objective is based upon study by respective specialists of biological evidence from the surviving sediment samples. As these sediment samples are a limited resource, their processing and the removal of samples from them for different areas of specialist study requires careful coordination. It is necessary to extract three sets of small samples from each sediment sample for pollen (20g), diatom (2g) and ostracod (20g) analysis respectively before any processing takes place. These samples are then sent to the respective specialists for processing and analysis and it would be wise at this stage to retain a fourth set of samples of this size as a back-up. The remainder of each sediment sample can then be processed for molluscan, fish, small vertebrate and charcoal/charred plant remains. All of these categories of evidence can be recovered at the same time by flotation and wet-sieving with a 500 micron mesh. The residues can then be transported after drying and grading to the respective specialists in turn, when they can sort out the relevant evidence for their specialisation.
It is also necessary to incorporate the implications of the equid fauna into the overall environmental picture. This material can be studied by the small vertebrate analyst and be incorporated in the small vertebrate report. The horse bones may also show evidence of human butchery and this will require investigation.
It is uncertain at this stage which categories of biological evidence will be present and require analysis. This project design accommodates the possibility that all categories are present. This needs to be reviewed following sediment sample processing and preliminary examination by the various specialists of the preservation of different categories of evidence. It is suggested that a review meeting involving F.F. Wenban-Smith, C.S. Gamble, H. Keeley and S. Trow takes place at a mutually convenient location to be arranged, possibly Southampton, when the extent of analysis of different categories of biological evidence can be considered.
Following the completion of whatever further analysis is required on the biological evidence from the sediment samples, there should be a meeting (most conveniently in London) between the different specialists and the core project worker to review and collate the results, discuss possible contradictions and followed by the production of a report summarising the inferred formation process, climate and palaeoenvironment for each stratigraphic unit and attempting to relate each stratigraphic unit to the established framework for the Pleistocene based on Oxygen Isotope stages.
Once the samples have been received each will require preparation and mounting on slides followed by a preliminary analysis of the richness and quality of pollen preservation. If richness and preservation are good, then more detailed analysis can proceed, involving systematic traverses of the slides, counting and the production of percentage diagrams for species grouped as herbs, shrubs and arboreal, followed finally by the production of a report summarising the results and the implications for local environment and prevailing climate.
Each dry sample is processed by soaking in hot water with a small amount of sodium bicarbonate added to deflocculate the clay. It is then washed through a 75 micron sieve using hot water. After drying in an oven, the residue is graded into size fractions through a nest of sieves and the ostracods and foraminifera picked under a binocular microscope. For valid statistical analyses c. 250 specimens are required, so analysis of the samples will only proceed if they are rich enough for this quantity of material to be recovered without an inordinate amount of picking time. Otherwise a rough estimate of the frequency of microfossils can be made by eye (abundant, common, present, rare) and a note made of the condition of the fossils for taphonomic purposes and the analysis of secondary decalcification. The age structure of the populations is also noted by comparing the proportion of the different instar stages. The raw data is then presented as graphs showing species diversity of both ostracods and foraminifera per sample and a final report is produced summarising the interpretation of the local depositional environment.
The organic matter and unwanted mineral material is removed from each sample by addition of hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid. Microscope slides are then prepared by letting the diatom suspension settle overnight onto the coverslip. the suspension is stabilised on a glass slide with naphrax mountant and a controlled quantity of DVB (divinylbenzene) spheres is added to the suspension immediately prior to slide preparation to act as a control on the diatom concentration. The finished diatom slide can be stored indefinitely under normal room temperature and humidity and the original diatom suspension is also stored in the ECRS archive, where it remains available for the preparation of subsequent slides or specimens for SEM work if necessary.
If diatoms are present in sufficient quantities for valid statistical comparisons, then percentage counting of each slide will take place. The raw data are entered into the ECRC ‘Amphora’ diatom database and frequency diagrams are produced using standard the palaeoecological programs Tilia and Tiliagraph. Following this analysis of the data a final report is produced interpreting the data with respect to the implications for the local depositional environment.
If the samples are rich in molluscs then it would be preferable to limit the size of the sample processed for molluscan analysis, to avoid the residues being too prolific. Once processing has been carried out, each residue will require sorting for different species of molluscs and these results can then be quantified as percentages of both different species of molluscs and also as percentages of groups of molluscs with different habitat preferences. Following this analysis a report will be produced summarising the implications for palaeo-climate, dating and local environment. Specimens suitable for Amino Acid dating will be sorted out in consultation with F.F. Wenban-Smith and then either passed to him or sent directly to the laboratory at University of Bergen where Amino Acid dating will be carried out.
Amino Acid dating is carried out at University of Bergen Geological Institute by Dr. Vigdis Hope under the direction of Professor H.P. Sejrup. It involves the measurement of the degree of epimerisation from the protein L-isoleucine in mollusc shells to its non-protein diastereoisomer D-alloisoleucine.
Four runs from a sample would be a bare minimum to establish the clustering of the data and eliminate rogue results and six would be preferable. It would also be desirable to do at least two sets of runs for different species, if appropriate species are found, as some comparative sites do not have data for Pupilla muscorum. The extent of Amino Acid dating can be discussed at the review meeting in the light of the preliminary results of the recovery of molluscs and other categories of biological evidence. It will be necessary to consider;
At this stage it seems reasonable to budget for twelve runs, with the specific details to be decided at the review meeting in the light of preliminary processing results.
Once processing of the samples has been carried out it will be necessary to sort the graded residues for small vertebrate and fish remains. Once any such remains have been recovered species and body part identification can take place. The condition of individual specimens can be exploited to aid in establishing the taphonomy of the assemblage. High power light microscopy will be employed to analyse and record surface modifications and comparisons can be made with material of known taphonomic history in the Natural History Museum collections. These collections will also be used for reference for taxonomic identification. The equid bones will be measured and examined for traces of human butchery under a low power binocular microscope. Following these analyses a report will be written summarising any palaeo-environmental, climatic and dating implications of the results.
The graded residues from sediment sample processing will be sorted for wood charcoal and charred plant remains. If any such remains are found then attempts will be made to identify the species. In the case of wood charcoal fragments will be embedded in a resinous matrix and sectioned with the aim of confirming and refining the taxonomic identification. Light microscopy will be supplemented by scanning electron microscopy if necessary. Following analysis a report will be written summarising the implications of the species found for local environment and palaeoclimate.
This requires going through the SU/SHARG archive in Southampton and Draper's archive in Portsmouth identifying the location and stratigraphic context of all archaeological material recovered from the Red Barns housing development area. This information needs to be tied in with the existing layout of the housing estate and collated on a large-scale up-to-date plan. It will be necessary to obtain a large-scale up-to-date Ordnance Survey plan of the estate and to make a site visit.
The size profile of the lithic assemblage needs to be compared with established profiles for undisturbed debitage established by Wenban-Smith's (1996) experimental work. This involves sorting out the smaller debitage into size categories and creating a database relating the quantities of artefacts of different sizes to spatial location within the site grid. Having done this a graph showing the profile of size distribution beneath the 2cm cut off needs to be produced and plans showing the distribution of each size-category of smaller debitage across the site needs to be produced. These diagrams can then be supplemented by and compared with the results of the subsequent analysis of the larger artefacts.
The lithic collection needs to be brought from Franks House to the lithic analysis laboratory at Southampton University. It is first necessary to decide what data to record from each artefact and to construct a physical pro forma and computerised database structure reflecting the planned data recovery. Having done this the basic data collection needs to be carried out, involving examination of the Red Barns collections at Southampton and Portsmouth. Having collected the data, it will be entered onto the computer database. This task need not be done by the lithic analyst but can be assigned to a clerical support worker within Southampton University. Analysis will be directed towards the identification of patterns of spatial distribution for different categories and stages of lithic production. A summary report of the results will be produced along with a range of diagrams summarising the key results of the spatial distribution. At this stage lithic artefacts of potential significance for illustration in the final report need to be identified and extracted from the main assemblage.
Following completion of the analytical phase it will be possible to identify the key results and liaise with the editor of the publishing journal over the size and content of the report (numbers of photos, tables and illustrations). Having agreed a format for the report with the editor a final report for publication can be produced from the collation of the preliminary reports and illustrations produced during the analysis supplemented by wider discussion of the significance and implications of the results. It will be necessary to upgrade the quality of diagrams selected for publication and produce new synthetic diagrams. The actual illustrations of lithic artefacts required for publication in the final report will be done in-house in the Department of Archaeology at Southampton University. Following submission of the report to the publishing body, it will be necessary to modify the text in accordance with the referees' comments and finally to proof read the final pre-publication draft.
The final report will include specialist contribution summarising key results, but will not include the complete original specialist reports. It has already been agreed with the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) in York that these will be archived by them with internet access free of charge. However, it is necessary to edit the original digital text of the specialist reports to make them suitable for receipt by ADS.
In order to expand the results of the Red Barns analysis to help the Palaeolithic archaeological resource management of the wider area, it will be necessary to investigate the mapped surface geology and topography in the area and, having established analogies with Red Barns' situation, to produce a brief report for the Hampshire County archaeologist summarising areas of potentially similar Palaeolithic interest and possible evaluation and mitigation strategies in the face of proposed development.
All the existing elements of the project archive, including both elements deriving from the original fieldwork and elements deriving from the research and analytical phase, will be catalogued and indexed. There will need to be continuing liaison with curators at the British and Portsmouth Museums whilst the final destination of the project archive is established and eventually the appropriate parts of the project archive will be delivered to the respective receiving institutions.
ApSimon, A.M., C.S. Gamble and M.L. Shackley 1977 Pleistocene raised beaches on Ports Down, Hampshire. Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society 33: 17-32.
Ashton, N.M., S.G. Lewis and S.A. Parfitt 1998 Excavations at Barnham 1989-1994. British Museum Occasional Paper. British Museum Press, London.
Bates, M.R., S.A. Parfitt and M.B. Roberts 1997 Pleistocene palaeogeography in West Sussex. Quaternary Science Reviews 16.
Binford, L.R. 1987. Searching for camps and missing the evidence? Another look at the Lower Palaeolithic. In: O. Soffer (Ed.) The Pleistocene Old World: Regional Perspectives Plenum Press, New York, 17-31
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Bridgland, D.R. 1996 Quaternary river terrace deposits as a framework for the Lower Palaeolithic record. In: C.S. Gamble and A.J. Lawson (Eds.) The English Palaeolithic reviewed Trust for Wessex Archaeology, Salisbury, 23-39
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Gamble, C.S. 1997 Review article: the skills of the Lower Palaeolithic world. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 63: 407-410.
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Parfitt, S.A. 1998 Pleistocene vertebrate faunas of the West Sussex coastal plain: their stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental significance. In: Murton, J.B., C.A. Whiteman, M.R. Bates, D.R. Bridgland, A.J. Long, M.B. Roberts and M.P. Walker (Eds.) The Quaternary of Kent and Sussex: Field Guide Quaternary Research Association, London, 121-135.
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Wenban-Smith, F.F. 1995. The Ebbsfleet Valley, Northfleet (Baker's Hole). In: D.R. Bridgland, P. Allen and B.A. Haggart (Eds.) The Quaternary of the Lower Reaches of the Thames: Field Guide Quaternary Research Association, Durham, 147-164.
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White, M.J. 1995 Raw materials and biface variability in southern Britain: a preliminary examination. Lithics 15: 1-20.
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