The increasingly calcareous nature of the deposits in the southern part of the West Heslerton settlement offered the potential for the recovery of land snails for enhancing the interpretation of the rich archaeobotanical assemblage. Samples were taken at three locations on Site 11 during 1991 and the most calcareous of these were selected for a detailed examination, primarily of any preserved land snails. There were very few land snails, probably because of decalcification of the sediments, and therefore it is unlikely that further work on these sequences will yield useful information.
Samples were taken from three locations at the site: WH I was taken through a sequence of colluvium and buried soils at the upper margin of the excavated area (at co-ordinates X 18790, Y 37698, Z 6233); WH II was taken through the (?Neolithic) buried soil at co-ordinates X 3647, Y 3543, Z 6475; and WH III was taken through the stream section at co-ordinates X 25785, Y 514000, Z 5565). The samples are identified by the column location and by their depth below the ground surface in centimetres.
In the laboratory, the samples were examined and tests were carried out on all the samples to find out how calcareous the sediments were, using dilute hydrochloric acid. None of the samples was highly calcareous. The most calcareous samples were selected for more detailed examination, and their lithology described using a standard pro-forma. A 1kg subsample of each was processed following methods outlined by Evans (1972), and the contents examined, primarily for molluscan remains.
There were very few land snails in any of these samples, except for the burrowing snail Cecilioides acicula, which is likely to be a modern contaminant. Where there were other species of landsnails, these were often badly eroded.
| WH I 58-60: | A dark brown (10 YR 4/3), dry, brittle fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm in size) and small fragments of bone. | The land snails recovered were Vallonia sp. (3 individuals), Vitrina pellucida (2), Vitrea sp. (1) and Trichia hispida (3). |
| WH I 80-85: | A dark brown (10 YR 4/3), dry, brittle fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm in size). | This sample contained only one shell, a member of the family Helicidae. |
| WH I 102-105: | A brown (10 YR 5/3), dry, brittle fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm in size). | This sample contained Vallonia sp. (8) and Trichia hispida (2). |
| WH II 30-35: | A dark yellowish brown (10 YR 4/4), dry, fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-6cm in size). | This sample contained Vallonia sp. (12), Vallonia excentrica (4), slug plates (2), Helicella itala (2) and Trichia hispida (4). |
| WH II 55-68: | A dark yellowish brown (10 YR 4/4), dry fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm). | This sample contained Vallonia sp. (6) and two individuals of the Helicidae. |
| WH II 74-76: | A dark yellowish brown (10 YR 4/6) dry, fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-6cm in size). | This sample contained Vallonia sp. (4), Oxychilus sp. (1) and two individuals of the Helicidae. |
| WH II 76-78: | A dark yellowish brown (10 YR 4/4), dry, brittle fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm in size). | This sample contained Vallonia excentrica (2), Vallonia sp. (9), Trichia hispida (2) and Helicidae (1). |
| WH III 45-50: | A dark yellowish brown (10 YR 4/4), dry fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm in size). | This sample contained one individual of Vallonia excentrica. |
| WH III 79-82: | A yellowish brown (10 YR 5/4), dry, brittle, fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm in size). | This sample contained one individual of the Helicidae. |
| WH III 100-103: | A dark yellowish brown (10 YR 416), dry, brittle fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm in size). | No land snails. |
| WH III 115-118: | A yellowish brown (10 YR 5/4), dry fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-2cm). | No land snails. |
| WH III 118-121: | A light yellowish brown (10 YR 614), dry, fine sand, which contained stone (2mm-6cm in size). | No land snails. |
The very low numbers of land snails even in the most calcareous samples suggests that the sediments have been decalcified, and this has also been suggested by on-site and off-site work on the sediments by Macphail and McHugh (pers. comm.). If, as they suggest, the sediments were decalcified during the later Neolithic, and not recalcified until some time during the occupation of the settlement, it seems unlikely that land snails will be preserved in high enough numbers to add useful information to the understanding of the site.
© Internet Archaeology
URL: http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue5/westhes/4-5.htm
Last updated: Tue Dec 15 1998