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The Mote of Mark: A Dark Age Hillfort in South-West Scotland PDF

210 Pages·2006·4.925 MB·English
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THE MOTE OF MARK THE MOTE OF MARK T A Dark Age Hillfort in South-West Scotland A Dark Age Hillfort in South-West Scotland H E M O T E O F M A R K L l o The Mote of Mark is a Dark Age hilltop site with both natural and man-made defences, enjoying unbroken y d views across the Solway Firth to the Cumbrian coast. Excavations in 1913 by Alexander Curle, working for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland, revealed a series of ramparts and L defensive walls as well as large quantities of metalworking and occupation debris at the site. Although Curle a dated the site to the 9th century AD, subsequent study of the finds and further investigations at the site in the in 1970s brought this date into question. g a This volume reports on excavation in 1973 and 1979 at the Mote of Mark and its aim to resolve questions n related to phases of domestic activity at the site and the structural history of the defences. Aside from the d stratigraphical evidence, detailed discussion of the finds recovered, including copper-alloy, iron and lead D objects, worked bone, stone, worked flint, glass and paste, pottery, animal bones and moulds, and an illustrated a catalogue, are also included. v i d In drawing together all the evidence in the final chapter, the authors place the site within the context of south- west Scotland in the 6th and 7th centuries in terms of the landscape, settlement, territorial and administrative L divisions, its people and their material culture. The metalworking evidence from the Mote of Mark is particularly o Lloyd Laing n noteworthy for the insights it provides on the development of ornamental metalwork during this period and g for the light it sheds on the status of the site in local and wider trade and social networks at the time of the l Anglian advance. e and David Longley y Oxbow Books i THE MOTE OF MARK A Dark Age Hillfort in South-West Scotland Lloyd Laing and David Longley with contributions from Jennifer Bourdillon, Ewan Campbell, Peter Crew, Susan la Niece, Ray Page, George Smith and Niamh Whitfield Oxbow Books Published by Oxbow Books, Oxford, UK © Oxbow Books, Lloyd Laing and David Longley 2006 ISBN 978-1-84217-217-9 Front cover: The Mote of Mark viewed from the south. This book is published with the aid of a grant from Historic Scotland. Historic Scotland is now Historic Environment Scotland. iii Contents List of Tables List of Figures List of Colour Plates Acknowledgements 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................1 The site and the background to the excavations....................................................................................................1 The excavations of Alexander Curle, 1913............................................................................................................3 The excavations of 1973 and 1979: aims and rationale .......................................................................................3 2 The stratigraphic evidence of the 1973 and 1979 excavations..................................................6 Context groups and sequential phases....................................................................................................................6 Phase 1: pre-rampart activity..................................................................................................................................6 Animal bone........................................................................................................................................................7 Metalworking evidence ......................................................................................................................................7 Artefacts in pre-rampart contexts......................................................................................................................7 Phase 2: construction of the ramparts....................................................................................................................7 The north rampart ..............................................................................................................................................8 The south rampart ............................................................................................................................................11 Phase 3: occupation within the defences..............................................................................................................14 The southern part of the central hollow: the area excavated by Curle in 1913 ..........................................14 The principal structures ...................................................................................................................................14 Phase 4: destruction of the ramparts and possible late occupation post-dating rampart slighting.................22 A reprise of the sequence ......................................................................................................................................22 Radiocarbon dates.............................................................................................................................................22 Phase 1: pre-rampart activity...........................................................................................................................23 Phase 2: the rampart.........................................................................................................................................23 Phases 3 and 4: occupation contexts and the abandonment of the site........................................................24 3 Metalworking evidence.............................................................................................................25 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................25 Metalworking equipment.......................................................................................................................................26 Crucibles............................................................................................................................................................26 Crucible stand...................................................................................................................................................32 Clay bivalve moulds .........................................................................................................................................32 Stone ingot moulds...........................................................................................................................................35 Metalworking residues and processes – Peter Crew...........................................................................................36 Slags and other metalworking residues ..........................................................................................................36 Ores....................................................................................................................................................................38 Metallurgical processes indicated by the slags...............................................................................................38 Tuyère................................................................................................................................................................39 Gold.........................................................................................................................................................................39 Gold wire coil – Niamh Whitfield ...................................................................................................................40 The examination and analysis of the gold coil – Susan la Niece.................................................................41 iv Contents Catalogues...............................................................................................................................................................41 Catalogue of crucibles ......................................................................................................................................41 Catalogue of clay moulds.................................................................................................................................50 4 The evidence of the artefacts....................................................................................................75 Introduction: the distribution of artefacts and refuse within the area of the central hollow...........................75 Distribution through the sequence........................................................................................................................75 Distribution across the site....................................................................................................................................78 Copper-alloy castings.............................................................................................................................................85 Finished artefacts, ingots and waste................................................................................................................85 Iron objects .............................................................................................................................................................86 Lead objects............................................................................................................................................................90 Miscellaneous artefacts of bone, stone, jet and glass..........................................................................................90 Worked and utilized bone................................................................................................................................90 Bone fragment with runic inscription.............................................................................................................92 Stone..................................................................................................................................................................93 Quartz objects....................................................................................................................................................96 The worked flint and chert finds – George Smith.........................................................................................97 Discussion and dating ......................................................................................................................................99 Glass and paste objects...................................................................................................................................101 Jet objects ........................................................................................................................................................102 Imported glass and pottery – Ewan Campbell...................................................................................................104 Early medieval glass.......................................................................................................................................104 Early medieval pottery....................................................................................................................................109 Summary of all Early Medieval imports.......................................................................................................113 Catalogues.............................................................................................................................................................113 Copper-alloy objects .......................................................................................................................................113 Iron objects......................................................................................................................................................114 Lead objects.....................................................................................................................................................116 Bone objects ....................................................................................................................................................116 Stone objects....................................................................................................................................................117 Quartz objects..................................................................................................................................................118 Retouched flint artefacts ...............................................................................................................................118 Jet object..........................................................................................................................................................119 Glass artefacts other than vessels..................................................................................................................120 Early medieval glass.......................................................................................................................................121 Vessels.............................................................................................................................................................121 Catalogue of vessel sherds listed individually..............................................................................................122 Pottery..............................................................................................................................................................125 Roman Samian sherd......................................................................................................................................125 B ware amphorae............................................................................................................................................125 D ware mortarium...........................................................................................................................................125 E ware..............................................................................................................................................................125 5 Animal bones – Jennifer Bourdillon ......................................................................................133 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................133 Methods.................................................................................................................................................................133 Distribution across the site..................................................................................................................................133 The condition of the material..............................................................................................................................133 The recovered assemblage...................................................................................................................................134 The domestic mammals..................................................................................................................................134 The wild mammals.........................................................................................................................................138 The bird remains.............................................................................................................................................139 The absence of fish.........................................................................................................................................140 Signs of pathological irregularities...............................................................................................................141 Conclusions...........................................................................................................................................................141 Contents v 6 The objects cast in the clay moulds........................................................................................142 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................142 The range of objects.............................................................................................................................................142 Penannular brooches.......................................................................................................................................142 Buckle loops, buckle plates, strap fitments and shanked objects................................................................144 Pins ..................................................................................................................................................................145 Studs or rivets.................................................................................................................................................146 Decorative plates and bosses..........................................................................................................................146 Axe-blade shaped plates and roundels – a special category........................................................................148 Decoration: general considerations ...............................................................................................................151 7 Discussion and synthesis.........................................................................................................157 The background: South-west Scotland in the sixth and seventh centuries .....................................................157 Territorial and administrative divisions .......................................................................................................158 Peopling the landscape...................................................................................................................................159 Rheged.............................................................................................................................................................160 Irish and Pictish presence..............................................................................................................................164 Secular settlements.........................................................................................................................................165 The Angles in South-West Scotland...................................................................................................................166 Historical evidence..........................................................................................................................................166 The Anglian presence at the Mote of Mark .................................................................................................167 Status and the social context of the Mote of Mark ...........................................................................................169 Location and topography................................................................................................................................170 Locational associations...................................................................................................................................171 Defences...........................................................................................................................................................171 Structures.........................................................................................................................................................171 Material culture...............................................................................................................................................172 Economy and status........................................................................................................................................173 The economy of the Mote of Mark.....................................................................................................................174 The workshop..................................................................................................................................................174 The agricultural regime..................................................................................................................................174 Trade and exchange: continental imports.....................................................................................................177 Trade and exchange: small items and raw materials...................................................................................178 Conclusions...........................................................................................................................................................179 Bibliography............................................................................................................................180 Index .......................................................................................................................................188 Colour Plates vi vii List of Tables 1 Sequential phases at the Mote of Mark 16 Summary of representation of vessel glass in context 2 Artefact type, size and density of grits groups 3 Registration marks 17 Identified bone fragments (number count) 4 Summary of representation of slags and ores in 18 Identified bone fragments (weight) context groups 19 Unidentified fragments 5 Summary of representation of crucibles in context 20 Relative representation of main domestic mammals groups 21 Epiphyseal fusion in cattle 6 Summary of representation of clay moulds in context 22 Ageing by mandibles for cattle groups 23 Distribution of bones over the body in cattle 7 Summary of representation of copper alloy objects 24 Selected measurements of cattle in context groups 25 Cattle withers heights (in m) by Fock’s (1966) factors 8 Summary of representation of iron objects in context 26 Epiphyseal fusion in sheep/goat groups 27 Ageing by mandibles for sheep/goat 9 Summary of representation of bone objects in context 28 Distribution of bones over the body in sheep/goat groups 29 Selected measurements of sheep (in mm) 10 Summary of representation of stone and quartz in 30 Epiphyseal fusion in pig context groups 31 Ageing by mandibles for pig 11 Flint assemblage summary 32 Distribution of bones over the body in pigs 12 Retouched pieces 33 Selected measurement for pig 13 Summary of the representation of flint in context 34 Stud dimensions groups 35 Rheged place-names in the early Taliesin poems 14 Summary of representation of glass in context groups 36 Animal bones from early medieval sites 15 Summary of representation of jet in context groups 37 Status indicators viii List of Figures 1 The location of the Mote of Mark and site plan 33 Chart: a) representation of artefact types as 2 The Mote of Mark, views from the south and the percentage of total; b) incidence of artefacts in areas north A, C and north and south parts of the central hollow 3 A: The Mote of Mark showing areas excavated and B. explored by Alexander Curle in 1913. B: The Mote 34 Chart: Fragmentation of artefacts in contexts repre- of Mark, showing visible extent of ramparts and senting phases in the site sequence main area of excavation in 1973 and 1979 35 Chart: Comparison of the representation of artefacts 4 A: Section through North rampart, W face; B: View in the north and south areas of the central hollow of North rampart from the south 36 Chart: Comparison of artefacts recorded in 1913 and 5 North rampart, 1979 excavation those from contexts representing the backfill of the 6 Mote of Mark: north and south rampart sections 1913 excavations 7 North rampart, 1973 and 1979 excavations 37 Artefact distributions: moulds and crucibles 8 South rampart, longitudinal section and inter- 38 Artefact distributions: glass and pot pretation 39 Artefact distributions: ore and slag 9 Central hollow, south part, showing principal features 40 Selected copper alloy artefacts 10 Simplified cross-section of principal features and 41 Iron tools and socketed items horizons in the area of the 1913 excavations 42 Iron tools, bars, rods and attachments 11 Section of ‘clay floor’ and underlying deposits 43 Lead,bone and antler artefacts; runic inscription on 12 Plan of the northern central hollow, showing bone principal features 44 Inscribed stones 13 Diagrammatic representation of the chronological 45 Stone objects evidence (including radiocarbon determination) 46 Quartz, glass beads and settings 14 Crucibles 1 47 Worked flint and chert artefacts (including barbed 15 Crucibles 2 and tanged arrowhead and other retouched pieces) 16 Dog-dish crucibles 48 Artefact distributions: flint and animal bone 17 Surface discolouration on crucible sherds (chart). 49 Jet and shale artefacts Comparison of the thickness in cross section of 50 Early Medieval imported glass vessels. primary and secondary moulds. 51 Early Medieval imported glass vessels: lid, bowl, 18 Stages in the construction of bivalve moulds. beakers, jug 19 Bulk iron and billets 52 Reconstructed E Ware jars 20 Moulds: bosses 53 Reconstructed E Ware vessels, lid, bowl, beakers 21 Moulds: curvilinear panels and jug 22 Moulds: decorated rectilinear panels 54 Reconstructed objects cast in moulds. A: Buckles; 23 Moulds: Penannular brooches B: Penannular brooches; C: pins 24 Moulds: pins 1: decorated pins 55 Reconstructions of decorative plates cast in the 25 Moulds: pins 2: nail-headed pins moulds on the site 26 Moulds: Buckles 56 Decorative metalwork from the Mote of Mark and 27 Moulds: studs horse-gear from Sutton Hoo, Lagore and Whithorn 28 Moulds: stud caps compared 29 Moulds: plain plates 57 An index of decorative motifs employed in moulds 30 Moulds: ‘Axe-blade’ fragments 58 Setttlement paterns in south-west Scotland in late 31 Moulds: fittings prehistory and the early historic period 32 Moulds: Miscellaneous 59 The Mote of Mark in relation to the historic kingdom of Rheged and its literary evidence

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