West Heslerton: Anglian Settlement: Pit 12AD 8232

012AD08232

Pit

Phasing

The pit was dated as Middle Saxon by the find of a copper alloy wound heart-head pin in the primary fill.

Discussion

The pit contained 5 distinct fills, the primary fill (012AD08473) being a silty sandy loam (Munsell 10/YR/43) with charcoal flecking and some daub flecks and almost no inclusions. Of particular note was the find of a Middle Saxon wound heart-head pin from this fill. After this came a redeposited natural sand (Munsell 10/YR/54), possibly a side collapse (12AD08472). This was overlain by a darker, sandy loam deposit (012AD08469) (Munsell 10/YR/33), which contained charcoal flecks throughout and chalk inclusions of around 5% (0.5-1.5cm in diameter). This was the first fill which contained a significant number of animal bones. This was followed by a dump (012AD08468) of decayed chalk, clay and pink chalk with burnt daub flecks throughout. The dump was limited to a small area in the central eastern part of the excavated section. No charcoal or finds were recovered from this fill, although a number of animal bones were recovered. The final fill (012AD08232) was a sandy loam (Munsell 10/YR/43) with chalk inclusions of around 8% (0.5-2.5cm in diameter). This fill contained the majority of finds and animal bones. The pit was cut into natural sand and sand & gravel, and thus the sides would have been prone to collapse.

All Contexts and Associated Finds Totals

CUT	FILL	VOLUME	OBJECTS	AN BONE	DENSITY
012AD08232	011CD08231		10	27
	011CD08468			13
	011CD08469		3	25
	011CD08472			2
	011CD08473		4	3

012AD08231 Object Totals by Period and Material

KEY_ID	PERIOD	MATERIAL	No
012AD08231	Unassigned	COPPER ALLOY	1
	ROMAN	DAUB	2
	Unassigned	IRON	1
	4TH CENTURY	POTTERY	2
	ROMAN	POTTERY	3
	Unassigned	STONE	1

012AD08469 Object Totals by Period and Material

KEY_ID	PERIOD	MATERIAL	No
012AD08469	Unassigned	COPPER ALLOY	1
	ROMAN	POTTERY	2

012AD08473 Object Totals by Period and Material

KEY_ID	PERIOD	MATERIAL	No
012AD08473	Unassigned	CHARCOAL	1
	MIDDLE SAXON	COPPER ALLOY	1
	ROMAN	POTTERY	2

012AD08231 Animal Bone Totals by Species

KEY_ID	SPECIES	No
012AD08231	Cattle	7
012AD08231	Horse	1
012AD08231	Pig	1
012AD08231	Sheep	6
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	12

012AD08468 Animal Bone Totals by Species

KEY_ID	SPECIES	No
012AD08468	Cattle	5
012AD08468	Pig	1
012AD08468	Sheep	4
012AD08468	Sheep/Goat	3

012AD08469 Animal Bone Totals by Species

KEY_ID	SPECIES	No
012AD08469	Canid spp.	1
012AD08469	Cattle	11
012AD08469	Pig	1
012AD08469	Sheep	7
012AD08469	Sheep/Goat	4
012AD08469	Wild/domestic goose	1

012AD08472 Animal Bone Totals by Species

KEY_ID	SPECIES	No
012AD08472	Sheep	2

012AD08473 Animal Bone Totals by Species

KEY_ID	SPECIES	No
012AD08473	Domestic goose	1
012AD08473	Sheep	1
012AD08473	Sheep/Goat	1

Context Details

012AD08232 Sections and Notes

KEY_ID TYPE SHAPE L B D PROFILE NOTES

012AD08231 PIT FILL SUB-RECTANGULAR 210 188 29 U-SHAPED CONTAINED AN. BONE AND POTTERY. NO DAUB OR CHARCOAL FLECKING. CUT NO. OF PIT 8232.

012AD08232 PIT CUT SUB-RECTANGULAR 210 188 92 U-SHAPED CUT INTO SAND AND SAND AND GRAVEL. NOT HALF SECTIONED-SHAPE AND PROFILE ESTIMATED. IRREGULAR PROFILE AT BASE.

012AD08468 PIT FILL RECTANGULAR 52 29 6 FLAT BASED U APPARENT DUMP OF CLAY MIXED WITH PINK CHALK IN PIT 8232. NO FINDS. NO CHARCOAL FLECKING. SOME BURNT DAUB.

012AD08469 PIT FILL RECTANGULAR 150 119 34 FLAT BASED U DARKER LOAMIER FILL THAN 8231 ABOVE. CONTAINED POTTERY DAUB AN. BONE FE BLADE AND BROKEN HONE STONE. CHARCOAL FLECKING THROUGHOUT.

012AD08472 REDEP. NATURAL RECTANGULAR 110 40 35 FLAT BASED U REDEPOSITED NATURAL SAND. CONTAINED AN. BONE POTTERY CHARCOAL AND A HONE STONE.

012AD08473 PIT FILL RECTANGULAR 76 77 15 FLAT BASED U DARK LOAMY MATERIAL UNDER REDEPOSITED SAND 8472. CONTAINED CHARCOAL AN. BONE POTTERY SOME DAUB AND CU ALLOY PIN.

Objects By Context

KEY_ID	OB	PERIOD	MATERIAL	TYPE	SUB_TYPE	CLASS	No
012AD08231	AA	ROMAN	POTTERY	SHERD			1
012AD08231	AB	4TH CENTURY	POTTERY	SHERD		ROMANO-BRITISH	1
012AD08231	AC	Unassigned	STONE	STONE			1
012AD08231	AD	ROMAN	POTTERY	SHERD			1
012AD08231	AE	ROMAN	POTTERY	SHERD			1
012AD08231	AF	4TH CENTURY	POTTERY	SHERD		ROMANO-BRITISH	1
012AD08231	AG	ROMAN	DAUB	DAUB			1
012AD08231	AH	ROMAN	DAUB	DAUB			1
012AD08231	AI	Unassigned	IRON	IRON OBJECT			1
012AD08231	AJ	Unassigned	COPPER ALLOY	C/A PIN			1
012AD08469	AA	Unassigned	COPPER ALLOY	C/A FRAGMENTS			3
012AD08469	AB	ROMAN	POTTERY	SHERD		ROMANO-BRITISH	1
012AD08469	AC	ROMAN	POTTERY	SHERD		ROMANO-BRITISH	1
012AD08473	AA	Unassigned	CHARCOAL	CHARCOAL SAMPLE			1
012AD08473	AB	MIDDLE SAXON	COPPER ALLOY	C/A PIN	WOUND HEART HEAD		1
012AD08473	AC	ROMAN	POTTERY	SHERD		ROMANO-BRITISH	1
012AD08473	AD	ROMAN	POTTERY	SHERD		ROMANO-BRITISH	1

Animal Bone by Context

KEY_ID	SPECIES	ELEMENT	QUANT	CHEW	BURN	BUTCH	FBRK
012AD08231	Cattle	Astragalus	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Cattle	Mandible	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Cattle	Mandible	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Cattle	Mandible	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Cattle	Phalanx 2	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Cattle	Scapula	1	1	0	0	1
012AD08231	Cattle	Tibia D	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Horse	Humerus D	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Pig	Radius P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep	Calcaneum	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep	M/C P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep	M/T br	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep	Mandible	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep	Phalanx 1	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep	Tibia D	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Femur D	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Femur P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Femur P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Mandible	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Mandible	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Mandible	1	1	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Pelvis fr	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Radius P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Radius P	1	1	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Scapula	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Scapula	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08231	Sheep/Goat	Tibia P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Cattle	Astragalus	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08468	Cattle	Femur br	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08468	Cattle	Phalanx 1	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Cattle	Phalanx 1	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Cattle	Scapula	1	1	0	0	0
012AD08468	Pig	Radius P	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08468	Sheep	Astragalus	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Sheep	Calcaneum	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Sheep	Calcaneum	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Sheep	Mandible	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08468	Sheep/Goat	Astragalus	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Sheep/Goat	Pelvis fr	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08468	Sheep/Goat	Tibia br	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08469	Canid spp.	Tibia br	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Cattle	Axis	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08469	Cattle	Calcaneum	1	0	0	1	0
012AD08469	Cattle	Horncore	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Cattle	M/C C	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Cattle	Occiput	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08469	Cattle	Phalanx 1	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08469	Cattle	Phalanx 1	1	0	0	1	0
012AD08469	Cattle	Phalanx 2	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Cattle	Scapula fr	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Cattle	Scapula fr	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Cattle	Tibia P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Pig	Femur D	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep	Calcaneum	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep	Humerus D	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep	M/C D	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep	Mandible	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep	Phalanx 1	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep	Radius C	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep	Radius C	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep/Goat	Astragalus	1	0	0	1	0
012AD08469	Sheep/Goat	Radius C	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep/Goat	Skull fr	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Sheep/Goat	Tibia P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08469	Wild/domestic goose	Tarsom/t	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08472	Sheep	M/C P	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08472	Sheep	Phalanx 1	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08473	Domestic goose	Ulna	1	0	0	0	0
012AD08473	Sheep	Tibia D	1	0	0	0	1
012AD08473	Sheep/Goat	Scapula	1	1	0	0	0

KEY_ID	TYPE	SHAPE	L	B	D	PROFILE	NOTES
012AD08231	PIT FILL	SUB-RECTANGULAR	210	188	29	U-SHAPED	CONTAINED AN. BONE AND POTTERY. NO DAUB OR CHARCOAL FLECKING. CUT NO. OF PIT 8232.
012AD08232	PIT CUT	SUB-RECTANGULAR	210	188	92	U-SHAPED	CUT INTO SAND AND SAND AND GRAVEL. NOT HALF SECTIONED-SHAPE AND PROFILE ESTIMATED. IRREGULAR PROFILE AT BASE.
012AD08468	PIT FILL	RECTANGULAR	52	29	6	FLAT BASED U	APPARENT DUMP OF CLAY MIXED WITH PINK CHALK IN PIT 8232. NO FINDS. NO CHARCOAL FLECKING. SOME BURNT DAUB.
012AD08469	PIT FILL	RECTANGULAR	150	119	34	FLAT BASED U	DARKER LOAMIER FILL THAN 8231 ABOVE. CONTAINED POTTERY DAUB AN. BONE FE BLADE AND BROKEN HONE STONE. CHARCOAL FLECKING THROUGHOUT.
012AD08472	REDEP. NATURAL	RECTANGULAR	110	40	35	FLAT BASED U	REDEPOSITED NATURAL SAND. CONTAINED AN. BONE POTTERY CHARCOAL AND A HONE STONE.
012AD08473	PIT FILL	RECTANGULAR	76	77	15	FLAT BASED U	DARK LOAMY MATERIAL UNDER REDEPOSITED SAND 8472. CONTAINED CHARCOAL AN. BONE POTTERY SOME DAUB AND CU ALLOY PIN.