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Life by the River: a Prehistoric Landscape at Grendon, Northamptonshire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

Jonathan Last ,
Ian Baxter ,
Tony Brown ,
Nina Crummy ,
Natasha Dodwell ,
Val Fryer ,
Rowena Gale ,
Rhodri Gardner ,
Jackie Hatton  and
Kathren Henry
...Show all authors
Jonathan Last
Affiliation:
English Heritage, Fort Cumberland, Eastney, Portsmouth, PO4 9LD. jonathan.last@english-heritage.org.uk
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Abstract

This paper describes the development of a prehistoric landscape by the river Nene at Grendon Lakes, partly revealed in the 1970s and partly during excavations in 1998 and 2001, which are reported in full. Two major phases of archaeological activity are evident, one interpreted as Neolithic–Early Bronze Age, the other as Iron Age. The gap between these is bridged by an environmental sequence reconstructed with the aid of a pollen core from an adjacent palaeochannel, which shows that human activity continued in the intervening period. The landscape is comparable in form, though not in scale, with that investigated 13 km downstream at Raunds, and helps shed light on the distinctive features of Midlands river valleys like the Nene in prehistory. In conclusion it is suggested that the different characters of the Neolithic and Iron Age features at Grendon mask some underlying similarities in the way they structured people's movements and encounters.

Résumé

Cet article décrit le développement d'un paysage préhistorique près de la rivière Nene à Grendon Lakes, en partie révélé dans les années 1970 et en partie pendant les fouilles de 1998 et 2001, dont on offre ici un compte-rendu complet. Deux phases majeures d'activité archéologique sont évidentes, l'une a été interprétée comme néolithique–début de l'âge du bronze, l'autre comme âge du fer. L'intervalle entre les deux est comblé par une séquence environnementale reconstruite à l'aide d'un carottage pollinique d'un paléochenal adjacent, qui démontre que l'activité humaine a continué pendant la période intermédiaire. Le paysage est comparable par sa forme, bien que pas par son échelle, aux 13 km étudiés en aval à Raunds, et a contribué à éclairer les traits distinctifs des vallées fluviales des Midlands, telles que celle de la Nene, pendant la préhistoire. En conclusion, on suggère que les particularités disparates des vestiges du néolithique et de l'âge du fer à Grendon masquent certaines similarités sousjacentes dans la manière dont elles ont modelé les mouvements et les rencontres entre les populations.

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Artikel beschreibt die Entwicklung einer prähistorischen Landschaft am Fluss Nene bei den Grendon Lakes, die teilweise in den 70ger Jahren und teilweise durch Ausgrabungen 1998 und 2001 freigelegt wurde. Diese Arbeiten werden hier umfassend beschrieben. Zwei Hauptphasen können klar herausgearbeitet: eine Phase kann als Neolithisch – Frühbronzezeitlich, und die Andere als Eisenzeitlich interpretiert werden. Die Lücke zwischen den beiden Phasen wird durch eine Umweltsequenz überbrückt, die mit Hilfe eines Pollenkerns aus einem angrenzenden Paläokanal rekonstruiert werden kann und zeigt, dass auch während dieser Zwischenphase menschliche Aktivitäten nachgewiesen werden können. Man kann die Landschaft in ihrer Form, jedoch nicht in ihrem Ausmaß mit der bereits untersuchten Landschaft bei Raunds vergleichen, die 13 km flussabwärts zu finden ist. Die Untersuchungen liefern zum einen neue Erkenntnisse zu den Besonderheiten der Midlands Flusstäler, und zum anderen für die vorgeschichtliche Entwicklung der Nene. In der Zusammenfassung wird darauf hingewiesen, dass die unterschiedlichen Merkmale der Neolithischen und Eisenzeitlichen Befunde in Grendon einige grundlegende Gemeinsamkeiten verbergen: die Art und Weise, wie sie die Aktivitäten und Begegnungen der Menschen strukturierten.

Résumen

Este trabajo describe el desarrollo de un paisaje prehistórico a orillas del río Nene en Grendon Lakes, que fue descubierto parcialmente en los años 1970 y después durante excavaciones en 1998 y 2001, descritas aquí en detalle. Se evidenciaron dos fases principales de actividad arqueológica, una interpretada como del Neolítico–Primera Edad del Bronce, y la otra como de la Edad del Hierro. El hiato entre las dos fases está enlazado por una secuencia medioambiental reconstruida con la ayuda de un testigo de polen extraído de un paleo-canal adyacente, que indica que la actividad humana continuó durante el periodo intermedio. El paisaje es comparable en forma, aunque no en tamaño, al investigado 13 km rio abajo en Raunds, y ayuda a elucidar los rasgos distintivos de valles fluviales de las Midlands como el del Nene en la prehistoria. Para concluir, se sugiere que el distinto carácter de los elementos del Neolítico y de la Edad del Hierro en Grendon oculta algunas de las similitudes subyacentes entre ellos en lo que se refiere al modo en que se estructuraron los movimientos y encuentros entre la gente.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 71 , 2005 , pp. 333 - 360
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2005

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