Rams Hill: a Bronze Age Defended Enclosure and its Landscape

Bradley, Richard; Ellison, Ann; Barrett, John C.; Evans, J. G.

doi:10.30861/9780904531220

Cited by 42 publications

(38 citation statements)

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“…5.2); the finds scatter in Wormhill Bottom does contain later Bronze Age elements (ibid., 52–6). There is also evidence of mid‐ to late Bronze Age settlement further to the north at Rams Hill (Bradley and Ellison 1975, 52–5). Whether the Crow Down hoard was placed within or near to a settlement is unresolved, but the presence of post‐holes and flint within the ploughsoil certainly indicates activity on the site at around the time of deposition, perhaps providing another example of the apparent association between settlements and hoard sites (Taylor 1993, 98; Bradley 2005).…”

Section: The Crow Down Hoard and Its Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Case suggested that this complex barrow cemetery developed around an earlier monument complex based on the Lambourn Neolithic long barrow, a monument excavated by John Wymer in the 1960s (Wymer 1966). Numerous other round barrows are found in the general area, either singly or in small groups of two or three (Bradley and Ellison 1975, 171–89; Richards 1990; English Heritage 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 and 3). It was fortified in the mid‐ to late Bronze Age (Needham and Ambers 1994), but Bradley and Ellison (1975) found evidence of earlier open settlement, possibly of thirteenth–fourteenth century BC date and broadly contemporary with the Crow Down hoard. Post‐holes representing at least four structures were exposed (ibid., 52–5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grassland was present on White Horse Hill in the Bronze Age (Miles et al. 2003, 253–5) and boreholes dug in the area of the Lambourn Barrows provided no evidence for the accumulation of colluvium in the valley, as might be expected if widespread ploughing for cereals was taking place (Bradley and Ellison 1975, 193). These open areas may have been surrounded by woodland, for some parts of the Downs did not see clearance until the late Bronze Age (Miles et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Crow Down Hoard, Lambourn, West Berkshire

Varndell

Coe

Hey

et al. 2007

Oxford J Archaeology

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The discovery of a hoard of five middle Bronze Age gold objects during a metal-detecting rally on the Lambourn Downs in 2004 precipitated an archaeological investigation into their character, provenance and context. This article describes the objects themselves, their composition, how they were made and their archaeological background. It also reports the result of forensic archaeological work undertaken on them. The parallels for the objects and the social context of their deposition are discussed.introduction The discoveryFive gold alloy objects known as the Crow Down hoard were discovered during a metal-detecting rally on the 19th September 2004. The objects comprised two twisted arm or neck ornaments and three bracelets of middle Bronze Age type (Fig. 1). Large metal-detecting rallies are now a common feature of this pastime, and over the weekend of the 18th and 19th September approximately 300 metal detectorists searched a large block of land at Foxbury Farm near Lambourn.The finder, Mr Shaun Raynsford, reported that initially he did not recognize the full significance of his discovery. His first thought was that the material was old fence or barbed wire and his intention was to throw it into the hedge at the side of the field. The weight of the objects caused him to rethink his interpretation and, when drawn to the attention of a more experienced detectorist, the true importance of the find was realised. It would appear that the objects were removed from the ground quite quickly. No record was made of the objects in situ and no attempt was made to undertake a more detailed record of the findspot. Photographs of the finds were taken soon after recovery, including some of the objects 'as found' (Fig. 1). No attempt was made to clean the objects and this proved to be extremely fortunate, both for understanding the context of the hoard and for the conservation of the artefacts. It would appear that the find caused quite a stir amongst other detectorists in the vicinity and there then followed an intensive search of the surrounding area. Although some signals were obtained, as evidenced by the amount of disturbance visible when the site was visited the following week, no other finds of significance were recovered from this area.

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Section: The Crow Down Hoard and Its Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Crow Down Hoard, Lambourn, West Berkshire

Varndell

Coe

Hey

et al. 2007

Oxford J Archaeology

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“…comm.). Tree-throwpits can also be preserved on non-alluvial sites, such as Rams Hill (Bradley and Ellison 1975), and on colluvial sites. At Itford Bottom, East Sussex, a subsoil hollow was created by the throw of a pine tree which was then burnt in situ (Bell 1983).…”

Section: Clearances and Clearingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clearances and Clearings: Deforestation in Mesolithic/Neolithic Britain

Brown¹

1997

Oxford J Archaeology

124

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Clearances, interpreted from pollen records during the Mesolithic and Neolithic of Europe, are generally ascribed to purposive deforestation which is compatible with the transition model, whereby early Neolithic economic strategies are a development of late Mesolithic intensification of wild plant food husbandry. This paper considers the role of natural processes in creating clearings and the role of inadvertent impact of human activity on forest processes, including woodland regeneration. The role of climate, wind-throw and lightning strikes in creating clearings and forest instability is emphasised and the evidence discussed from sites which may be interpreted as resulting from opportunistic human use of natural clearings. Unfortunately, regional pollen diagrams lack sufficient spatial resolution to detect the size of isolated clearings or establish the spatial variation in forest composition that was intimately related both to forest ecology and the effects of subtle human impacts. This may be the major reason for an apparent contradiction between pollen evidence of Neolithic impact and the archaeological record. Moreover, early Neolithic agricultural activity may have been concentrated in valley bottoms, which is undetectable in regional pollen diagrams. Alternative models need to be considered, which include culturally specific exploitation of the local environment, along with the inadvertent ecological repercussions of pre-agricultural and earlyagricultural human activities in naturally dynamic woodlands.

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Recent British research on prehistoric territorial boundaries

Spratt¹

1991

J World Prehist

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Rams Hill: a Bronze Age Defended Enclosure and its Landscape

Cited by 42 publications

References 0 publications

The Crow Down Hoard, Lambourn, West Berkshire

The Crow Down Hoard, Lambourn, West Berkshire

Clearances and Clearings: Deforestation in Mesolithic/Neolithic Britain

Recent British research on prehistoric territorial boundaries

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