Rows of pits at Thornborough
The pit rows of Thornborough in North Yorkshire , in England belong to the still little studied phenomenon pit rows ( English pit alignments ), which was detected by aerial photo interpretation in the 1970s.
description
The pits, which are also known in Germany under the term Kultfeuer- or fire pit places and in Scandinavia (Danish Kokegroper , Swedish Kokgropar ), show a great variety in their morphology and can be divided into single and double rows in England, the latter only on the British Islands occur, but are not very common there either.
Single rows of pits probably played an important role during the Iron Age , while double rows of pits seem to be older, have a more ceremonial character, and possibly had a similar function to Cursus monuments.
Double rows of pits are usually ascribed to the Early Bronze Age and the Thornborough dig confirms this. Shards of collar urns (Engl. Collared urns ) and Deverel-Rimbury ceramics were found in two of the pits. The radiocarbon dates also place the monument in the early 2nd millennium BC. Chr.
The presence of two pit alignments at Thornborough is of great significance. The southern of the two rows is the longest known double pit row in the British Isles. The Thornborough excavation site also includes a cursus, the three henges , some barrows and an oval enclosure.
Excavations
The excavation of the north-east-south-west oriented "Southern Double Pit Alignments" made from 1998 to 1999 represents an important contribution to the exploration of the monument category. 88 continuously distributed pits were identified along a 350 m long almost straight line and 48 of them were exposed. The system was to be divided into four sections in terms of the size of the pit. The sections corresponded to the change in topography. The presence of stone packings, according to the excavator, suggests that many of the pits originally had wooden posts. This interpretation could not be proven in any case with continental systems. The gap in the row of pits at the entrance to the southern henges suggests that the monument was part of a processional path when the henges were in operation. The function of the 18 moats at the northern end is unclear, but it appears that here the two post lines narrowed while the posts increased in size, and at this end formed the facade of the processional path. The condition and function of the “Northern Double Pit Alignment” is still unknown due to the lack of excavation.
See also
literature
- Jan Harding: The Neolithic and Bronze Age Monument Complex of Thornborough, North Yorkshire 2003
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ . In England conceived as a linear arrangement of pits typical of the Middle and Younger Bronze Age in southern and central England and originally formed a boundary function, probably in connection with a moat and a wall on one side.
Coordinates: 54 ° 12 ′ 37.6 ″ N , 1 ° 33 ′ 52.3 ″ W.