Why does pottery become scarce during the Saxon/Anglian period...

[Jack]

sounds fascinating

Is the line from humber to somersett your study area edge? or your east west split?

As i suspect me and Dino are referring to above that line.

With respect to the 'areas of low density IA pot' there is a danger of interpreting a non-statistically representative sample (up north especially, especially in upland areas - dunno about your zone) with areas referred to as aceramic or 'nearly aceramic' being a product of few excavations taking place (due to the lack of large developments) and the small area excavated on former research-based digs. This pattern is now largely being reversed with lots of IA sites with pot now.

Also you must factor in the disproportionate way in which archaeological conditions are applied, especially in areas with a modern low population density, due to less funding to county archaeologists, large area covered and the planners being desperate not to scare off developers!

[P Prentice]

Is the line from humber to somersett your study area edge? or your east west split?


With respect to the 'areas of low density IA pot' there is a danger of interpreting a non-statistically representative sample (up north especially, especially in upland areas - dunno about your zone) with areas referred to as aceramic or 'nearly aceramic' being a product of few excavations taking place (due to the lack of large developments) and the small area excavated on former research-based digs. This pattern is now largely being reversed with lots of IA sites with pot now.

Also you must factor in the disproportionate way in which archaeological conditions are applied, especially in areas with a modern low population density, due to less funding to county archaeologists, large area covered and the planners being desperate not to scare off developers!

the line is the e/w split though i am not sure why you have stuff very much north of it unless you didnt report it yet? the areas of low density ia pottery are not in low density ia settlment areas: people were there but with pot
this is the model of the future - just needs tweeking

[Marc Berger]

I dot know how I worked this out but is there a chance that we don't where this virtual line is because its based on the imagination of archaeology graduates from within the same imaginary area? This could be a feed back loop. Train somebody up who cant find anything and they are instant winners.

[Jack]

the line is the e/w split though i am not sure why you have stuff very much north of it unless you didnt report it yet?

The three Anglo Saxon sites are reported on (assessment stage). I am writing the publication this and next year. Unfortunately in that area they don't appear on the HER until published
Also noted from the Chadwick pamphlet (cheers for the ref) that West Hesslerton doesn't seem to be on the map.

the areas of low density ia pottery are not in low density ia settlment areas: people were there but with pot
this is the model of the future - just needs tweeking

Indeed. Thats exactly what I was talking about. Durham is a case in point. There are loads of cropmark 'IA/RB' settlements on the HER, many not excavated, a few have just a couple of trenches dug. Hardly any of the older sites comprise an excavation of the total settlement and surrounds. so of course these sites will show up as IA sites with no pottery.

This myth of a north with no IA pottery has been difficult to get out of peoples heads.

There is a case for some sites not having pottery, especially the earlier ones (I think) and those sites up on the moors, though these do not seem to be the norm for settlements that were occupied during the Iron Age, but may appear to be the norm based on the HER.

Of the more recently excavated IA/RB sites that have moderate to large assemblages of pot on them few have been fully excavated.

[Dinosaur]

Very few IA sites in Northern England have produced no pottery at all (Willis 1999)

[Mike.T.]

No evidence of human habitation north of Watford until the Tudor period ( Watkins 1974 )

[Dinosaur]

But I've got carbonised wheat in North Yorkshire at 39,391 BP, have certificate here says so, so someone northern must have already invented the ice drill?