Sample: PUP69, context 9470, submitted by M Allen on 16 May 1994
Material: human bone, right femur (M Allen)
Initial comment: inhumation cut into the palisade ditch (C81).
Objectives: to determine a terminus post quem for the palisade ditch and to establish whether this burial is contemporary with the Beaker-age burial from the main Ditch or is earlier.
Calibrated date range: 780-410 cal BC (95% confidence)
Archaeological comment (M Allen): this result demonstrates that this burial is later than that in the Ditch. The palisade ditch is thought to be late Neolithic/early Bronze Age on the basis of archaeological comparison, so the terminus ante quem provided by the Iron Age date is unhelpful. However the surprising Iron Age date demonstrates the presence of burials and continuing use of the area almost a thousand years after the final dated construction of the Monument.
Quality assurance measurements are available for this sample, along with details of the chemistry and measurement techniques.
OxA-4885 2840+/-60BP (-21.1 per mil)
Sample: 421, context 2315, submitted by M Allen on 11 March 1994
Material: animal bone, Bos? longbone (D Sargeantson)
Initial comment: found in the disturbed upper fill of stonehole 8 of the Sarsen Circle (C13).
Objectives: to determine the date of this unusual form of bone point.
Calibrated date range: 1260-840 cal BC (95% confidence)
Archaeological comment (M Allen): the bone point was submitted to establish whether this object was part of the group of `Wessex culture' artefacts, which include other fancy bone objects. At the time of submission no paralell was known. The date places the bone firmly in the middle Bronze Age and falls outside the expected range for the `Wessex culture'. The closest comparison for this object is from an unstratified assemblage from Hockwold, Norfolk, which was associated with middle Bronze Age pottery (J Davies and S Margeson pers comm).
Quality assurance measurements are available for OxA-4885, in addition to details of the chemistry and measurement techniques employed for analysis.
After Phase 3