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Site name Kalis Corner, Kimpton
Site number 823
Burial codes 4005 4009 4022 4024 4026 4028 4030 4035 4041 4047 4051 4053 4065 4075 4081 4082 4083 4084 4085 4093 4094 4103 4104 4108 4109 4110 4111 4121 4128 4143 4153 4154 4159 4160 4161 4173 4181 4200 3005 3009 3022 3023 3026 3028 3030 3035 3041 3048 3051 3065 3075 3081 3082 3083 3084 3092 3098 3104 3111 3128 3143 3153 3154 3161 3173 3181
2500bc-14/1300bc Summary: a large urn cemetery which comprised a series of successive clusters of burials. A small group of Early Bronze Age burials on the site of a Late Neolithic (?)ritual monument was superceded by a cemetery of barrel urn interments incorporated beneath and within a carefully constructed flint platform. The flint platform was enlarged by four phases of extensions during the Middle Bronze Age, and then used as the focus for a series of peripheral burials under their own circular flint cairns in the Late Bronze Age. Continuity of techniques of platform construction, use and re-use of pyre sites and uniformity of incineration and bone pulverisation techniques suggest this was a site in continuous use over a long period.

The cremated bone was uniformly highly comminuted, which made identification difficult. There appear to have been at least 67 individuals represented, including 54 adults, 6 immature persons and 7 children. 12 males and 10 females could be identified from the remains. They were distributed: Phases A/B 4, C 1, D 13, D/E 3, E 27, F 12 and G 7.

Phases A and B: A large sarsen probably stood in trench II and may have been the focus for ritual activity leading to the deposition of Late Neolithic Peterborough (Fengate) ware and Early Bronze Age pottery, flintwork, and burials in its vicinity. A giant Beaker was associated with 50g of cremated human bone, and nearby were unaccompanied adult and child cremations, each in a deep conical hole. In the same area was an inverted Early Bronze Age accessory cup placed on levelled ground, with nearby charcoal stains on the ground surface. A baked clay bead was 35cm distant.

Phase C (later Early Bronze Age and early Middle Bronze Age ): The sarsen stone was broken up and incorporated into a flint platform, possibly in a small circle. A pyre area (Pyre I) was situated immediately south east of the sarsens, and to the north and east of Pyre I lay a series of 22 urn deposits, six of which were associated with cremated human bones. All this occupied a circle c10m in diameter, and all were covered by flint cairns of varying size. The Phase C cemetery included a group of barrel urns often interred distinctively, the vessels' sides being removed and laid flat on the subsoil before being covered by flints. Of the 22 deposits, none were upright, 2 were inverted, 8 were slab burials, and 12 were scatters. Six burials of cremations were with urns, 3 near urns, and the other 13 urn deposits had no burial associations.

Phase D early Middle Bronze Age: The flint platform was extended south from Pyre I. Eight urned cremations and 24 unaccompanied cremations were recovered. Some cremations and urns were inserted in the Phase C platform between cairn heaps and on the edges. One of these cremations (?a child) was associated with a group of clay beads. Six urns were upright, 2 inverted, and 27 scatters of sherds represented the other deposits. Twenty of the last had no human bone associations. There were 13 globular urns, 7 bucket urns, and 14 accessory vessels.

Phase D/E early Middle Bronze Age: In or just after Phase D a series of three large circular flint cairns were added to the north side of the cemetery. The two west cairns held three urns each, the east cairn held an unaccompanied central cremation. Of the west cairns one held a multiple cremation burial with bucket urns. The other held none, but a small cluster of bone lay 38cm away, the urns being globular.

Phase E later Middle Bronze Age: A further extension of the cemetery to the north west, with interments of inverted urns on a small flint floor set on levelled subsoil. Large flint nodules were wedged around each urn to hold the vessel tight. Cremations were carried out on Pyre II in the south east quadrant of the extension. There were 37 out of 43 urns complete, nearly all inverted (2 upright, 1 on its side). 27 urns contained 30 separate human cremations, and there were 18 unaccompanied cremations. 19 of the urns were globular, 12 bucket, 5 accessory vessels and 3 post Deverel-Rimbury pots.

Phase F later Middle Bronze Age: A small linear cemetery east of the Phase E extension and impinging on the two east cairns of Phase D/E. There were 11 urns (4 known to be inverted). 5 cremations were associated with urns, and 13 were unaccompanied in the urn group, probably of Phase F. The urns were treated as those in Phase E. Large unburnt flints covered the eastern part of Pyre II. There were 5 globular urns, 3 bucket and 3 accessory vessels.

Radiocarbon dating was carried out on sub-optimal samples of finely divided charcoal in soil.

RC: Phase C HAR-4316 and HAR-4320 both 1950 +/- 110
Phase C HAR-4317 1280 +/- 150 (anomalous?)
Phases D and F HAR-4572 1440 +/- 150, HAR-4319 1580 +/- 130
14/1300bc-8/700bc Phase G Late Bronze Age: Phase G burials were interred beneath circular flint mounds around the north east, south, and south east margins of the existing flint platform. The urns were buried in relatively deep holes. Two urns were upright, 3 inverted, and one on its side. Seven urns were associated with human cremation deposits, and there was one unaccompanied cremation. Of the 9 vessels, there were 2 round or slack shouldered jars, and 7 carinated or shouldered jars.
Remains/Period Y4 Y3
County Hampshire
Region S
National grid square SU
X coordinate 288
Y coordinate 480
Bibliographic source Selkirk 1968, Dacre and Ellison 1981


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Last updated: Tues Aug 10 2004