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Site name Meare Lake Village West
Site number 1254
Burial codes 2002 2004 2022 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2042 2047 2051 2065 2075 2084 2092 2098 2104 2108 2111 2128 2143 2151 2181 2182 2200 1002 1004 1022 1023 1026 1028 1030 1035 1042 1047 1051 1065 1075 1084 1092 1098 1104 1108 1111 1128 1143 1151 1181 1182
8/700bc-100bc A bogside village, the western of two sites c90m apart, of 40 or more mounds, occupied from the 2nd Century BC to the 1st/2nd Centuries AD and sporadically afterwards. Human remains were recorded as set out below.

A human skull was found much crushed under the flood soil in the upper part of black earth just beyond the margin of the clay of Mound XXXIII. The skeleton of a large dog lacking the cranium was also found. On the second floor of this mound was found part of a child's skeleton. Two teeth were also found, one in the foundations, one in the mound.

A fragment of skull was found in black earth just above the first floor of the large and important dwelling site Mound VII, 1.8m south east of the central picket. A fragment of parietal bone with a sword or knife cut was 3.7m west south west of the central picket. An occipital bone was in the debris below the mound 5.7m south of the central picket. In the same mound was found a gnawed and cut femur with two perforations at the lower end, 6.3m west of the central picket.

A fragment of skull was found in black earth 3m west of the central picket of Mound VIII (of medium size). A fragment of parietal bone was also found 4.8m south west of the central picket.

The shaft of a humerus was found among the timberwork below Mound XII (a medium size mound), 1.5m north of the central picket.

Part of a child's skull in pieces was found in the foundation of Mound XXIV, a small compact and well-defined area.

A child's skeleton was found under the clay of Mound XXI which was comparatively small..

A molar tooth was found under the clay of Mound II which was of medium size.

Another molar tooth was found deep under Mound XXXIV which was the largest and highest mound of both East and West Villages. A bicuspid tooth was found in the mound itself.

RC: a range of dates from HAR-3521 860 +/- 80 to HAR-3745 130 +/- 60 from various samples of peat, wood and black earth
100bc-AD43 Some overlap with 8/700-100 bc.
Remains/Period Y2 Y1
County Somerset
Region SW
National grid square ST
X coordinate 445
Y coordinate 422
Bibliographic source Bulleid and Gray 1948, Gray and Bulleid 1953, Gray 1966, Avery 1967-68, Orme, Coles and Sturdy 1979, Coles 1987


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Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004