Monument record MWX3365 - Bestwall Quarry Archaeological Project, Mesolithic and Neolithic activity

Worked flint dated to the Mesolithic and Neolithic collected during surface collection and found residually in later features. A Mesolithic flint knapping site has also been identified in Field P.

Surface and residual finds include: Phase 2, 1993. Field A: Neolithic blade flake found in a charcoal pit (2) Phase 2, 1993: Field B: leaf shaped arrowhead of Neolithic origin was recovered from collection area 59 (2) Phase 3, 1994. Fields B and D: flint assemblage includes a few Mesolithic blades and various Neolithic tools, readily available river gravel flint used for majority of tools but a number of Portland chert implements also identified (3) Phase 4, 1995. Field C: small percentage of Mesolithic and Neolithic tools (4) Phase 5, 1996: Fields E and P: Mesolithic worked flints and flint knapping site identified (5) Phase 6, 1997. Fields P and F: Mesolithic flints found in later features, result of ploughing/disturbance of flint knapping site in Field P and several Mesolithic flints found in Field F (6) Three Neolithic arrowheads recovered (1 & 6) Phase 7, 1998. Field C, F and G: 19 Mesolithic narrow blades or parts of blades and one core, a larger patinated Mesolithic blade may have been reworked during the Neolithic. A leaf shaped arrowhead and a transverse arrowhead of Neolithic date were also recovered. Two sherds of Late Neolithic pottery were identified from the 1997 season (7) Phase 8, 1999. Fields H and R: Two small sherds of later Neolithic grooved ware found in Field R (one from a posthole). 52 blades and 2 cores of Mesolithic date were randomly scattered over the two fields and worked flint can also be attributed to the Neolithic (8) Phase 10, 2001. Field J: no Mesolithic features but two small microliths and a number of blade-type flakes were retrieved from surface collection. Some worked flint can be attributed to the Neolithic including finely worked scrapers, chert pieces and three transverse arrowheads (9) Phase 11, 2002. Field T, N and Z: Mesolithic lithics, comprising cores, flakes, blades and two microliths. Neolithic lithics include a number of chert pieces (possibly Early Neolithic) cores, flakes, blades and an arrowhead. Majority came from the eastern half of Field N. In Field Z part of a Neolithic granite axe was present in a later Roman feature (10)

Record last edited

Nov 10 2022 4:32PM