011AE00055

Grave Overhead view of fully excavated skeleton Detail view showing remains of infant on chest of adult


 
Grave Details
Length 115 Width 72 Depth 26 Ratio 1.6:1 Elevation 6183
Skeletal Details 
Length 109 Width 63 Depth 16 Period Prehistoric?
Age Adult  Sex Female?  Position Crouched Bearing 320 degrees
Material Culture Human Bone 137  Number of Objects  3 Number of Animal Bones 3
Environmental 

Phasing

Discussion

A grave located in cental 11AE. The grave fill was a dark, humic loamy sand, with occasional large inclusions of chalk up to 5cm in diameter, and was disturbed by animal burrows. The grave contained the skeletons of a female adult and an infant. Very few bones remained of the infant burial, and those that remained were disturbed with the skull crushed. The infant was oriented north-south and was situated in the western part of the grave, lying on the chest of the adult. The adult was in the crouched position, facing west, with the neck bent at the 7th vertebra so that the skull was facing south, almost as if it were looking down on the infant. The right arm of the adult was bent at the elbow so that the right hand was positioned under the skull. The left arm is positioned across the stomach, possibly cradling the infant. The legs are drawn up with the feet located to the south of the pelvis. One finger had been dislodged (by animal action?) and was situated half-way up the left arm. The finds were a fragment of charcoal, a sherd of pottery of unassigned date, and a piece of worked bone (pin or awl?). Significantly, one of the three animal bones found in the grave was that of a beaver humerus, the only bone from this species found on the whole of the settlement site.

It is possible that this grave contains the remains of a mother and her infant, and that both of them died during within the first year of the child's life.  The relative positions of the skeletons, with the mother apparently cradling the infant in her arms and looking down on the remains presents a powerful and moving image.

The grave is situated less than 70cm to the noerth-east of the elongated pit 011AE00278.
 

All Contexts and Associated Finds Totals

CUT  FILL VOLUME OBJECTS AN BONE DENSITY
011AE00055 011AE00031 3 1
011AE00056  102 2
011AE00356 37

Object Totals by Material

KEY_ID PERIOD MATERIAL No
011AE00031 PREHISTORIC? WORKED BONE 1
011AE00056 Unassigned HUMAN BONE 100
011AE00056 Unassigned POTTERY 1
011AE00056 Unassigned STONE 1
011AE00356 Unassigned HUMAN BONE 37

Animal Bone Totals by Species

011AE00031 Sheep/goat 1
011AE00056 Beaver 1
Sheep/goat 1

Structural Details

011AE00055 Notes

KEY_ID TYPE SHAPE  L B  D PROFILE  NOTES
011AE00055 GRAVE CUT OVATE  115 72 26 CONCAVE  CUT INTO CHALK GRAVEL NATURAL. VERTICAL SIDES AND A FLAT BASE.
011AE00031 GRAVE FILL OVATE 115 72 26 CONTAINED A WORKED BONE IMPLEMENT AND A SHERD OF POTTERY. A DARK HUMIC FILL. CHALK INCLUSIONS 0.5-3CM IN DIAMETER.
 011AE00056 SKELETON No Entry  109 63 16 COMPLEX  COMPLETE SKELETON CROUCHED AND FACING WEST. SKULL TILTED TO FACE SOUTH. DISCOVERED DURING CLEANING BACK OF AREA WHEN CRANIUM WAS DAMAGED.
011AE00356 SKELETON  No Entry  26 15  9 COMPLEX  FRAGMENTARY REMAINS OF INFANT SKELETON FOUND ON ADULT SKELETONS RIGHT BREAST. 

Objects By Context

KEY_ID OB PERIOD1 PERIOD2 MATERIAL TYPE SUB_TYPE CLASS No
011AE00031 AA PREHISTORIC?   WORKED BONE BONE POINT     1
011AE00056 AA     HUMAN BONE BONES RIGHT HAND   4
011AE00056 AB     HUMAN BONE BONE FRAGMENTS CRANIUM   1
011AE00056 AC     HUMAN BONE BONES R.RADIUS+ULNA   3
011AE00056 AD     HUMAN BONE BONES L.RADIUS+ULNA   3
011AE00056 AE     HUMAN BONE BONES LWR.VERT   10
011AE00056 AF     HUMAN BONE BONES L.HAND   9
011AE00056 AG     HUMAN BONE BONES L.TIB+FIB   2
011AE00056 AH     HUMAN BONE BONE RIGHT HUMERUS   1
011AE00056 AI     HUMAN BONE BONES R.TIB+FIB   2
011AE00056 AJ     HUMAN BONE BONES L.RIBS+CLAV   13
011AE00056 AK     HUMAN BONE BONE RIGHT FEMUR   1
011AE00056 AL     HUMAN BONE BONE LEFT FEMUR   1
011AE00056 AM     HUMAN BONE BONE L.PELVIS   1
011AE00056 AN     HUMAN BONE BONE R.PELVIS   1
011AE00056 AO     HUMAN BONE BONE L.FOOT   7
011AE00056 AP     HUMAN BONE BONES UPPER VERT   12
011AE00056 AQ     HUMAN BONE BONE RIGHT FOOT   5
011AE00056 AR     HUMAN BONE BONES RIGHT RIBS   10
011AE00056 AS     HUMAN BONE BONE LEFT HUMERUS   1
011AE00056 AT     HUMAN BONE BONES MIDDLE VERT   13
011AE00056 AU     STONE STONE     1
011AE00056 AV     POTTERY SHERD     1
011AE00356 AA     HUMAN BONE SKELETON   INFANT 30
011AE00356 AB     HUMAN BONE BONE FRAGMENTS CRANIUM INFANT 5

Animal Bone by Context

KEY_ID SPECIES ELEMENT QUANT CHEW BURN BUTCH FBRK
011AE00031 Sheep/Goat Radius br             1           0            0             0          1
011AE00056 Beaver Humerus D 1 0 0 0 0
011AE00056 Sheep/goat Pelvis 1 0 0 0 0