SIXTH SEASON OF EXCAVATIONS 2000
The First Phase
Monument | The Phase I Quarry
Ditch | The Ruined Passage Grave
Post-Prehistoric Activity | Radiocarbon dates | Excavations
in 2001 | Plans & Illustrations
A sixth season of excavations at the Neolithic long mound of Prissé-la-Charrière took place between 17th July and 25th August 2000. The work was undertaken as in previous years by a team of some 30-40 French and British students and volunteers, under the direction of Dr Luc Laporte (CNRS, Rennes), Dr Roger Joussaume (CNRS, Paris) and Dr Chris Scarre (McDonald Institute, Cambridge). Thanks are due once again to the landowner, M. Bastard de Cresnay, for permission to excavate on his land, and to the Maire and Commune of Priss6-la-Charri6re and the Maire and Commune of Marigny for assistance with the practical and domestic arrangements.
The aim of the sixth season of excavations was to define more precisely the form and character of the early-phase monument discovered embedded beneath the western end of the later long mound. This involved excavation through the overlying material of the later mound and further investigation of the quarry ditches of the primary monument. Attention was hence concentrated at this western end of the site but further investigations were also carried out in the neighbourhood of the ruined passage grave. These included completion of the excavation of the burial deposit in the ruined passage grave; study of the burial deposit within the western cist grave was also finished during this season.
For the sake of description, the construction of the mound has been divided into three phases: an initial dry-stone structure (Phase IA) later extended to create a short (c.23m) long mound (Phase IB); and the 100m long mound, with lateral passage grave, of Phase II. Thus the Phase I monument incorporates at least two distinct stages:
Also significant was evidence suggesting that the area in front of the entrance to the western cist grave may have served as a forecourt with timber posts or structures before being covered by the extended mound of Phase IB. This further underlines the distinction between Phase IA, when the western cist grave was open and in use; and Phase IB, when its entrance had been blocked and a short long mound constructed over the forecourt and against the eastern façade of the dry-stone structure of Phase IA. The investigation of the western cist grave and the quarry ditches are described more fully in the following sections of this report.
The limits of the mound of phase IB were defined with the discovery of its south-east comer in sector I III. This took the form of the rounded comer of the enclosing wall, preserved to a height of 4-5 courses. This appeared however to be only a thin skin added against an earlier right-angled comer which stood to a height of a further 9 courses. The wall was built on the red soil of the original ground surface, and stood only 20-30cms back from the lip of the rock-cut quarry ditch. This ditch turned a sharp angle to follow the face of the wall as it cut north beneath the line of the later (Phase II) long mound. The line of the wall was traced for most of the distance across the width of the mound, but the northeastern angle appeared to be missing. This discovery nonetheless establishes that the dimensions of the Phase IIB mound, edged by a dry- stone wall, measured c.23m x 8.8m.
Excavations in 1999 had shown that along its northern side the wall of the Phase IB mound had been reduced (where it survived at all) to a single basal course of stones along the inner edge of the quarry ditch. Further excavations to examine the structure of the IB mound on this northern side revealed turf lines and a sequence of tip lines in the yellow fill confirming once again that the material had built up in a west-east against face of dry-stone monument of Phase IA. These excavations also exposed a core of reddish earth and stones beneath the yellowish fill, running east-west along the central axis of the mound. The red earth is probably the remains of turf, and this central core may indicate that construction of the IIB mound began with the laying-out of an initial spine of turf along its mid-line.
A deep sondage excavated on the southern side of the IB mound revealed the dry-stone wall on this side, positioned once again just behind lip of the Phase I quarry. The sondage was extended into the body of the mound behind this wall and revealed yellow fill with pronounced tip lines corresponding to those already exposed on the northern flank. Resting on top of the yellow fill and descending the slope of the mound towards the south was an inclined layer of large slabs laid obliquely. These may represent the original mound covering of the IB mound, indicating that it had a rounded or pitched profile. Only in the enlargement of Phase H was material added on top of this to create a level stone-built platform on the crest of the mound.
Further clearance was carried out in 2000 along the substantial dry-stone wall (previously referred to as the ‘southern inclined wall’) which forms the southern side of the dry-stone structures of Phase IA, associated with the western cist grave. Study of this wall revealed that it had been constructed in separate stages: the lower 1.2m consists of horizontal courses; the wall appears subsequently to have been raised in its eastern part (close to its southeastern angle) to a height of c. 1.9m; the whole was later capped by layer of inclined slabs laid like roof tiles. This capping of inclined slabs shows that the wall cannot originally have been significantly higher than it was when discovered, and that its diminishing height to the west is not the result of erosion but is an early (perhaps an initial) feature. The wall continues beyond its south-eastern corner in the form of a dry-stone structure 2-3 courses in height; this must ultimately join with the southern wall revealed in the deep sondage referred to above. Whether the continuation is of one build with the southern inclined wall, or is a later, eastward extension to that wall, is unclear. This issue is of special significance when considering whether the wall, and the Phase I ditch, may have defined an open ritual area before the Phase IB mound was built within it (see below).
Having traced the wall of the Phase I mound on its northern, southern and eastern sides, it remained only to complete the rectangle by determining the position of its western edge. Later disturbance, connected in part with the modem trackway which runs across this end of the mound, had reduced the western wall to a single course of stones. These however were exposed and planned, along with the lip of the primary quarry which is hence shown to have been continuous around 0 four sides of the primary monument. The westward-sloping profile of the southern inclined wall indicates that the western boundary of the monument was never of substantial height, though we may perhaps envisage a wall originally of some half a dozen dry-stone courses across this end of the monument.
The Western Cist Grave Excavation was undertaken in front of the entrance to the western cist grave, to explore more fully the access arrangements. This led to the discovery and exposure of the northern edge of the opening through the circular dry-stone mass. Assuming that the southern edge of the opening was symmetrical with this, it indicates a funnel-shaped access narrowing towards the entrance into the cist itself.
The area in front of the entrance was excavated down to bedrock for a distance of some 4m to the east, by removal of the material of the Phase IB mound. Beneath that mound an original ground surface of red soil was revealed. Above this, on the mid-line of the mound, was the red earth deposit earth referred to above (the possible turf spine); in this, the socket of a post-hole was clearly revealed in section. This post was on the mid- line of the mound and may indicate that timber structures stood in the area in front of the western cist grave before the Phase IB mound was built. It is thus possible that the western cist grave originally faced a ritual forecourt with timber structures. An alternative explanation would see this post as a marker used for the laying out of the IB mound.
Within the western cist itself, the completion of the excavation of the burial deposit clarified the relationship of the paving on the floor of the cist to the limestone stabs which had originally been used to close the entrance. This indicates two periods of use: an initial paving on the floor of the cist, continuing below the base of the closing stabs and hence pre-dating them; and a later paving built up against inner face of the closing slabs, and thus post-dating them. A blocking wall had also been built at a later stage against the outer face of closing slabs. This suggests the following sequence: 1) the initial paving laid on the floor of the cist; 2) the closing stabs put in place, resting on that paving; 3) the entrance way walled up and a blocking constructed against the outer face of closing slabs, to seal the chamber; 4) the blocking partially removed and the closing stabs broken to allow reuse of the chamber, a reuse which was associated with the laying of a new paving above the old. This new paving ran up against the inner face of the closing slabs.
In clearing the area around the circular dry-stone mass which encloses the western cist grave, two large slabs were observed incorporated in its base, on the south-western side. These were different both in size and in type of limestone from the remainder of the dry-stone walling, and were indeed of the same material as the orthostats within the cist. This raises the possibility that these large slabs had been brought to the site for an earlier structure, but were re-used in the base of the circular dry-stone mass. It is equally possible, however, that they represent material found to be surplus to requirements after the orthostats had been positioned.
The limits of the quarry ditch associated with the Phase I monument were traced further on both the northern and southern sides of the mound. On the south, in sectors HIH & I HI, the area of the Phase II mound which had been disturbed by recent quarrying was removed down to bedrock, so as to reveal the edges of the Phase I quarry ditch in its southeastern sector, where it swung northwards across the end of the Phase IB mound. Internal spur walls of the Phase II mound descended into the upper part of the quarry ditch fill, indicating either a process of structural settlement following their construction, or that the quarry ditch, though largely infilled, was still present at the beginning of Phase H in the form of a shallow hollow.
On the northern side of the monument, the three sections excavated across the Phase I quarry ditch in 1999 (cuts A, B & C) were completed down to bedrock, and two further sections (2000 cuts 1 & 2) were excavated. These showed the presence of a step in the bedrock of the ditch floor. Study of the fill indicated that this step marked the junction between an initial cut, deep and narrow quarry and close to monument, and a later recut, broader and shallower, which also widened the quarry towards the north. The first cut ties beneath the outer kerb of the later Phase II long mound. The recut runs parallel with the northern edge of the mound and lies outside the outer kerb, appearing at first sight to respect it. At the northeast angle of the quarry ditch, however, the step turns southwards, parallel with the outer edge of the quarry ditch. This suggests that both initial cut and recut swing beneath the Phase II mound and that both must therefore belong to Phase I.
Placed deposits were discovered on the floor or the Phase I quarry ditch: a group of three antlers in 1999 cut C; a bovid scapula in 2000 cut 1. It was noted that there appears to be a discontinuity or niche in the inner bedrock face of the ditch at a point in line with the antlers: this will be investigated further in 2001.
A new interpretation was proposed to explain the character of the Phase II outer kerb as it crosses the fill of the Phase I quarry ditch in sector III. Where the kerb crosses the central section of the quarry it is constructed of larger, more regular blocks, and is better preserved than the stretches to either side. This most likely reflects the reconstruction of this central section of the outer kerb after the initial build across the ditch fill had settled and collapsed. Here once again we have evidence of the small-scale constructional events and repairs which lie behind the appearance of the monument as excavated.
The multi-phase nature of the Prissé long mound is also illustrated by the recutting of the quarry ditch. Accepting the division between Phase IA and Phase IB, however, it remains unclear what form the quarry ditch or ditches associated with the Phase IA structure will have taken. It is possible, for example, that the quarry ditch which came ultimately to encircle the IB mound began as short lengths of flanking ditch either side of the IA monument. Alternatively, it may have been laid out from the very beginning as a complete circuit, defining a ritual area in which the IA monument (the western cist grave and its associated dry-stone structures) stood towards the western end. The remainder of the space within the ditch may in that reconstruction have served as ritual forecourt, perhaps with timber structures - a sacred enclosure perhaps already delimited by a dry-stone wall. These possibilities will be investigated by further excavation in 2001 beneath the Phase IB mound which was subsequently built to occupy this space.
To the east, the excavation of the burial deposit in the ruined passage grave was completed in 2000. This work included the investigation of the foundation slots in which the missing orthostats had been placed. It was discovered that the irregular base of the easternmost orthostat on the south side of the chamber had been anticipated by the building-up of a dry-stone wedge or ramp at one end of its foundation slot. The removal of the dry-stonework revealed a series of human hand phalanges. These must have been intentionally placed before this particular orthostat was put in position.
The pit cut through into bedrock in front of the ruined passage grave was cleared down to bedrock, at a depth of some 0.9m. The cut was neatly made with near-vertical sides, and measured 1.8m by 2m at the surface. Its date and purpose remain unclear, though it must post-date the construction of the passage grave. A large orthostat fragment was found within the fill. This proved to be one side of a carved entrance, with the recess for a wooden door cut on one face. Similar carved portals are known at other dolmens angoumoisins in the this region of France. The same slab had a worked groove along on edge, in order to ensure a tight fit with its neighbour. The position of the groove in relation to the carved doorway and the general shape of the stone, make it difficult to determine how the orthostat could have been positioned within the chamber. It is concluded that the slab had been reshaped at some point, and that the groove may belong to an initial utilisation in some earlier structure, before the doorway was cut and the stone placed in position in the passage grave.
Excavation behind and to the south-east of the passage grave led to the discovery of an oval-shaped dry-stone enclosure some 2m across, at the eastern edge of sector GIII/GIV. The outer wall of this structure stood partly on quarry upcast, and within were calcined masses of stone and fragments of baked clay. These clay or mortar fragments came from an original lining on the inner face of the wall, and from a raised floor. The structure was identified as a lime-kiln, and may have been related to Roman or medieval activity in the field immediately to the east of the long mound. Small fragments of Roman glass were also found beneath disturbed mound material in GIII, just west of the curved rear wall of the passage grave.
A series of eight samples of human bone were selected and submitted to the AMS radiocarbon dating facility at the University of Oxford. These comprise one sample each from the five individuals represented in the burial deposit of the ruined passage grave; two from the western cist grave; and one from the single extended inhumation buried in the platform on the crest of the mound in sector JIU. Results are expected in June 2001, and will contribute to understanding of the sequence of burial activity at Priss6-la- Charri6re. They will also define the span of time separating the Phase I burials in the western cist grave from the Phase H burials in the passage grave. The burial on the crest of the mound may belong to Phase H or could be a later insertion.
The sixth season of excavation saw considerable progress in understanding the construction of the Phase I monument; this will be continued in 2001 by further investigation of the hypothetical forecourt area, and by completion of excavation of the placed deposits in the northern quarry ditch. Attention will then move to the area immediately east of the ruined passage grave, in order to determine the integration of the latter within the large Phase H long mound. Earlier investigations in 1996-1997 provided evidence suggesting that the Phase II was not built as a single operation, and clarification of that sequence is a primary aim of the next stage of this project. One possibility to be explored is that the monument began as a series of separate structures, aligned along an east-west axis, which only subsequently were incorporated within the 100m long mound.