A doggie’s long walk, 7000 years ago
As I discussed in a post on the ‘King of Stonehenge’ many moons ago (see http://bit.ly/2gPIo6Y) teeth uncovered in archaeological digs are able to tell us important tales, including where people or animals grew up and what foods were predominant in their diet. An exciting site near the long lived sacred landscape around Stonehenge (active from at least 7,000 to 3,500 years ago) called Blick Mead that seems to have been a long term encampment has provided poignant evidence for a 375km journey undertaken by a dog, presumably accompanying its master for some long forgotten purpose.
Agriculture remained unknown, so the person involved would have been a hunter gatherer, accompanied on his foraging by a faithful hound (one of the Isles main exports in later Roman days), but for some reason he decided to walk down southwest from the Vale of York to Wiltshire, presumably following the ridgeways of cretaceous chalk that bisect the land. All that remains of this trip is a single canine tooth (from an Alsatian like mutt with wolfy traits), but the isotopes are clear, it was born and bred in the north, and somehow came south (so it could have been trade, gift exchange or tribute of some sort). Not only does the find offer proof of domesticated dogs in that epoch, but that people were already travelling to the region around Stonehenge.
Other uncovered artefacts had suggested long distance journeys to this spot from around the Isles, and Blick Mead seems to have been regularly used from 8,000 to 4,000 BCE and then intermittently until the medieval era. Most hunter gatherers stay within a fairly small well known range unless pushed out by geography or climate, so the evidence suggests a deeper reason to travel outside one’s home turf. Evidence of feasting on aurochs (large cows, hunted into extinction by the 16th century CE), salmon, trout and hazelnuts has also come to light (old garbage being archaeological treasure troves about past lifestyles, whatever form it takes).
The finds also imply the area has been important for much longer than the first circle of postholes at Stonehenge (though some found under the current car park date from 7,500 BCE), let alone the later stone ones started around 2,500 BCE, but that it might have provided long term continuity in a long used landscape. The site fills a gap of some 3,000 years in the record between early Mesolithic activity and the later circle building. It had been ignored by researchers, despite being called Vespasian’s Camp (after a Roman general, later emperor), who assumed that 19th century landscaping for a nearby manor had disrupted it.
Sadly the site where the people now being called the Stonehenge Builders lived may be disrupted by the current plans for a tunnel under the area for the busy A303, since works may alter the local water table making it impossible to continue digging. Archaeologists are pleading that this unique place and the further tales it has to tell are taken into account before work starts amd provision for protection made.
Loz
Image credit: Stonehenge: Max Alexander, Tooth: University of Buckingham/PA http://bit.ly/2dWumnghttp://bbc.in/13BRs8l