Attitudes to Disposal of the Dead - Gazetteer Query Form

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Note that there may be a few slight discrepancies between counts given in the text and the returned results in the gazetteer. This is a result of corrections and amendments (not updates) made to the gazetteer since the research was published in BAR. This does not materially affect the picture presented but does add more detail.

Site name Glastonbury Lake Village

Site number 1240

Burial codes 1004 1006 1009 1021 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1036 1043 1047 1051 1053 1065 1075 1084 1093 1098 1104 1108 1109 1110 1111 1128 1143 1151 1152 1153 1181 1182 1200

100bc-AD43 A palisaded settlement site of 90 raised platforms or mounds, 61 with evidence of dwellings, 15 with slight evidence, 5 doubtful and 9 with none, built on marshland with an occupancy period of c100 BC to cAD50, terminating possibly with desertion following an assault.

There were 44 finds of human skeletal material, 30 within the palisades. The latter included skeletal and cranial material of 14 different persons found in the substructures of the mounds or in the spaces between them. In the same contexts as these were found several disposals of individuals:

M21 the skull, humerus, ulna, radius and two ribs of a young child in brushwood 2.1m south of the central picket of Mound LVI.

M25 the skeleton of a baby in peat 5.1m north west of the central picket of Mound IX.

M26 portions of an adult skeleton much broken in brushwood at the eastern end of Mound IX 6m east of the central picket.

M28 part of a child's skeleton in black earth 3.9m west south west of the central picket of Mound II.

M33 skeleton of a young child distributed over the area of 1 square metre in peat 5.1m west of the central picket of Mound XXXVIII.

M37 portions of skeleton of an infant under clay 2.2m north north west of the central picket of Mound LXX. M38 portion of skeleton of an infant under clay 2.8m east north east of the central picket of the same Mound.

Still within the palisades and on or in the floors of the huts themselves were small 5 fragments of individuals (including an occipital bone carved into a disc with a hole for an amulet, and a dog chewed tibia), and two individual disposals:

M22 a child's skeleton on the surface of floor iv of Mound LVII, 1.2m north of the central picket.

M39 fragments of the skeleton of an infant on floor ii of Mound LXXI 2.7m south west of the central picket.

Outside the palisades were 11 small finds of mainly cranial skeletal fragments representing 9 individuals, and two more complete disposals:

M16/17 parts of the skeleton of a young child in peat 5.6m and 6.3m north of the central picket of Mound LXIX.

M11 fragments of bone representing nearly the whole skeleton, more or less burnt, in peat outside the palisades c7.8m north west of Mound XLVIII.

Several crania showed signs of violence leading to death or after death: M6 (fatal blow), M19 (fatal blow and carried on spear head), M8 (fatal blow and carried on spear head), M15 (fatal blow and decapitation). All were found outside the palisades except M8 which was just inside them. They are of the Village type, and are not thought to be of slaughtered intruders or enemies.

RC: peat below causeway Q-2618 25+/- 70 bc/ad, Q-2619 30 +/- 70 ad/bc

Remains/Period Y1

County Somerset

Region SW

National grid square ST

X coordinate 501

Y coordinate 388

Bibliographic source Bulleid and Gray 1911, 1917

Query

Site name	Glastonbury Lake Village
Site number	1240
Burial codes	1004 1006 1009 1021 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1036 1043 1047 1051 1053 1065 1075 1084 1093 1098 1104 1108 1109 1110 1111 1128 1143 1151 1152 1153 1181 1182 1200
100bc-AD43	A palisaded settlement site of 90 raised platforms or mounds, 61 with evidence of dwellings, 15 with slight evidence, 5 doubtful and 9 with none, built on marshland with an occupancy period of c100 BC to cAD50, terminating possibly with desertion following an assault. There were 44 finds of human skeletal material, 30 within the palisades. The latter included skeletal and cranial material of 14 different persons found in the substructures of the mounds or in the spaces between them. In the same contexts as these were found several disposals of individuals: M21 the skull, humerus, ulna, radius and two ribs of a young child in brushwood 2.1m south of the central picket of Mound LVI. M25 the skeleton of a baby in peat 5.1m north west of the central picket of Mound IX. M26 portions of an adult skeleton much broken in brushwood at the eastern end of Mound IX 6m east of the central picket. M28 part of a child's skeleton in black earth 3.9m west south west of the central picket of Mound II. M33 skeleton of a young child distributed over the area of 1 square metre in peat 5.1m west of the central picket of Mound XXXVIII. M37 portions of skeleton of an infant under clay 2.2m north north west of the central picket of Mound LXX. M38 portion of skeleton of an infant under clay 2.8m east north east of the central picket of the same Mound. Still within the palisades and on or in the floors of the huts themselves were small 5 fragments of individuals (including an occipital bone carved into a disc with a hole for an amulet, and a dog chewed tibia), and two individual disposals: M22 a child's skeleton on the surface of floor iv of Mound LVII, 1.2m north of the central picket. M39 fragments of the skeleton of an infant on floor ii of Mound LXXI 2.7m south west of the central picket. Outside the palisades were 11 small finds of mainly cranial skeletal fragments representing 9 individuals, and two more complete disposals: M16/17 parts of the skeleton of a young child in peat 5.6m and 6.3m north of the central picket of Mound LXIX. M11 fragments of bone representing nearly the whole skeleton, more or less burnt, in peat outside the palisades c7.8m north west of Mound XLVIII. Several crania showed signs of violence leading to death or after death: M6 (fatal blow), M19 (fatal blow and carried on spear head), M8 (fatal blow and carried on spear head), M15 (fatal blow and decapitation). All were found outside the palisades except M8 which was just inside them. They are of the Village type, and are not thought to be of slaughtered intruders or enemies. RC: peat below causeway Q-2618 25+/- 70 bc/ad, Q-2619 30 +/- 70 ad/bc
Remains/Period	Y1
County	Somerset
Region	SW
National grid square	ST
X coordinate	501
Y coordinate	388
Bibliographic source	Bulleid and Gray 1911, 1917