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The Siting of Metalwork Hoards in the Bronze Age of South-East England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 March 2010

David Yates  and
Richard Bradley
David Yates*
Affiliation:
David Yates, 12 Nepcote, FindonBN14 0SD, UK. E-mail: dtyates@dtyates.freeserve.co.uk
Richard Bradley*
Affiliation:
Richard Bradley, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, PO Box 227, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 2AB, UK. E-mail: r.j.bradley@reading.ac.uk
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Abstract

The paper discusses the siting of Middle and Late Bronze Age hoards in south Hampshire, Sussex and parts of Surrey and Kent. It presents the results of fieldwork at the findspots of a hundred metalwork deposits and discusses the most informative ways of studying them on the ground. On the coastal plain the hoards were not far from occupation sites, and can be associated with evidence of burnt mounds and occasionally with field systems. That was less common on the chalk. Throughout the study area these deposits were normally located along watercourses, with a special emphasis on small areas of ground beside, or overlooking springs and confluences. It seems as if the deposition of bronze metalwork was governed by certain conventions. For that reason it may be possible to predict the pattern of future discoveries.

Résumé

Cette communication traite de l’emplacement des trésors datant du milieu et de la fin de l’âge du bronze au sud du Hampshire, au Sussex et dans certaines parties du Surrey et du Kent. Elle présente les résultats du travail sur le terrain aux sites des découvertes d’une centaine de dépôts d’objets en métal et traite des méthodes les plus instructives pour les étudier sur le terrain. Sur la plaine côtière, les trésors n’étaient pas loin des sites d’occupation et peuvent être associés avec les indices de monticules brûlés et parfois avec des systèmes de champs. Ceci était moins commun sur la craie. Dans toute la zone de l’étude, ces dépôts étaient normalement situés le long de cours d’eau, et ce tout particulièrement dans de petites aires de terrain soit à côté soit en surplomb de sources et de confluences. C’est comme si le dépôt d’objets en bronze était gouverné par certaines conventions. C’est pour cette raison qu’il pourrait être possible de prédire le modèle de futures découvertes.

Zusammenfassung

In dieser Abhandlung werden die Fundstellen von Depots der mittleren und späten Bronzezeit in den Grafschaften Südhampshire, Sussex und Teilen von Surrey und Kent diskutiert. Die Resultate der Geländearbeiten bei denen hunderte von Metalldepots aufgezeichnet wurden, werden vorgelegt und die aufschlussreichsten Methoden diese vor Ort zu untersuchen werden diskutiert. In der Küstenebene waren die Depots nicht weit von Siedlungen entfernt und können mit Überresten von Brandhügeln und seltener auch mit Ackerbegrenzungen in Zusammenhang gebracht werden. Das war in der Kreidelandschaft seltener. Im gesamten Studiengebiet befanden sich diese Funde entlang von Wasserläufen, mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf kleinere Stätten, die Quellen oder Flußeinmündungen überblicken. Es wird vermutet, daß die Verwahrung von Bronzemetallarbeiten besonderen Konventionen unterstellt war. Aus diesem Grund könnte es in Zukunft möglich sein, ein Verteilungsmuster für Fundstellen zu prognostizieren.

Type
Articles
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 90 , September 2010 , pp. 41 - 72
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 2010

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