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A New Context for Rock Art: a Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Ritual Monument at Fylingdales, North Yorkshire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Blaise Vyner
Affiliation:
16College Square, Stokesley, North Yorkshire TS9 5DL

Abstract

After fire swept across 2.5 km2 of heather moorland the detail of a wide range of archaeological features was revealed. Among these was a so-far unique small circular monument, the principal component of which was a circle of near-upright slabs set in a shallow trench. The stones included one with a complex pecked geometric design reminiscent of some Grooved Ware ceramic decoration, and another with more commonly found cup-mark and linear motifs. Limited excavation was undertaken in response to disturbance of the monument and it was discovered that the stone with complex decoration had been reshaped for its monumental setting, having perhaps previously been a free-standing decorated monolith. In its altered form the stone formed part of a small circular arena, the interior face of which may have included alternating decorated and undecorated stones. The open arena had later been filled with rubble creating a small cairn, its material including a small block detached from the main stone as well as a number of cup- and other marked stones. Apart from the decorated stones there were no diagnostic artefacts and no direct dating information was present. It is suggested that the decorated stones originate in the later Neolithic period and that the monument containing them was constructed in the Early Bronze Age.

Résumé

Les détails d'une gamme étendue de vestiges archéologiques ont été révélés après qu'un incendie s'est propagé sur 2,5 km2 de lande de bruyère. Parmi ceux-ci se trouvait un petit monument circulaire unique à ce jour, la composante principale en était un cercle de dalles presque verticales placées dans une tranchée peu profonde. Parmi les pierres, il s'en trouvait une portant un dessin géométrique complexe piqué qui rappelait la décoration de certains récipients de la céramique cannelée, et un autre portant des motifs plus communs linéaires et en forme de tasses. On a entrepris des fouilles limitées en réaction à la perturbation du monument et on a découvert que la pierre à la décoration complexe avait été retaillée pour être placée dans le monument, ayant été auparavant peut-être un monolithe décoré indépendant. Sous sa forme modifiée, la pierre faisait partie d'une petite arêne circulaire dont l'intérieur avait peut-être recélé d'autres pierres décorées alternées. L'arêne ouverte avait plus tard été remplie de déblais créant un petit cairn, ses matériaux comprenaient un petit bloc détaché de la pierre principale ainsi qu'un nombre d'autres pierres portant des marques en forme de tasses ou autres. A part les pierres décorées, il n'y avait pas d'autres objets manufacturés diagnostic et aucune information à datation directe n'était présente. On propose que les pierres décorées avaient leur origine vers la fin de la période néolithique et que le monument dans lequel elles se trouvaient avait été construit à l'âge du bronze ancien.

Zussamenfassung

Nachdem ein Feuer über 2,5 km2 Heidemoor hinweggefegt war wurden Einzelheiten einer Vielfalt archäologischer Befunde sichtbar. Unter diesen war ein bis heute einzigartiges kleines kreisförmiges Monument, dessen Hauptbestandteil ein Kreis aus fast aufrecht stehenden Steinplatten war, die in einem flachen Graben aufgestellt worden waren. Unter den Steinen befand sich einer mit einem komplexen eingepickten geometrischen Muster, das an Verzierungen der Grooved Ware erinnerte, und ein weiterer mit häufiger auftretenden Schälchen und linearen Motiven. Wegen einer Störung des Monuments wurde eine begrenzte Ausgrabung durchgeführt, und es wurde festgestellt, dass der Stein mit der komplexen Verzierung für seine Verwendung im Monument überarbeitet worden war, da er möglicherweise zuvor ein freistehender verzierter Monolith war. In seiner veränderten Form bildete der Stein einen Teil einer kleinen runden Arena, deren Innenbereich eventuell alternierende dekorierte Steine umfasste. Die offene Arena wurde später mit Geröll verfüllt, so dass ein kleiner Steinhügel (Cairn) entstand, dessen Material einen kleinen Steinblock enthielt, der vom Hauptstein stammte, sowie eine Reihe von Schälchensteinen und weiteren verzierten Steinen. Abgesehen von den bearbeiteten Steinen fanden sich keine diagnostischen Artefakte und keine Informationen für eine direkte Datierung. Es wird angenommen, dass die verzierten Steine aus dem späteren Neolithikum stammen und das Monument, das sie umfasste, in der Frühbronzezeit errichtet wurde.

Resumen

Un fuego que arrasó 2.5 km2 de un brezal, puso al descubierto los detalles de una gran variedad de elementos arqueológicos. Entre estos se encontraba un pequeño monumento semi-circular único hasta ahora. Su componente principal era un círculo de losas casi verticales emplazadas en una zanja poco profunda. Las piedras incluían una con un complejo diseño geométrico picado que recuerda en algo la decoración de la cerámica tipo “Grooved Ware”, y otra con motivos más comunes de marcas anulares y motivos lineales. Se realizó una excavación limitada del monumento en respuesta a su alteración y se descubrió que la losa con decoración compleja había sido re-trabajada para su colocación en el monumento, habiendo sido antes con toda probabilidad un monolito independiente decorado. En su forma cambiada la piedra formaba parte de un pequeño espacio circular, cuyo interior pudo haber incluido piedras decoradas alternativamente. El espacio abierto había sido rellenado más tarde con escombros creando así un pequeño túmulo de piedras, cuyo material incluía un pequeño bloque desprendido de la piedra principal así como algunas piedras con marcas anulares y otras decoraciones. Aparte de las piedras decoradas, no se encontraron artefactos diagnósticos ni información directa sobre su posible datación. Se sugiere que las piedras decoradas tienen un origen en el periodo Neolítico tardío, y que el monumento que las contenía se construyó en el Bronce Antiguo.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2011

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