Isotopic Evidence for Landscape use and the Role of Causewayed Enclosures During the Earlier Neolithic in Southern Britain

Abstract

The nature of landscape use and residence patterns during the British earlier Neolithic has often been debated. Here we use strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel, from individuals buried at the Hambledon Hill causewayed enclosure monument complex in Dorset, England to evaluate patterns of landscape use during the earlier Neolithic. Previous analysis suggests that a significant proportion of the artefacts found at the site may originate from lithology of Eocene and Upper to Middle Jurassic age that the enclosures overlook to the immediate west and south. The excavators therefore argued that the sector of landscape visible from Hambledon Hill provides an approximate index for the catchment occupied by the communities that it served. Most of the burial population exhibit isotope ratios that could be consistent with this argument. Connections between Hambledon Hill and regions much further afield are also hypothesised, based on the presence of artefacts within the assemblage that could have been sourced from lithology in Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall in south-west England. However, few of the sampled individuals have strontium isotope ratios consistent with having obtained the majority of their diet from such areas during childhood. The individuals who exhibit the highest strontium isotope ratios are all adult males, whom the excavators suggest to have died during one or more episodes of conflict, following the burning and destruction of surrounding defensive outworks built during the 36th century BC. At least one of these individuals, who was found with an arrowhead amongst his ribs, did not obtain his childhood diet locally and has 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values that could be comparable to those bioavailable in the south-west peninsula.Keywords: Neolithic, Britain, causewayed enclosures, strontium, isotope analysis, diet, mobility ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR LANDSCAPE USE & THE ROLE OF CAUSEWAYED ENCLOSURES DURING THE EARLIER NEOLITHICCausewayed enclosures began to be constructed in southern Britain from the late 38th century BC (Whittle et al. 2011, 878-5; Bayliss et al. 2011, 684). The role of these earthworks, which are characterised by single or multiple concentric circuits of interrupted ditches, has been heavily debated (eg, Evans 1988; Edmonds 1993, 102-34; Thomas 1999, 38-45; Whittle et al. 2011, 5-12; Albrecht 2011, 8-50). The presence of substantial amounts of pottery, flint knapping debris, and animal bones within the ditches initially prompted excavators to suggest they were settlements (eg, Leeds 1928, 466; Curwen 1931, 108-9; Crawford 1933, 344; 1937, 210; Wheeler 1943, 81; Case 1982, 2; Avery et al. 1982, 25; Robertson-Mackay et al. 1987, 59-60). However, in recent decades with the exception of earlier Neolithic enclosures found in the far south-west of England that may have been used for permanent settlement

Isotopic Evidence for Human Movement into Central England during the Early Neolithic

“…European Journal of Archaeology 23 (4) 2020BC (Neil et al, 2016(Neil et al, , 2017(Neil et al, , 2018. Thus far, it is individuals buried in monuments that were in use in Britain from the thirty-eighth century BC who have been found to have the highest 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values.…”

“…In contrast, the majority of individuals sampled from the Whitwell cairn, and one individual from the Neolithic Penywyrlod long cairn (Neil et al, 2017) have 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values that are greater than 0.7170, which, according to present understanding of the methodology employed, suggests they obtained their dietary resources a significant distance from the regions in which they were buried.

Figure 3. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr vs δ 18 O carbonateVSMOW comparison of dentition from earlier Neolithic sites at Hazleton North (Gloucestershire, England, Neil et al, 2016), Hambledon Hill (Dorset, England, Neil et al, 2018), Ty Isaf and Penywyrlod (Powys, Wales, Neil et al, 2017), and Whitwell (Derbyshire, England).

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“… 87 Sr/ 86 Sr vs δ 18 O carbonateVSMOW comparison of dentition from earlier Neolithic sites at Hazleton North (Gloucestershire, England, Neil et al, 2016), Hambledon Hill (Dorset, England, Neil et al, 2018), Ty Isaf and Penywyrlod (Powys, Wales, Neil et al, 2017), and Whitwell (Derbyshire, England).…”

British Neolithic Axehead Distributions and Their Implications

“…The role of enclosures in long-distance gathering and exchange has, of course, long been recognised, highlighted by their associations with axeheads, ceramics, and even individuals derived from distant origins (e.g. Peacock 1969;Evans et al 1988;Whittle et al 2011;Neil et al 2018).…”

Coalescing traditions—Coalescing people: Community formation in Pannonia after the decline of the Roman Empire

“…The short time span between the incorporation of the strontium and the premature death of the individuals, increase the probability of the trace element for being of local origin. Several larger, previously published series of Sr isotope data confirm significantly less variable 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios among the teeth of children than among those of adult individuals [32,49,[52][53][54]. Alt et al [49] and Knipper et al [52] discussed their value as representatives of the strontium that originated from a dietary catchment of a few kilometres radius of a given site extensively.…”