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The Submerged Palaeo-Yare: New Middle Palaeolithic Archaeological Finds from the Southern North Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2023

ANDREW SHAW ,
DANIEL YOUNG  and
HAYLEY HAWKINS
ANDREW SHAW
Affiliation:
Wessex Archaeology, Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6EB. Emails: a.shaw@wessexarch.co.uk; d.young@wessexarch.co.uk; h.hawkins@wessexarch.co.uk
DANIEL YOUNG
Affiliation:
Wessex Archaeology, Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6EB. Emails: a.shaw@wessexarch.co.uk; d.young@wessexarch.co.uk; h.hawkins@wessexarch.co.uk
HAYLEY HAWKINS
Affiliation:
Wessex Archaeology, Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6EB. Emails: a.shaw@wessexarch.co.uk; d.young@wessexarch.co.uk; h.hawkins@wessexarch.co.uk
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Abstract

The Palaeolithic archaeological record from current dryland contexts informs on activity across only a fraction of occupied Pleistocene landscapes. Now-submerged contexts, such as those preserved beneath the southern North Sea, allow past human activity to be considered at a more representative scale. Previous investigations have recovered internationally significant Middle Palaeolithic archaeology associated with submerged Pleistocene landscapes in the southern North Sea. Discovered through aggregate dredging in marine aggregate licence Area 240, the archaeology is associated with Pleistocene deposits of the Paleo-Yare river system. Subsequent studies have demonstrated that the Palaeo-Yare catchment extended across adjacent aggregate areas, leading to the implementation of a regional monitoring programme at aggregate wharfs to monitor, manage, and assimilate new archaeological data.

This paper reviews all new Palaeolithic lithic finds recovered between 2011 and 2022 from Area 240 and adjacent licence areas. Most are Middle Palaeolithic artefacts from Area 240. These new Middle Palaeolithic discoveries are related to previous finds and the combined collections placed within their wider Middle Palaeolithic British context. Middle Palaeolithic activity within the Palaeo-Yare catchment included multiple phases of occupation associated with different favoured technological repertoires, indicating that two groups of artefacts are present: Levallois artefacts likely to date to the early Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 8–7–6) and handaxes dating to the Late Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 5d–3).

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

La Paléo-Yare submergée : nouvelles données archéologiques sur le Paléolithique moyen du sud de la mer du Nord, par Andrew Shaw, Daniel Young, et Hayley Hawkins

Les données archéologiques paléolithiques dont nous disposons à partir des terres émergées actuelles ne nous informent que sur une fraction des activités qui se sont développées au sein des paysages pléistocènes. Les territoires actuellement submergés, tels que ceux recouverts par la mer du Nord, nous permettent d’envisager les activités humaines passées à une échelle plus représentative. Des recherches précédentes ont mis au jour des vestiges archéologiques du Paléolithique moyen d’importance internationale en lien avec les paysages pléistocènes submergés du sud de la mer du Nord. Découverts lors de dragages d’agrégats effectués dans la Zone de Licence 240 d’agrégats marins, ces vestiges sont associés aux dépôts pléistocènes du réseau fluvial de la Paléo-Yare. Des études ultérieures ont démontré que le bassin versant de la Paléo-Yare s’étendait à d’autres zones d’agrégats adjacentes, entrainant la mise en place d’un programme régional de surveillance sur des quais d’agrégats afin de surveiller, gérer, et assimiler de nouvelles données archéologiques.

Cet article examine l’ensemble des productions lithiques paléolithiques découvertes entre 2011 et 2022 dans la Zone 240 et dans les zones de licence adjacentes. Il s’agit pour la plupart d’industries du Paléolithique moyen provenant de la Zone 240. Ces nouvelles découvertes du Paléolithique moyen sont mises en rapport avec des découvertes précédentes, et l’ensemble de ces séries est placé dans son contexte plus large du Paléolithique moyen britannique. Les activités du Paléolithique moyen dans le bassin versant de la Paléo-Yare se manifestent à travers plusieurs phases d’occupation associées à différents répertoires technologiques privilégiés, indiquant la présence de deux groupes d’outillage : des outillages Levallois datant certainement du début du Paléolithique moyen (MIS 8–6) et des bifaces datant du Paléolithique moyen récent (MIS 5d–3).

Zusammenfassung

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Der versunkene Paläo-Yare: Neue archäologische Funde des Mittelpaläolithikums aus der südlichen Nordsee, von Andrew Shaw, Daniel Young, und Hayley Hawkins

Die archäologischen Daten zum Paläolithikum aus heutigen Trockenböden geben nur Aufschluss über Aktivitäten in einem Bruchteil der genutzten pleistozänen Landschaften. Jetzt versunkene Kontexte, wie sie unter der südlichen Nordsee erhalten sind, ermöglichen es, die vergangenen menschlichen Aktivitäten in einem repräsentativeren Umfang zu betrachten. Bei früheren Untersuchungen wurden international bedeutende mittelpaläolithische Funde in Verbindung mit versunkenen pleistozänen Landschaften in der südlichen Nordsee entdeckt. Die archäologischen Belege, die bei Baggerarbeiten im Lizenzgebiet 240 für marine Zuschlagstoffe entdeckt wurde, stehen im Zusammenhang mit pleistozänen Ablagerungen des Paläo-Yare-Flusssystems. Nachfolgende Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, dass sich das Einzugsgebiet des Paläo-Yare über angrenzende Abbaugebiete erstreckt, was zur Einführung eines regionalen Überwachungsprogramms an Zuschlagstoffwerften führte, um neue archäologische Daten zu beobachten, zu verwalten und zu verarbeiten.

In diesem Beitrag werden alle neuen lithischen Funde des Paläolithikums vorgestellt, die zwischen 2011 und 2022 im Gebiet 240 und den angrenzenden Lizenzgebieten geborgen wurden. Bei den meisten Funden handelt es sich um mittelpaläolithische Artefakte aus Gebiet 240. Diese neuen mittelpaläolithischen Funde werden mit früheren Funden in Beziehung gesetzt und die kombinierten Funde in den weiteren mittelpaläolithischen britischen Kontext eingeordnet. Die mittelpaläolithischen Aktivitäten im Paläo-Yare-Einzugsgebiet umfassten mehrere Besiedlungsphasen, die mit unterschiedlichen bevorzugten technologischen Repertoires verbunden waren, was darauf hindeutet, dass zwei Gruppen von Artefakten vorhanden sind: Levallois-Artefakte, die wahrscheinlich in das frühe Mittelpaläolithikum (MIS 8–6) zu datieren sind, und Faustkeile, die in das späte Mittelpaläolithikum (MIS 5d–3) datiert werden.

Resumen

RESUMEN

El Paleo-Yare sumergido: nuevos hallazgos del Paleolítico medio en el sur del Mar del Norte, por Andrew Shaw, Daniel Young, y Hayley Hawkins

El registro arqueológico paleolítico de los actuales contextos de tierra firme nos informa sobre la actividad en sólo una fracción de los paisajes ocupados del Pleistoceno. Los contextos actualmente sumergidos, como aquellos preservados bajo el sur del mar del Norte, permiten considerar la actividad humana pasada a una escala más representativa. Las investigaciones previas han registrado una realidad arqueológica internacionalmente significativa adscrita al Paleolítico Medio y asociada a los paisajes pleistocenos sumergidos en el sur del Mar del Norte. Descubierta gracias al dragado de una serie de agregados marinos en el área 240, estos hallazgos arqueológicos están asociados a los depósitos pleistocenos del sistema fluvial del Paleo-Yare. Los estudios subsecuentes han demostrado que el sistema de captación del Paleo-Yare se extendía a lo largo de una serie de áreas agregadas adyacentes, lo que llevó a la implementación de un programa de monitoreo regional en muelles agregados para monitorear, gestionar y asimilar nuevos datos arqueológicos.

En este artículo se revisan todos los nuevos hallazgos de industria lítica paleolíticos documentados entre 2011 y 2022 en el Área 240 y áreas de licencia adyacentes. La mayor parte son artefactos del Paleolítico medio del Área 240. Estos nuevos descubrimientos del Paleolítico medio están relacionados con previos hallazgos y las colecciones que aparecen en el contexto del Paleolítico medio británico. La actividad del Paleolítico medio dentro de la zona de captación del Palaeo-Yare incluye múltiples fases de ocupación asociadas con diferentes repertorios tecnológicos privilegiados, indicando que dos están presentes dos grupos de artefactos: los artefactos Levallois que probablemente se datan en el Paleolítico medio inicial (MIS 8–6) y las hachas de mano que datan en los momentos finales del Paleolítico medio (MIS 5d–3).

Keywords

Middle PalaeolithicPleistocenelithic artefactsNorth SeaaggregatesLevallois
Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 89 , December 2023 , pp. 273 - 297
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Prehistoric Society

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