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Excavation of a Neolithic House at Yarnbury, near Grassington, North Yorkshire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2017

Alex Gibson ,
Wolfgang Neubauer ,
Sebastian Flöry ,
Roland Filzwieser ,
Erich Nau ,
Petra Schneidhofer ,
Guglielmo Strapazzon ,
Cathy Batt ,
David Greenwood  and
Philippa Bradley
...Show all authors
Alex Gibson
Affiliation:
School of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP Email: A.M. Gibson1@bradford.ac.uk
Wolfgang Neubauer
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, University of Vienna
Sebastian Flöry
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, University of Vienna
Roland Filzwieser
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, University of Vienna
Erich Nau
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, University of Vienna
Petra Schneidhofer
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, University of Vienna
Guglielmo Strapazzon
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, University of Vienna
Cathy Batt
Affiliation:
School of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP Email: A.M. Gibson1@bradford.ac.uk
David Greenwood
Affiliation:
School of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP Email: A.M. Gibson1@bradford.ac.uk
Philippa Bradley
Affiliation:
23 Feversham Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3PP
Dana Challinor
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 36 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PG
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Abstract

Landscape geophysical survey around the small upland ‘henge’ at Yarnbury, Grassington, North Yorkshire revealed few anthropogenic features around the enclosure but did identify a small rectangular structure in the same field. Sample trenching of this feature, radiocarbon and archaeomagnetic dating proved it to be an earlier Neolithic post and wattle structure of a type that is being increasingly recognised in Ireland and the west of Britain. It is the first to be recognised in the Yorkshire Dales and it is argued that the Dales may have been pivotal in the Neolithic for east–west trade as well as pastoral upland agriculture.

Résumé

Excavations d’une maison néolithique à Yarnbury, près de Grassington, Yorkshire du Nord, de Alex Gibson

Une prospection géophysique du paysage autour du petit ‘enclos’ sur les hauteurs de Yarnbury à Grassington, Yorkshire du nord a révélé peu de traces anthropogéniques autour de l’enceinte mais a en fait identifié une petite structure rectangulaire dans le même pré. Une tranchée d’échantillonnage, des datations au C14 et archéomagnétiques ont prouvé que c’était une structure de poteaux et clayonnage du néolithique ancien d’un type qui est de plus en plus fréquemment reconnu en Irlande et dans l’ouest de la Grande-Bretagne. C’est le premier à être reconnu dans les vallées du Yorkshire et on argumente qu’au néolithique les vallées ont peut-être été un pivot pour le commerce est-ouest aussi bien que pour l’agriculture pastorale sur les hautes terres.

Zusammenfassung

Ausgrabung eines neolithischen Hauses in Yarnbury, nahe Grassington, North Yorkshire, von Alex Gibson

Die geophysikalischen Untersuchungen der Landschaft im Umfeld eines kleinen Hochland-„Henges“ in Yarnbury, Grassington, North Yorkshire, erbrachte nur wenige anthropogene Befunde um die Wall-Grabenanlage herum; jedoch konnte eine kleine rechteckige Struktur im gleichen Feld identifiziert werden. Testschnitte durch diesen Befund zusammen mit C14- und archäomagnetischer Datierung zeigten, dass es sich um eine frühneolithische Pfosten-Flechtwerk-Struktur handelt von einem Typ, wie er zunehmend in Irland und dem westlichen Großbritannien dokumentiert wird. Dies ist der erste Befund dieser Art in den Yorkshire Dales, und es wird in diesem Beitrag erörtert, dass die Dales eine zentrale Region nicht nur für den Ost-West-Handel im Neolithikum waren, sondern auch für die Hochlandweidewirtschaft.

Resumen

Excavación de una vivienda neolítica en Yarnbury, cerca de Grassington, North Yorkshire, por Alex Gibson

La prospección geofísica del entorno del pequeño ‘henge’ elevado en Yarnbury, Grassington, norte de Yorkshire, reveló escasas evidencias antropogénicas alrededor del recinto, pero identificó una pequeña estructura rectangular próxima a él. Los sondeos realizados, las dataciones de radiocarbono y la datación arqueomagnética reflejan que se trata de una construcción previa de cronología neolítica a base de postes y zarzo, del mismo tipo que las que se están documentando ampliamente en Irlanda y el oeste de Inglaterra. Se trata de la primera estructura que se documenta en Yorkshire Dales y se sostiene que esta zona fue fundamental en la red de intercambios entre el este y el oeste al igual que entre las actividades agrícolas y pastoriles.

Keywords

Neolithic housesYorkshire Daleshengelithicsgeophysical surveyradiocarbon datingarchaeomagnetic dating
Type
Articles
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Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 83 , December 2017 , pp. 189 - 212
Copyright
© The Prehistoric Society 2017 

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