| Summary: | Cist excavated in 2011 as the peat mound in which it is located iwasdrying out and shrinking. It was initially thought that the cist was aligned east-west but excavation showed it to be aligned north-south. Despite the collapse of one of the side stones an intact burial deposit including cremated bone and associated organic artefacts was found inside. The cremation had been placed within an animal pelt and there were two layers of matted plant material, a woven bag or basket and a textile band with tin rivets. There were also shale and amber beads from a necklace together with one tin bead. Two hazel stakes recovered from the peat adjacent to the cist may have been used for marking out the site. The excavation is highly significant as the cremated bone and environmental information recorded from the peat will potentially enable the first secure dating information for a Dartmoor cist. Of even more importance, however, is the unparalleled assemblage of organic material which will yield insights into materials that have not survived elsewhere from the Bronze Age in southern Britain. |
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