Dates, Diet, and Dismemberment: Evidence from the Coldrum Megalithic Monument, Kent

Abstract

We present radiocarbon dates, stable isotope data, and osteological analysis of the remains of a minimum of 17 individuals deposited in the western part of the burial chamber at Coldrum, Kent. This is one of the Medway group of megalithic monuments – sites with shared architectural motifs and no very close parallels elsewhere in Britain – whose location has been seen as important in terms of the origins of Neolithic material culture and practices in Britain. The osteological analysis identified the largest assemblage of cut-marked human bone yet reported from a British early Neolithic chambered tomb; these modifications were probably undertaken as part of burial practices. The stable isotope dataset shows very enriched δ15N values, the causes of which are not entirely clear, but could include consumption of freshwater fish resources. Bayesian statistical modelling of the radiocarbon dates demonstrates that Coldrum is an early example of a British Neolithic burial monument, though the tomb was perhaps not part of the earliest Neolithic evidence in the Greater Thames Estuary. The site was probably initiated after the first appearance of other early Neolithic regional phenomena including an inhumation burial, early Neolithic pottery and a characteristic early Neolithic post-and-slot structure, and perhaps of Neolithic flint extraction in the Sussex mines. Coldrum is the only site in the Medway monument group to have samples which have been radiocarbon dated, and is important both for regional studies of the early Neolithic and wider narratives of the processes, timing, and tempo of Neolithisation across Britain

A dynastic elite in monumental Neolithic society

“…The median probabilities (cal BC) have been used for plotting samples chronologically. Stable isotope ratios (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) are also reported for the 27 samples and compared with published stable isotope data from 85 Irish and 81 British samples 8,9,11,14,24,68,[72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89] (Fig. 1, Supplementary Table 4).…”

Provenancing antiquarian museum collections using multi-isotope analysis

“…The presence of remains that date to both the earlier and later fourth millennium BC in the group sampled during the present study is also consistent with the hypothesis of Wysocki et al . [ 14 ], based on the dated remains from the site that are of documented stratigraphic context, that Coldrum was used during at least two different periods during the fourth millennium BC (see above). If dates from the present study are included within the Bayesian model of Wysocki et al [ 14 ] (model 2), which incorporates the 14 C dates for fragments of cranial vault of known stratigraphic context with those for unstratified skeletal elements attributed to the site, results suggest that early Neolithic activity began in 3980–3810 cal BC ( 95% probable ) or 3970–3860 cal BC ( 68% probable; start Coldrum 1 ) and ended in 3940–3760 cal BC ( 95% probable ) or 3860–3780 cal BC ( 68% probable; end Coldrum 1 ).…”

“…[ 14 ], based on the dated remains from the site that are of documented stratigraphic context, that Coldrum was used during at least two different periods during the fourth millennium BC (see above). If dates from the present study are included within the Bayesian model of Wysocki et al [ 14 ] (model 2), which incorporates the 14 C dates for fragments of cranial vault of known stratigraphic context with those for unstratified skeletal elements attributed to the site, results suggest that early Neolithic activity began in 3980–3810 cal BC ( 95% probable ) or 3970–3860 cal BC ( 68% probable; start Coldrum 1 ) and ended in 3940–3760 cal BC ( 95% probable ) or 3860–3780 cal BC ( 68% probable; end Coldrum 1 ). The subsequent second phase of activity may then have occurred in the mid to late fourth millennium BC, beginning in 3720–3540 cal BC ( 95% probable ) or 3660–3570 cal BC ( 68% probable; start Coldrum 2 ) and ending in 3320–2980 cal BC ( 95% probable ) or 3330–3140 cal BC ( 68% probable; end Coldrum 2 ; calibrated using IntCal20 and modelled using OxCal 4.4; figure 5 ) [ 15 , 16 ].…”

“…The four cranial vault fragments with original labelling can be attributed to two individuals from the upper level and two individuals from the lower level of Bennett's excavations. The two cranial fragments found on the lower level have produced some of the earliest dates yet obtained on human remains associated with a Neolithic monument in Britain, dating to the first two centuries of the fourth millennium BC [ 14 ]. The two fragments found on the upper level have dates that fall later in the fourth millennium BC.…”

The earliest farming in Britain:

“…Every Neolithic specimen has been directly dated, and the calibrated range of each falls entirely before the date in the caption. Broadsands from Schulting (2013, table 6.5); Coldrum from Wysocki et al (2013, Bownes (2018, tables 6.15 and 6.17) and Schulting and Richards (2009, tables 23 and 24); Raschoille Cave from Bownes (2018, tables 6.15 and 6.17); Carding Mill Bay from Schulting and Richards (2002, tables 2 and 4); Mesolithic coastal specimens from Schulting and Borić (2017, fig. 7.5).…”