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4.9 Burial Group Incidence - Area patterns

The south west area

There are some very small numerical bases in Table 226 which make some of the percentages potentially misleading. There seems from Table 228 to have been a greater prevalence of adult and child group incidence in 3500-2500bc at 40%, far in excess of those of the subsequent periods (which range from 0-14%), and similarly exceeding adult only burial sites in the same period which were at 9%. For the most part, but on a small numerical base, the four periods covering 2500bc-AD43 reverse the initial bias, and adult only incidences (ranging from 14-26%) clearly outweigh the adult and child deposits in every case (0-14%), and most notably in 2500-8/700bc and 100bc-AD43. Child only deposits are recorded only in 2500-14/1300bc and 8/700-100bc, the latter period having the most even incidence of the three types overall.

The south area

The numerical base for the south area in Table 229 is slightly stronger than for the south west, and the area has the same heavy incidence of adult and child deposits in 3500-2500bc at 31%. Later periods are better and more steadily represented by this characteristic than in the south west and south east at 13-14%, excepting for the period 14/1300-8/700bc at 8%. There is also a more even representation throughout of adult only burial at 11-13% incidence, save again in 14/1300-8/700bc at 5%. Child only incidence is low throughout.

The south east area

The area displays some marked differences from the five period patterns of the other two, but again some caution must be exercised because of a low numerical base (Table 232). Firstly Table 233 shows in 3500-2500bc a reverse in the dominance seen elsewhere of adult and child disposal incidence over the adult only incidence at 20:30%. Then the period 14/1300-8/700bc is much more strongly represented, whereas the final period 100bc-AD43 is more weak. Child only burials are slightly more in evidence, contributing to a more general feel (but no more than that) of more even representation overall.

Although the numbers for this analysis focus are not high and the percentages by themselves are not to be trusted too much, there is a feel (just as with earlier foci) that over the whole timescale there are some shifts among the areas and over time.


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