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| HER Number | MWB3844 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | AVINGTON VI, Kintbury - Upper Palaeolithic site |
|---|
Summary
Upper Palaeolithic flint-knapping site also with a late Mesolithic horizon
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 01938.00.000
- National Monuments Record No.: SU 36 NE 55
SU 37683 67200 - Mesolithic implement
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
OBSERVED BY F R FROOM DURING CUTTING OF S.E.B. (Southern Electricity Board) TRENCH. PRODUCED STRATIFIED 'TYPICAL MESO DEBRIS'. DETAILED EXCAVS 1978-81 SHOWED AN UPPER PALAEO/EARLY POST-GLACIAL IN SITU KNAPPING SITE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTING AN OPEN SETTING, RAPIDLY BURIED. ALSO LATE MESO HORIZON.
The site was originally discovered in 1964 as a result of work being carried out by the Electricity Board. It was excavated in 1972 by St Barts School Archaeological Society <4>. Further work was carried out between 1978-81, excavating 35 square metres <3>. The earliest layer encountered was gravel at c2m below the surface, deposited towards the end of the last glaciation. Above this was a series of clays: towards the end of this period of deposition, Upper Palaeolithic people used the site as for flint working. Four thousand years later, Late Mesolithic groups also worked flints here <4>.
The excavations revealed two major Palaeolithic flint concentrations, mainly of blade cores and long blades, a total of about 6000 artefacts. Few retouched tools were recovered, but there were many heavily edge-damaged long blades. There were no faunal remains preserved at Avington, but similar blades from elsewhere in Europe have been associated with reindeer or horse kills. However, the absence of hearths also suggested the site was only occupied for a short time <3>.
In 1995 samples were taken from the excavated area for palaeoenvironmental and dating purposes. Three optical luminescence dates have been published <6>.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Newbury District Field Club. 1970. TRANS NEWBURY DISTRICT FIELD CLUB 1970 VOL 12 NO 1. pp58-67 The Mesolithic around Hungerford Part VI by F R Froom. [Article in serial / SWB10322] |
| <02> | Wymer, J J (ed). 1977. Gazetteer of Mesolithic Sites in England and Wales with a Gazetteer of Upper Palaeolithic sites in England and Wales. 20. P7. [Monograph / SWB10038]
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-281-1/dissemination/pdf/cba_rr_020.pdf (Accessed 07/10/2015) |
| <03> | Collcutt, S N (ed). 1986. The Palaeolithic of Britain and its nearest Neighbours: Recent Trends. 2021 WBC Network. p80-4 The Long Blade assemblage from Avington VI, Berkshire by Barton and Froom. [Monograph / SWB9409] |
| <04> | Froom, R. 2002. Notes on the Kennet Valley - National Archaeology Day 2002, West Berkshire Museum. [Personal observation / SWB13441] |
| <05> | Froom, F R. 2005. Late Glacial Long Blade sites in the Kennet Valley: Excavations and Fieldwork at Avington VI, Wawcott XII and Crown Acres. [Monograph / SWB14491] |
| <06> | Quaternary Research Association. 1998. Quaternary Newsletter 85. 85. No. p21-31 New OSL Dates from a Late-glacial Site in the Kennet Valley at Avington VI by Barton et al. [Article in serial / SWB14493]
http://qra.org.uk/publications/newsletter (Accessed 20/10/2014) |
| <07> | Berkshire Archaeological Society. 1971-2. Berkshire Archaeological Journal 1971-72 66. 66. In ADS Journals. 10.5284/1000017. p20 Appendix I in Some Mesolithic Sites in south-west Berkshire by F R Froom. [Article in serial / SWB8663]
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/berks_bas_2007/journal.cfm?volume=66 (Accessed 11/11/2015) |
| <08> | Froom, F R. 2012. The Mesolithic of the Kennet Valley. p240-63 The Mesolithic at Avington VI. [Monograph / SWB148389] |
| <09> | Lawson, A J. 2007. Chalkland - an archaeology of Stonehenge and its region. p27, Illust 2.15. [Monograph / SWB149494] |
Related Monuments
| MWB3845 | AVINGTON VI, Kintbury - Late Mesolithic horizon (Monument) |
| MWB3868 | Kennet Valley mesolithic 'landscape' (Landscape) |
| MWB21362 | Avington, Kintbury - at Electricity Sub Station (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB603 | Survey and excavation of Mesolithic sites around Hungerford |
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