Background to the Gazetteer | Table of Contents
Site name | Gravelly Guy, Stanton Harcourt |
Site number | 1440 |
Burial codes | 2003 2009 2021 2023 2026 2028 2030 2035 2042 2046 2051 2065 2071 2072 2075 2084 2098 2103 2104 2108 2109 2111 2122 2128 2129 2143 2153 2181 |
8/700bc-100bc | A open settlement site c30m x 170m with over 600 domestic pits respecting penannular enclosures for huts and small open areas. The site was divided into 5 distinct occupation sets. Numerous deliberate and varied ritual burials of animals were found (especially of dogs) in the pits, and also two adult human burials, one with a bone toggle, and the other with a fine shale spindle whorl. Over half a dozen new born babies were also found buried. Contemporaneous finds of datable type included two fine brooches, one an early La Tene iron type and the other a middle La Tene type similar to one found at Maiden Castle, although the settlement appears to have been occupied from c600-500BC to the Roman Conquest [Lambrick]. At least 70 individuals were represented in the burials, of whom 51 are infants. There were 28 complete inhumations (23 infants, 1 child of 4-5, 3 adult females, and 1 adult male), 1 single skull (adult male), and 28 occurrences of infant bones (at least some of which are unrecognized burials), 1 adult male and 1 adult female longbone, and 11 unsexed adult bones). The adult burials were crouched, with 3 on the right side, and 1 on the left, and among the infants, 6 were crouched on the right and 3 on the left. 10 of the burials were placed head to north (NW-NE), and 5 with heads to S [Wait in Green 494-5 anticipating full publication by Lambrick]. |
Remains/Period | Y2 |
County | Oxfordshire |
Region | SE |
National grid square | SP |
X coordinate | 403 |
Y coordinate | 54 |
Bibliographic source | Lambrick 1985, 1986, Green 1995 |
© Internet Archaeology/Author(s)
Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004