Papers by Chantal Conneller
Common crane Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 ? White Stork Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Red-br... more Common crane Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 ? White Stork Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Red-throated diver Colymbus stellatus (Pontoppidan, 1763) 1 Great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Little grebe Podiceps ruficollis (Pallas, 1764) 1 Lapwing Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Buzzard Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Duck (size of pintail) Anas acuta (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Wolf Canis lupus (Linnaeus, 1758) 2 Fox Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) 2 Pine marten Martes martes (Linnaeus, 1758) 2 Badger Meles meles (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 Pig [sic] Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1758) 5 Elk Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758) 11 Red deer Cervus elaphus (Linnaeus, 1758) 80 Roe deer Capreolus capreolus (Linnaeus, 1758) 33 Aurochs Bos primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) 9 Hare Lepus cf. europaeus (Pallas, 1778) 1 Beaver Castor fiber (Linnaeus, 1758) 7 bone midshaft only, and he revised this identification to 'indeterminate' (Harrison 1987, 141). There were several other identifications which Harrison changed: the common buzzard (Buteo buteo) humerus midshaft was re-identified as Brent goose (Branta bernicla); the pintail (Anas acuta) carpometacarpus was reassigned to red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) and the lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) ulna was reassigned to common scoter (Melanitta nigra). There has been much discussion about whether wolf or domesticated dog was found at Star Carr. Fraser and King (1954, 72) reported wolf; however, Degerbøl's (1961) and Benecke's (1987) analyses make it clear that they are domestic dogs, and a further dog right femur was found in the collection by Rick Schulting (Schulting and Richards 2009, 499). A further notable addition to the record is brown bear (Ursus arctos). An upper left canine was found from this species by Tot Lord, who visited the excavations before Clark's trenches were backfilled (Dark et al. 2006, 191). In particular, he searched the deposits next to the birch trees in cutting II and found items by pushing his hands into the soft sediment at the base of the sections. In doing this he felt a skull but could not retrieve it; however, he was able to extract a tooth from it (Edwards et al. 2014). During our excavations we expected to find this skull; however, despite excavating all around cutting II there was no sign of it and the conclusion is that it has either demineralised (if it was on the east side-SC24 only contained two pieces of jellybone) or that it was retrieved by someone else. Two other brown bear bones have since been identified: as already noted, a broken mandible previously identified as wild boar (Legge and Rowley-Conwy 1988, 10) and an axis vertebra (Noe-Nygaard 1983). It has been suggested that the brown bear skull, mandible and axis vertebra possibly belong to the same animal (Dark et al. 2006).
The Mesolithic in Britain, 2022
The Final Mesolithic 5000-4000BC ….the mark they could make on the face of Britain must have been... more The Final Mesolithic 5000-4000BC ….the mark they could make on the face of Britain must have been slight indeed. A few trees cut-extending here and there to a small clearing; boats moving on the rivers and along the shore… J. Hawkes 1951, 153-4 Site Date range Mesolithic age radiocarbon measurements Druimvargie 7570-6465 cal BC 7570-7175 cal BC (OxA-4608; 8340±80) 7040-6660 cal BC (OxA-4609; 7890±80) 7030-6465 cal BC (OxA-1948; 7810±90) Ulva Cave 6650-6265 cal BC 4770-4180 cal BC 6650-6390 cal BC (GU-2600; 7655±80) 6640-6265 cal BC (GU-2601; 7615±80) 4770-4455 cal BC (OxA-3738; 5750±70) 4705-4360 cal BC (GU-2602; 5685±80) 4545-4180 cal BC (GU-2603; 5525±80) Raschoille 6650-6020 cal BC 5720-5010 cal BC 4040-3780 cal BC 6650-6370 cal BC (OxA-8396; 7640±80) 6590-6330 cal BC (OxA-8397; 7575±75) 6440-6250 cal BC (OxA-3895; 7495±50) 6470-6215 cal BC (OxA-8398; 7480±75) 6350-5990 cal BC (OxA-8535; 7265±80) 6225-6020 cal BC (OxA-8439; 7250±55) 5720-5010 cal BC (OxA-8538; 6460±180) 4040-3780 cal BC (OxA-4838; 5115±55) MacArthur Cave 5730-5490 cal BC 5730-5490 cal BC (OxA-1949; 6700±80) Risga 5205-4555 cal BC 5205-4705 cal BC (OxA-2203; 6000±90) 4905-4555 cal BC (OxA-3737; 5875±65) Carding Mill Bay 1 4235-3655 cal BC 4235-3795 cal BC (OxA-3740; 5190±85) 3965-3715 cal BC (GU-2796; 5060±50) 3940-3655 cal BC (GU-2797; 4980±50) Casteal nan Gillean I 5320-4730 cal BC 4545-4000 cal BC 5320-4940 cal BC (Q-3008; 6190±80) 5290-4840 cal BC (Q-3007; 6120±80) 5205-4730 cal BC (Q-3009; 6035±70) 4545-4045 cal BC (Q-3010; 5485±110) 4500-4000 cal BC (Q-3011; 5450±110) Cnoc Sligeach 5220-3775 cal BC 5220-4055 cal BC (Gx-1904; 5755±250) 4770-3775 cal BC (BM-670; 5426±220) Priory Midden 4880-4595 cal BC (Q-3001; 5870±50) 4960-4450 cal BC (Q-3000; 5825±110) Caisteal nan Gillean II 4725-3805 cal BC (OxA-8004; 5470±45) 4455-4070 cal BC (Q-1355; 5460±65) 4725-3805 cal BC (Birm-347; 5450±195) Cnoc Coig (OxA-8004; 5470±45) 4680-4370 cal BC (Q-3006; 5675±60) 4650-4335 cal BC (Q-3005; 5650±60) 4765-4265 cal BC (Q-1353; 5645±110) 4830-3965 cal BC (Q-1354; 5535±195) 4550-4045 cal BC (Q-1351; 5495±110) (OxA-8014; 5495±55) 4690-3810 cal BC (Q-1352; 5430±180) Table 6.2. Radiocarbon dates for 'Obanian' sites
Star Carr Volume I, 2018
The British Mesolithic Context 277 England, moving into landscapes that were empty of people; how... more The British Mesolithic Context 277 England, moving into landscapes that were empty of people; however, the rarity of sites in the south suggest a short-lived incursion only. Deepcar type assemblages first appeared in 9460-8705 cal BC (95% probability; start Deepcar-type; see Conneller et al. 2016 figure 5), probably in 9090-8775 cal BC (68% probability). Deepcar type assemblages disappeared in 8200-7240 cal BC (95% probability; end Deepcar-type; Conneller et al. 2016, figure 5), probably in 8075-7620 cal BC (68% probability). It is 95% probable that Deepcar type assemblages first appeared after the first Star Carr type assemblages but it is 100% probable that their use overlapped in time. Deepcar assemblages probably appeared around half a millennium after the first Star Carr type assemblages (Conneller et al. 2016, figure 8). Deepcar assemblages represent both initial pioneer and subsequent residential occupation in the south (see Housley et al. 1997). In the north, the presence of a few Deepcar style microliths at Star Carr in the latest context of the site might suggest a more gradual adoption of these forms by groups residing in this area. Finally, our models suggest basally modified microlith type assemblages first appeared in 9280-8305 cal BC (95% probability; start basal modified; Conneller et al. 2016, figure 6), probably in 8690-8335 cal BC (68% probability). Basally modified microlith type assemblages disappeared in 7030-5845 cal BC (95% probability; end basal modified type; Conneller et al. 2016, figure 6), probably in 6960-6460 cal BC (68% probability). These assemblages certainly overlapped with the use of Star Carr type assemblages and Deepcar type assemblages (100% probable), at least in certain areas of the country. The appearance of basally modified forms coincides with a diversification and regionalisation of the Mesolithic with new areas of Britain occupied; a shift made by all Mesolithic groups in Britain, independent of the microlith forms they favoured. Based on these models, the following review will include discussion of all Star Carr type sites on the basis that these are broadly contemporary with Star Carr itself, with the exception of the southern Welsh Star Carr type sites that are likely to postdate its occupation. Deepcar type sites will also be included in the discussion as these overlap with Star Carr's occupation. However, because many Deepcar type sites are likely to postdate Star Carr, those that have late radiocarbon dates or typologically fit the profile of late Deepcar sites (see Jacobi 1981) will be excluded from the discussion. The following account focuses on excavated sites and is based on a combination of analysis of the original artefactual and faunal material by the two authors, site archives, the Jacobi archive and review of published literature.
Star Carr. Volume 1: A Persistent Place in a Changing World; Volume 2: Studies in Technology, Subsistence and Environment
Newcastle University, 2018
Postglacial Human resilience and susceptibility to abrupt climate change new insights from Star Carr
EGUGA, Apr 1, 2017
Star Carr: Life in Britain after the Ice Age
Star Carr is one of the most famous and important prehistoric sites in Europe. Dating from the ea... more Star Carr is one of the most famous and important prehistoric sites in Europe. Dating from the early Mesolithic period, over 10,000 years ago, the site has produced a unique range of artefacts and settlement evidence. First excavated in 1949–51 by Professor Grahame Clark of Cambridge University, the site was buried in a deep layer of peat on the edge of prehistoric Lake Flixton. The peat has preserved an incredible collection of organic artefacts, including bone, wood and antler, as well as thousands of flint tools. This has allowed archaeo-logists to build up a detailed picture of life on the edge of the lake around 9000 BC. New excavations have now revealed the remains of what may be the earliest house ever found in Britain, and have shown that the settlement stretched for several hundred metres along the lake shore. This book tells the story of the discovery of Star Carr, and brings it up-to-date with details of the current excavations. It also discusses other important Mesolithic sites in Britain and Europe and how these are transforming our view of life after the Ice Age.
Understanding the bone and antler assemblages from Star Carr
Untersuchungen und Materialien zur Steinzeit in Schleswig-Holstein und im Ostseeraum, 2020
This paper comments on the bone and antler assemblages excavated from the Early Preboreal site of... more This paper comments on the bone and antler assemblages excavated from the Early Preboreal site of Star Carr (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) between 2004 and 2015. It examines the spatial distribution of osseous material across the site, and discusses the various depositional processes which have led to their accumulation. As a previously excavated site, the published literature surrounding Star Carr has presented challenges for the traditional categories of animal bones, artefacts and osseous manufacturing waste. This paper uses some of the most high-profile finds from Star Carr, the red deer antler frontlets, as a case study for the examination of these tensions, and details the ways in which the most recent excavations required a reappraisal of the categorisation of these artefacts in light of new finds, technological analysis, and experimental replication.
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2017
Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeolo... more Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeology. The original excavations at the site recorded a large assemblage of bone and antler tools from a sequence of peat deposits at the edge of the Lake Flixton. Over 60 years later this remains the largest assemblage of bone and antler artefacts of its date in Britain and has been an invaluable source of information for life in the early Mesolithic. However, the interpretation of this material has been the subject of intense debate, and the assemblage has been variously described as the remains of an in situ settlement, a refuse dump, and the result of culturally prescribed acts of deposition. Fundamentally, these very different ideas of the nature of the site depend on differing interpretations of the environmental context into which the majority of the organic artefacts were deposited. This paper presents the results of recent work at Star Carr that helps to resolve the debate surroundi...
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016
This paper presents the results of an investigation into the preservation status of pollen and ot... more This paper presents the results of an investigation into the preservation status of pollen and other microfossils in the organic sediments at the wetland Mesolithic site of Star Carr. This study assesses the degradation of the pollen record in a profile at the edge of the archaeological site, adjacent to previous pollen work carried out from 1989 to 1991 and using it as a benchmark for comparison. There has been a severe degradation of pollen grains since the earlier work, with the upper peat devoid of pollen and the lower part of the organic profile badly affected. Only the very basal sediments retain well preserved pollen. Comparisons with hydrological and geo-chemical data obtained by other workers during the assessment of the Star Carr site suggest that oxidation caused by drainage and dessication of the organic sediments, perhaps originating in fissures in the drying peat, is a primary cause of the observed severe deterioration of the pollen record. Non-pollen palynomorphs (primarily fungal and algal spores) appear to be better preserved than pollen in the present bio-stratigraphic record, showing little surface degeneration, but are not recorded in the earlier work. The pollen archive in organic sediments at the Star Carr site is now badly damaged. Any further pollen work there should be undertaken urgently but is probably not justifiable.
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2016
This work provides new insights into human responses to and perceptions of sea-level rise at a ti... more This work provides new insights into human responses to and perceptions of sea-level rise at a time when the landscapes of north-west Europe were radically changing. These issues are investigated through a case study focused on the Channel Islands. We report on the excavation of two sites, Canal du Squez in Jersey and Lihou (GU582) in Guernsey, and the study of museum collections across the Channel Islands. We argue that people were drawn to this area as a result of the dynamic environmental processes occurring and the opportunities these created. The evidence suggests that the area was a particular focus during the Middle Mesolithic, when Guernsey and Alderney were already islands and while Jersey was a peninsula of northern France. Insularisation does not appear to have created a barrier to occupation during either the Middle or Final Mesolithic, indicating the appearance of lifeways increasingly focused on maritime voyaging and marine resources from the second half of the 9th mil...
Antiquity, 2014
Did Neanderthal hunters drive mammoth herds over cliffs in mass kills? Excavations at La Cotte de... more Did Neanderthal hunters drive mammoth herds over cliffs in mass kills? Excavations at La Cotte de St Brelade in the 1960s and 1970s uncovered heaps of mammoth bones, interpreted as evidence of intentional hunting drives. New study of this Middle Palaeolithic coastal site, however, indicates a very different landscape to the featureless coastal plain that was previously envisaged. Reconsideration of the bone heaps themselves further undermines the ‘mass kill’ hypothesis, suggesting that these were simply the final accumulations of bone at the site, undisturbed and preservedin situwhen the return to a cold climate blanketed them in wind-blown loess.
Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 2015
The basal topography and sediments recording the Last Glacial Interglacial Transition (LGIT) from... more The basal topography and sediments recording the Last Glacial Interglacial Transition (LGIT) from Palaeolake Flixton, North Yorkshire have been reinvestigated through a detailed, systematic auger and borehole survey. The data presented in this paper, from the area to the north of Flixton Island and the River Hertford suggests that the basal topography of Palaeolake Flixton is irregular with a series of deep and areally small basins interspersed within a gravel surface of around 21m OD. At its shallowest the gravel surface is ca. 2m below current land surface and the deeper, steep-sided basins are up to 9m in depth. Examination of the sediment sequences indicates the deeper basins accumulate sediments from the Dimlington Stadial (DS), Windermere Interstadial (WI), Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS) and the Holocene, whilst the shallower sequences only record the Holocene. The configuration of the deposits in the basins suggest that lake levels declined during the WI from 24 mOD to 23mOD and then fell further during the LLS to ca. 20.90mOD. The lake water levels then rose slowly during the Holocene to a height of between 23-24mOD. These fluctuations in lake water level at the transition from the LLS to Holocene perhaps indicate that the configuration of the water body during the resettlement of the area in the Mesolithic was radically different than previously thought, with lower water levels and therefore a greater area of land exposed for habitation. This highlights the potential for additional preservation of archaeological assemblages in the area of the former lake. Moreover the complex basal stratigraphy suggests that a systematic analyses of the Palaeolake Flixton
Untersuchungen und Materialien zur Steinzeit in Schleswig-Holstein und im Ostseeraum, 2020
is a world renowned site first excavated in the late 1940s by Grahame Clark. These excavations re... more is a world renowned site first excavated in the late 1940s by Grahame Clark. These excavations revealed organic remains which are incredibly rare, though there are some parallels with sites in Germany and Denmark. The evidence from Star Carr has been debated over the decades, but in 2004 new excavations commenced with the aim of answering some of the questions which had been posed about this important Mesolithic site. One of the alarming discoveries was that the site had deteriorated badly. However, some organic materials remained, though in a very fragile condition. Some of the most spectacular of these are large wooden platforms which had been constructed on what would have been the margins of the lake. In addition, 'house' structures were discovered for the first time on the dry land. With a scientific programme including Bayesian modelling and environmental sampling it has been possible for the first time to construct a picture of life in the Mesolithic at Star Carr through time (Milner et al. 2018a; b).
PloS one, 2016
Shamanic belief systems represent the first form of religious practice visible within the global ... more Shamanic belief systems represent the first form of religious practice visible within the global archaeological record. Here we report on the earliest known evidence of shamanic costume: modified red deer crania headdresses from the Early Holocene site of Star Carr (c. 11 kya). More than 90% of the examples from prehistoric Europe come from this one site, establishing it as a place of outstanding shamanistic/cosmological significance. Our work, involving a programme of experimental replication, analysis of macroscopic traces, organic residue analysis and 3D image acquisition, metrology and visualisation, represents the first attempt to understand the manufacturing processes used to create these artefacts. The results produced were unexpected-rather than being carefully crafted objects, elements of their production can only be described as expedient.
Internet Archaeology, 2016
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License Newcastle Univers... more This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License Newcastle University ePrints-eprint.ncl.ac.uk Conneller C, Bayliss A, Milner N, Taylor B. The Resettlement of the British Landscape: Towards a chronology of Early Mesolithic lithic assemblage types. Internet Archaeology 2016, 42 Copyright: Internet Archaeology is an open access journal. Except where otherwise noted, content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY) Unported licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that attribution to the author(s), the title of the work, the Internet Archaeology journal and the relevant URL/DOI are given.
From riches to rags: organic deterioration at Star Carr
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011
The 11,000-year old lake-edge archaeological site of Star Carr in the Vale of Pickering of North ... more The 11,000-year old lake-edge archaeological site of Star Carr in the Vale of Pickering of North Yorkshire is one of the most famous Mesolithic sites in Europe, and one of the earliest, dated to the period of climatic warming that immediately followed the final termination of the last ice age. One of the main reasons for this international importance is
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 2017
Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeolo... more Since its publication in 1954 Star Carr has held an iconic status in British Mesolithic archaeology. The original excavations at the site recorded a large assemblage of bone and antler tools from a sequence of peat deposits at the edge of the Lake Flixton. Over 60 years later this remains the largest assemblage of bone and antler artefacts of its date in Britain and has been an invaluable source of information for life in the early Mesolithic. However, the interpretation of this material has been the subject of intense debate, and the assemblage has been variously described as the remains of an in situ settlement, a refuse dump, and the result of culturally prescribed acts of deposition. Fundamentally, these very different ideas of the nature of the site depend on differing interpretations of the environmental context into which the majority of the organic artefacts were deposited. This paper presents the results of recent work at Star Carr that helps to resolve the debate surroundi...
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
The application of micro-Raman for the analysis of ochre artefacts from Mesolithic palaeo-lake Fl... more The application of micro-Raman for the analysis of ochre artefacts from Mesolithic palaeo-lake Flixton.
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Papers by Chantal Conneller