Information for record number MWA4693:
Excavation of Possible Neolithic Pits - 'Site H'

Summary An excavation was undertaken where pits were visible on aerial photographs. There were no finds to date these features but they may have been Neolithic. The site was 250m east of Bushey Hill, Barford.
What Is It?  
Type: Pit, Stake Hole
Period: Late Prehistoric (4000 BC - 42 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Barford
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 28 61
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 1965: Trench cut across a group of pits. Four small pits with associated stakeholes, but no finds. Also a number of large pits. The excavator considered these pits to be possibly Neolithic in date.
2 Aerial photograph.
 
Sources

Source No: 2
Source Type: Aerial Photograph
Title:
Author/originator: J Pickering
Date: 1962
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: SP4489 C/D/E/X
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: TBAS vol 83
Author/originator: Oswald A
Date: 1966
Page Number: 1-64
Volume/Sheet: 83
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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technique Aerial Photograph Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical. back
period Prehistoric About 500,000 BC to 42 AD

The Prehistoric period covers all the periods from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age.
This is a time when people did not write anything down so there is no documentary evidence for archaeologists to look at. Instead, the archaeologists look at the material culture belonging to the people and the places where they lived for clues about their way of life.

The Prehistoric period is divided into the Early Prehistoric and Later Prehistoric.
The Early Prehistoric period covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.
The Later Prehistoric period covers Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times.
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period Neolithic About 4000 BC to 2351 BC

The word ‘Neolithic’ means ‘New Stone Age’. Archaeologists split up the Neolithic period into three phases; early, middle and late. The Neolithic period comes after the Mesolithic period and before the Bronze Age.

People in the Neolithic period hunted and gathered food as their ancestors had but they were also began to farm. They kept animals and grew crops. This meant that they were able to settle more permanently in one location instead of constantly moving from place to place to look for food.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument STAKE HOLE * A hole in the ground which has been created by driving or hammering an upright stake into the ground. As a feature of some archaeological sites they may often represent the only surviving evidence for the former presence of an above-ground structure. back
monument PIT * A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known. back
monument TRENCH * An excavation used as a means of concealment, protection or both. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record