Category Archives: lithic analysis

After the Ice | Major Star Carr exhibition opens at Yorkshire Museum | Mesolithic

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Updated 24 May 2013

Star Carr new excavations 2010Coinciding with the publication of a new popular book, the Yorkshire Museum is hosting a major exhibition of artefacts and interpretations of the UK’s most famous and finds-rich Mesolithic landscape at Star Carr in Yorkshire, England. The exhibition is open from 24 May 2013 for a year and is widely covered in the archaeological and regional media.

Bringing together the artefacts previously scattered across many museums and repositories since Clark’s excavations in the 1950s, the exhibition aims to present the most recent investigations in context—the landscape, the re-colonisation of Britain (or expansion of the late Glacial “epi-Palaeolithic” communities such as those at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire), the environmental transformations, human beliefs, behaviours, mobility and the material culture that give hints to a complex hunter-gatherer-fisher society. These were modern humans, just like us.

On Thu 30 May 8pm there will also be a UK television Time Team special on Star Carr (Channel 4).

Acid Attack

IMG_4349Current archaeological research and interventions in the eastern Vale of Pickering, recently under the leadership of York and Manchester Universities, acknowledge the very short remaining lifespan of previously waterlogged organic remains. What were hard, crisp and tangible testaments to Mesolithic lifestyles—barbed points, supposed “head-dresses”, the working of antler, bone and wood, birch rolls and more—are now feeble ghosts of their former selves, if they survive at all in the peat. Drainage and agricultural activities have desiccated and acidified the waterlogged matrix: it often has the pH of stomach acid today.

Image | Star Carr excavations 2010 (Microburin)

Where did they go?

StarCarrReconOn the other hand, fieldwork since the 1980s and more recently has proven that Star Carr and the Early Mesolithic lakeside activity areas were far more extensive than previously thought. Hoof prints from undomesticated horses have been discovered on Flixton Island—perhaps their last stand? Mobility across a forested, watery landscape becomes apparent by looking at the lithic (flint) distribution and operational chains, from sourcing the raw material, knapping reduction strategies, caching-curation and re-usage behaviours. There’s also now evidence for structures* of some sort and repeated returns to the area over generations. Unlike corollaries in Scandinavia, linked by Doggerland across what is now the North Sea, only human burials remain entirely elusive at Star Carr—for now.

*Conneller, C. et al. 2012. Substantial settlement in the European Early Mesolithic: new research at Star Carr. ANTIQUITY 86 (344), 1004-1020.

Click to viewPerhaps ancestors were deposited in the lake, or on islands, now denuded, or far “offshore”? Do we even know what we are looking for? Within a few thousand years the North Sea inundation separated Britain from Europe, and a rather different material culture evolved—the so called Late Mesolithic. One can argue for evolution or revolution, but much more research and dating is needed from the post glacial into the Neolithic where communities with very different life-strategies may have co-existed (northern European evidence hints at this).

The exhibition is a once-in-a-generation chance to see the most comprehensive and intimate story about our earliest post-glacial ancestors. People just like us, and yet so different. Or perhaps not? How many of our “instinctive” behaviours today bear testament to our hunter-gatherer-fisher past? Maybe we just live longer and refined the BBQ experience? I promise a review when I have seen it.

Archives

Also coinciding with the exhibition, the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) in York have published the online Star Carr Archive, funded by English Heritage, “with the primary aims of locating and cataloguing as many of the finds and excavation records as possible in order to enable further research”.

“Moore’s paper archive is missing. There is no known paper archive from Clark’s excavations and it is thought that all records must have been destroyed once the monograph (Clark 1954) had been published.”

Inevitably over the last 60 years, and more so with the separation of many of the written records, artefacts and ecofacts, some materials have been lost or misplaced. This initiative identifies, records and consolidates what remains into a single report.

Recent Press Coverage

Image top | Courtesy University of York

Lithics Studies Society | Journal 33 2012 now out | Why not join?

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Lithics33The latest journal, No. 33 for 2012 is just out, and sexy. Why not join the Lithic Studies Society?

Flint and stone tools have been manufactured and used since the earliest times and arguably they represent the world’s oldest technology. The Lithic Studies Society was founded in 1979 to advance the international study of lithic industries, and particularly flaked and ground artefacts, in the broadest possible context. Member’s interests are diverse, spanning Palaeolithic to historic periods across many areas of the world. The Society provides a convivial forum for the exchange of ideas and information.

The Society has over 350 members from four continents. Membership is growing steadily, and they are always delighted to welcome new members. The Society is open to all who have, or would like to develop, an interest in lithic artefacts of any period. Members receive:

The membership year runs from 1st October to 30th September and the journal Lithics is published annually. The AGM takes place in October and all members are welcome. Individual rates are £15.76 (including 76p PayPal levy).

A flair for imperfections | Can we see Mesolithic kids?

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Keywords | Mesolithic, Stone age, Stone tools, Lithics, Children, Apprentice

Image_Mesokid

A good article on PHYS.ORG by Karen Anne Okstad (15-Apr-2013) on one of my favourite subjects: childhood and apprenticeship in the Mesolithic—if not throughout prehistory.

“To most people, a useless flint axe is just that. To archaeologist Sigrid Alræk Dugstad (University of Stavanger), it is a source of information about Stone Age children.”

Read the article » | http://phys.org/news/2013-04-flair-imperfections.html

Suggested Reading

If you like the subject (and gender issues too), also read:
  • Ferguson, J. 2008. The when, where, and how of novices in craft production. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 15(1), 51–67.
  • Finlay, N. 2008. Blank Concerns: Issues of Skill and Consistency in the Replication of Scottish Later Mesolithic Blades. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 15(1), 68–90.
  • Ingold, T. 1993. Technology, Language, Intelligence: a consideration of basic concepts. In K. Gibsen and T. Ingold (eds), Tools Language and Cognition in Human Evolution, 449–472. Cambridge: University Press.
  • Johansen, L. and Stapert, D. 2005. Stone Age Kids and their Stones. In M. Sørensen and P. Desrosiers (eds), Technology in Archaeology. Proceedings of the SILA Workshop. Publishing from the National Museum Studies in Archaeology and History Vol. 14. Copenhagen.
  • Kamp, K.A. 2001. Where Have All the Children Gone?: The Archaeology of Childhood. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 8(1), 1–34.
  • Moore, J. and Scott, E. (eds). 1997. Invisible people and processes : writing gender and childhood into European archaeology. London; New York: Leicester University Press.
  • Sternke, F. 2005. All are not hunters that knap the stone – a search for a woman’s touch in Mesolithic stone tool production. In N. Milner and P. Woodman (eds), Mesolithic studies at the beginning of the 21st century, 144–163. Oxford: Oxbow.
  • Sternke, F. and Sørensen, M. 2009. The Identification of Children’s flint knapping products in Mesolithic Scandinavia. In S. McCartan, R. Schulting, G. Warren and P. Woodman (eds), Mesolithic Horizons, 722–729. Oxford: Oxbow.
  • Society for the Study of Childhood in the Past

♦ Spence

Image credit: hans s | Foter | CC BY-ND

Multimedia Mesolithic | Video visuals

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A few great watchables on YouTube.

Image_PedersenLate Glacial and Mesolithic in the UK | Kristian Pedersen (Edinburgh University) lecture

This lecture focuses on the English–Scottish border region but provides an excellent overview of knowledge, challenges and opportunities. As well as tying material culture into climatic change events, Kristian also provides definitions and explanations for some material culture nomenclature in a European context, like Hamburgian, Creswellian, etc. | 48 min Jan 2011

Sea Level Rise: 13,000 bp to 5,000 bp in the British Mesolithic | TemporalMapping.org
Animated output of paleoclimate model at 30 arc-second, 20 year resolution, 200 years per second. Sea level is calibrated to Global Sea Level estimates with data points at 1000 year intervals. This model does not yet account for isostacy (land rise), or glaciation | 48 sec (no audio) Jun 2011

Image_RC810 Radiocarbon Dates of the British Upper Paleolithic/Mesolithic | TemporalMapping.org
Animation visualising calibrated radiocarbon dates from the Council for British Archaeology’s Radiocarbon Database | 40 sec (no audio) Dec 2011

Seabed Prehistory | Wessex Archaeology
Image_SeabedArchaeologists have created a 3D visualisation of a whole prehistoric landscape now submerged 20 metres under the English Channel, and 8 miles off the West Sussex coast. This is how they believe it may have looked over 8000 years ago, based upon environmental and geophysical surveys; an estuary populated by families living from the river, sea and land; a river surrounded by salt marsh and forest | 4m 16s (with audio) 2006

Kicking off lithoscapes archaeological research foundation | new venture in early stages

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LARFCheck us out!

lithoscapes archaeological research foundation® is an innovative, independent educational charity set up in 2012 to undertake research, promote, educate and advise on various aspects of archaeology, heritage and the historical environment.

“What counts is not what sounds plausible, not what we would like to believe, not what one or two witnesses claim, but only what is supported by hard evidence rigorously and sceptically examined. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” –  Carl Sagan

Our mission is to make the archaeological lithic record, in all its forms—our most enduring evidence for past human activity—resilient and useful to future generations across local communities, researchers and decision-makers. We advise on proven best practices in dealing with lithic artefacts and assemblages, their contextual preservation, conservation or recovery—their analysis, archival storage, display and publication.

lithoscapes specialises in providing a modular suite of complementary professional, advisory and analytical services, including education and training. We bring together the know-how that helps unlock the full potential of our rich lithic heritage. Our experience, strategies and methodologies ensure that:

  • Your project research designs are comprehensive, effective and compelling to give grant applications and funding initiatives the best chance of success
  • Team members are trained appropriately for each stage of decision-making, implementation and communication—no matter what their expertise or background is
  • Standards are maintained and evolved as part of a shared, consistent and replicable approach to archaeological asset management, preservation or recovery
  • Interpreted results are shared—and enjoyed—across existing and new stakeholder audiences, with consumer listening, testing and satisfaction analysis
  • Your projects have the best inclusivity across diverse audiences to generate foot-fall (visits, readership, sponsorship) with effective interactive social media engagements throughout (Web, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Video)

Our network of expert practitioners brings together a unique, comprehensive pool of talent across the life cycle of public engagements with, and understanding of, the archaeological record. Our cooperative venture aims to combine:

  • Community evangelists and experts in making voluntary ventures safe and successful
  • Project managers as mentors or for in-field and archival activities
  • Academic researchers across all allied aspects of our lithic heritage
  • Professional and commercial enterprises at every stage of implementation
  • Interpretation, presentation and education including re-enactors and contemporary artisans that bring the past to life

Our partnerships span academic, professional, commercial and community enterprises across the broad spectrum of archaeological and heritage interests. By partnering with lithoscapes you can tap into the skills, experience—and passion—of this extended community to ensure your ventures are successful and rewarding.

Our think tank approach promotes methodological standards and best practice in prehistoric archaeology based on scientific research. We promote the managed exchange of ideas to establish national and international standards in the treatment of lithic artefactual evidence through a peer-based consensus that is regularly published and available to all—our open access philosophy

Current projects

  • Establish and maintain an agreed standardised technology-based and explicitly defined Mesolithic lithic typology and raw material sourcing framework, working in partnership with a wide range of archaeologists and geomorphologists
  • Investigate how lithic scatters can be protected against current development threats (e.g. windfarm and deregulated developments especially where local authority units have been reduced or closed), in partnership with academics, local authorities and national organisations
  • Provide educational and training opportunities for professional and amateur archaeologists alike, building relationships between aspiring, professional and community practitioners across generations, diverse backgrounds and social opportunities—with certification and accreditation levels that give you a leading edge in interviews and competitive tenders
  • Develop a range of best practice guidelines for public and archaeological community consumption. In this project we aim to work in partnership with national bodies such as the Council for British Archaeology, Lithics Studies Society, Prehistoric Society and more stakeholders who care about community participation, heritage preservation, scientific recovery, results dissemination and best practices throughout
  • Develop a range of research resources for the archaeological community
  • Work with Local authorities to help improve Historic Environment Records, testing legacy records, adding new records and detail (including chronological parameters), prioritising risks, threats and opportunities in on-going archaeological asset management

“The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best—and therefore never scrutinise or question.” – Stephen J Gould

Contact us

info [at] lithoscapes.co.uk
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/Lithoscapes | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lithoscapes

People

Dr Paul R Preston | Director & Lead Researcher |  http://lithoscapes.academia.edu/PaulRPreston

Spencer Carter | Operations Manager & Research Associate |  http://lithoscapes.academia.edu/SpencerCarter

RARE OPPORTUNITY to buy full run of Yorkshire Archaeological Journal 1870-2009 | and help fund Mesolithic research!

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Pre-auction offer expired | Now available through Bloomsbury Auctions for Jan 2013 sale

Download | YAJ Full run flyer (PDF)This is a rare opportunity indeed. Please help to spread the word. The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal has been published since 1870 and is the primary archaeological, historical, genealogical and social history vehicle for the historic county of Yorkshire. It includes major reports from the Mesolithic, right through the prehistoric, Roman and Medieval periods. A full run hasn’t been available at auction for at least 30 years.

I am selling this run to fund AMS radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples from my rescue excavation of a Late Mesolithic activity area at White Gill, Westerdale, North York Moors. This sequence of calibrated dates will be the first ever outside Star Carr using modern methods. Each sample costs about £350-£400 and I have many. This exercise has been assisted by professional archaeo-botanists (including the renowned Maisie Taylor who also supports Star Carr as a dendro-expert), English Heritage scientists and with academic sponsorship from National Park and regional archaeological practices.

About the Journals

Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal Vol. 1–81

A complete run (including the scarce vol. 5), plates and illustrations, some folding, some hand-coloured, some ex-library copies with stamps, various bindings, most early volumes in original green cloth, gilt, vol. 5 in library buckram, most later volumes in original wrappers, mostly four parts to a year until 1972, some wear to spines, condition generally very good with some volumes rubbed or occasionally worn, 8vo, 1870-2009.

YAJ volumes

RARELY FOUND COMPLETE | no set has appeared at auction for over 30 years
Est. Value £2,000 – £3,000

The Yorkshire Archaeological Society was founded in 1863 as the Huddersfield Archaeological and Topographical Association—to promote interest in the history and archaeology of the Huddersfield area. In 1870 it expanded its interest to cover the whole of Yorkshire, and today it is the main society in this field for the historic county. Throughout its history the Society has been active in publishing articles on many aspects of Yorkshire’s past and transcripts of important Yorkshire records | www.yas.org.uk »

Help Fund Archaeological Research

White Gill Samples

“There are no recent, reliable Mesolithic radiocarbon dates from the North York Moors”

The sale proceeds from this rare run of journals will fund AMS radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples from a Late Mesolithic activity area excavated at White Gill, Westerdale, North York Moors in 2000.

Permission to excavate a rapidly eroding moorland area was granted by the North York Moors National Park Authority and the Estate owners. The rescue excavation of 20m² revealed four hearth-based flint knapping events.

WhiteGill Isometric Plan

One of the hearths was surrounded by stones and an area of piled boulders. Other features included “flat surface” stones and a possible seat or anvil all of which had clusters of artefacts, including utilised blades, scrapers, awl-piercers, microliths—and refits. There was a possible post-hole and an area free of knapping debris that may indicate the location of a shelter. Every flint was spatially recorded, revealing activities—including microlith manufacture—over the excavated area. A rare jet fragment may have been curated.

White Gill re-fitting segmentsDespite over eighty years of largely unpublished flint collecting, there are few recorded features and no recent reliable radiocarbon dates from the prolific sites on the North York Moors. Samples from the fire-spots and hearth contained rosaceae—a short-lived taxa that includes crab apple, hawthorn and sloe. Analysis was generously provided by professional archaeo-botanists, with advice from English Heritage scientists. Lithic analysis is underway with a view to publishing the findings in due course.

Learn more about the project → | How to contact me →

Many thanks
♦ Spence