Table Of Content

CONTENTS page vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT . xiii LIST OF PLATES xvii PREFACE CHAPTER One: THE SITE: ITs DrscovERY AND ToPOGRAPHY (A) The context of discovery I (B) Local topography and place-names 5 I Location . 5 II Yeavering Bell . 6 III Rivers, routes and geology 9 IV The whaleback . II V Old Yeavering . 14 VI Local climate 15 VII The names Yeavering and Maelmin 15 VIII The river-names Glen and Till !6 IX The name Bell . !6 (C) The pattern of early settlement in Bernicia !6 CHAPTER Two: EXCAVATIONS AT YEAVERING, 1953-62 (I) Factors determining excavational method (a) The nature of the inquiries . {b) The physical nature of the remains (c) General conditions prevailing on the site {d) The labour force (II) The processes of excavation and record (Ill) Diagnosis by soil-dissection CHAPTER THREE! THE EXCAVATED STRUCTURES (I) General description of structures and occurrences of artifacts: Areas A to E, in alphabetical order 46 Area A: the central complex 46 Area B 70 Area BC: the entrance-works of the Great Enclosure 85 Area C: the echelon of northern buildings 88 Area D: the western buildings and the western cemetery 95 Area E: the wooden theatre 119 (II) Summary of structural sequence given by intersections in Areas A: and B 122 (Ill) The processes of setting-out, measurement and construction Building E V vi Contents Buildings A2 and A4. page I25 Buildings Cr-4 and A3 I4I Buildings DI, D2 and D3 I46 Buildings A5 and D6 I47 Buildings A6 and A 7. I47 (IV) Structural typology and style (a) Types and styles. (b) Phases (c) Functions and events: summary CHAPTER FouR: THE Small-Finds AND THEIR ARCHAEOLOGICAL AFFINITIES (A) Catalogue I70 (i) Pottery 170 (ii) Loom-weights r8I (iii) Gold . I82 (.iv) Iron and bronze . I83 (v) Glass I93 (vi) Stone. I94 (B) General discussion of the finds I96 (C) The wooden object in Grave AX . 200 CHAPTER Five: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AFFINITIES OF THE TIMBER STRUCTURES AND OTHER FEATURES OF THE SITE (A) The field-system 204 (B) The Great Enclosure . 205 (C) Buildings A5 and D6 (Phase I) 209 (D) The trench-built halls of Phases II, IIIAB and IIIC 2I3 (E) The trench-built halls of Phases IV and V 237 (F) The sunken-floored buildings of Phases II and IV 239 (G) Building E 24 I (H) The graves and standing posts 244 Archaeological summary and conclusions 267 CHAPTER Six: THE Historical SIGNIFICANCE oF YEA YE RING 276 APPENDICES I Yeavering's Faunal Remains 325 II Charcoal . 333 Ill Cremation-burials and Associated Artifacts 335 NoTES AND REFERENCES 358 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 375 INDEX . 377 PLATES 393 OF OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT Fig. Y eavering in its regional, intramural, setting page 2 2 Yeavering in its local context 3 3 Plan ofYeavering Bell oppidum 7 4 Distribution-map of native settlements in Northumberland (after Hogg) 8 5 Distribution-map of light alluvial soils in Northumberland IO 6 Diagrammatic maps of the Tyne-Forth province in modern times I2 7 Plan of cropmarks at Milfield · 8 Diagram showing soil-features indicative of construction and demolition of timber buildings, as observed at Yeavering . 37 9 Diagram demonstrating interpretation of soil features indicative of characteristic wall-construction at Yeavering IO Diagrams showing diagnostic distributions of burnt material in buildings (a) demolished and (b) demolished and rebuilt after destruction by fire 1 I Diagrammatic view of longitudinal vertical section of mature 'Yeavering-style' foundation-trench demonstrating the sequence in which wall-timbers were extracted during the building's demolition 41 I 2 General plan of structures and excavations at Yeavering I952-62 (folder) 46-4 7 13 AREA A. Primary horizontal section, Area A, showing Buildings AI(a), (b) and (c), part of Building A2 and Palisades I, 2 and 3 . 14 AREA A. Characteristic vertical sections of Building AI . 15 AREA A. Primary horizontal section of Building A2 and contiguous structures 52 r6 AREA A. Characteristic vertical sections of Buildings A2, AI and A3 54 I 7 AREA A. Plan showing primary horizontal section of Buildings A3-8 inclusive, with contiguous structures . 56 18 AREA A. Vertical section across S. jamb-pit of A4's E. wall, demonstrating sequence A4/A3(a)/A3(b) . 58 19 AREA A. Characteristic vertical sections of Buildings A4, A3(a) and A3(b) 59 20 AREA A. Vertical sections of A4's major buttress-pits 6o 2 I AREA A. Vertical sections of A3 (a) and (b), and A5 22, 23, 24 AREA A. Plan of excavated trenches and post-holes, corresponding with Figs. I3, I5 and 17 25 AREA A. Grave AX, composite horizontal section . 26 AREA B. Primary horizontal section of the Great Enclosure's palisades, the Eastern Ring-ditch, Pit BX, graves of the Eastern Cemetery and Building B 27 AREA B. Primary horizontal section of Building B and graves of the Eastern ·Cemetery 72 28 AREA B. Vertical sections . 75 Top Building B and graves of Eastern Cemetery (showing rebuild of N. wall and repair of S. wall of Building B) Middle Section relating Pit BX to the Eastern Ring-ditch and to the N. wall of Building B's western annexe Bottom Section showing Eastern Ring-ditch in relation to Palisade FP5 vii viii Illustrations in the Text 29 AREA B. Vertical sections page 76 Upper Section of Great Enclosure's inner trench Lower The most starkly simple reconstruction to be inferred 30 Area B. Vertical section of the outer foundation-trench of the Great Enclosure 77 31 AREA B. Plan isolating graves containing much burnt material (the 'string- graves') showing their relationship to Grave and Post AX, Post BX and Graves BX 1 and 2 78-79 32 AreaB 79 Above Detail-plan of area around Pit BX Below Vertical sections of Pit BX and contiguous graves (a) socket of original Post BX (b) Grave BX1 (c) pit made for removal of original post (d) pointed end of secondary post left in situ (e) pit made during removal of upper part of secondary post 33 AreaB. Plan of Building B (Christian church) and its fenced graveyard 8o 34 AreaB. Diagrammatic detail-plan of area around N.W. corner of Building B's main chamber, demonstrating attitudes and short stature of associated bodies 35 AREA B. Plan of Grave BZ56, showing iron belt-fittings, knife and purse-mount 36 AreaBC. Plan of W. circle of Great Enclosure's entrance-works, showing remains of Building BC and extent of destruction by erosion 37 AREA C. Plan and section of Building C1 38 AREA C. Plans of Buildings Co, C3 and C4(b) 90-91 39 AreaC. Plan of Building C4(a) . 40 AREA C. Representative vertical sections of Buildings C2-4 inclusive 93 41 AREA D. General plan of area, showing relationships between Buildings D1-4 inclusive, the Western Ring-ditch complex, the Western Cemetery and the focal group of early cremation-burials . g6-97 42 AreaD. Plan of Buildings D1(a) and (b) 96-97 43 AREA D. Plan of Buildings D2(a) and (b) 96-97 44 AREA D. Building D2: distribution of burnt daub, charcoal and animal-bones 96-97 45 AREA D. Buildings D2(a) and (b) 99 Above Left: diagrammatic plan of bone-stack (ox-skulls) based in pit against inside of D2(a)'s E. wall, N. of jamb-pit Right: diagrammatic section showing laminations in the lower parts of the deposit that survived intact, with distribution of bones scattered from upper deposits during demolition of D2 Below Vertical sections (1) N. Wall (2) S. Wall, close to S.E. corner-pit (3) S. Wall, extreme left, internal centre-post (4) E. Wall, S. jamb-pits of door 46 AREA D. (a) Plan of crouched burial close to Building D2’s S.W. corner 101 (b) Plans of succe.ssive huts flanking W. side of Building D2 47 AREA D. Horizontal section of Building D3 and associated structures 48 AREA D. Section and plan of Building D3, main structure 49 AREA D. Plan showing negative features of Building D3 and associated structures . I 04-r0 5 50 AREA D. Western Ring-ditch complex: primary horizontal section . 110 51 AREA D. Western Ring-ditch complex: plan of excavated structures 111 52 AREA D. Western Ring-ditch complex (second phase): rectangular mortuary enclosure or shrine, and its associated inhumation graves 113 Illustrations in the Text 53 AREA D. Plan of Buildings D4(a) and (b) page II6 54 AREA D. Buildings D5 (later) and D6 (earlier) 117 55 AREA E. Plan of Building E with indication of fire-reddened soil and of small scattered cairn . 120 56 AREAS E AND D !21 Upper Vertical section of Building E Lower Longitudinal vertical section of Building Dg 57 AREA E. Reconstruction-drawing of Building E 121 58 Chart setting out structural intersections given by Areas A and B 123 59 AREA A. Reconstruction-drawing of Building A2, showing platforms and 'high seat' 126 6o AREA A. Analytical plan of Building A2, showing the timber structures and their metrological response 127 61 AREA A. Analytical plan of Building A4, showing the timber structures and their metrological response I 30 62 Analytical plan showing the physical and metrological relationships between Building A4, Graves AX and BX, and Post BX 131 63 General plan demonstrating and extending the alignment defined by Posts BX and AX and the long axes of Buildings A4 ('original') and A2 132 64 AREA C. Diagrammatic plan demonstrating the setting-out line for Yeavering's echelon of 'C' buildings, and its metrological response 133 65 AREA A. Diagrams demonstrating stages I-IV in the construction of Building A4 135 66 Diagrammatic plans of Buildings A2 and A4 138 Lift Metrological analysis of A2's internal divisions Middle The original scheme for A4 hypothetically carried out Bottom A4 as finally built 67 AREA A. Buildings A5-7 inclusive, showing their response to metrological analysis . 142 68 AREA A. Building A3(a), its timber structures and their response to metrological analysis . 144 69 AREA A. Building A3(b), its timber structures and their response to metrological analysis . 145 70 Diagram comparing timber thicknesses characteristic of successive structural phases r46 71 Chart defining the sequence and characteristics of building sryles at Yeavering 148-9 72 Chart defining the main 'style-phases' and events in Yeavering’s development 152 73 Plan: Yeavering from the Secondary Neolithic to the local end of the Roman Iron Age . 155 74 Plan: Phase I of post-Roman development at Yeavering 156 75 Plan: Phase II of post-Roman development at Yeavering 159 76 Plan: Phase IIIAB of post-Roman development at Yeavering. 160 77 Plan: Phase IIIC of post-Roman development at Yeavering 162 78 Plan: Phase IV of post-Roman development at Yeavering 165 79 Plan: Phase V of post-Roman development at Yeavering 167 8o Pottery of Class I(A) . 171 Tl)j> From palisade-trench of the Great Enelosure's third phase lMiddle From Building A5 Bottom From Building D6 81 Pottery of Class 1(B). 173 Above From Floor r of Building D3 Below From Floor 2 of Building D3 Illustrations in the Text X 82 Pottery of Class I (B) page I 7 4 (I) From Building DI(b) (2) From Building D4 (3) From Building D5 (4) From Building A2 (5) From Building A4 (6) From Building As(a) (7) From Building AI(b) (8) From Building CI (g) From ditch associated with Building C2 (10) From Building C4(a) 83 Pottery of Class I(B) associated with circular hut built over remains of demolished Building D3 175 84 Class III wide-mouthed bowl ('YAS') from jamb-pit of Building DI (b)'s E. door 177 85 (I) Class 2 pot, from earliest palisade-trench of Great Enclosure (2) Sherd of dark, sandy ware from Building C3 (3) Class 4 rim from Floor I of Building D3 (4) Class 3 sherd from Floor I of Building D3 (5) Sherd of grey, wheel-made ware from junction of A4 and A3(a) wall- trenches . I 78 86 (a) Loom-weights LI-4 from Buildings D4, C1 and D5 and from pit or post- bole on quarry-edge (adjacent to fragmentary Building D7) (b) Objects of glass: GLI and 2 from unurned cremations; GLg and 4 from Building A4’s demolition-trough I84 87 Grave-group BZ56 185 88 Iron buckles, 'swivels' and knives I 86 89 Iron slide-key, drawknife, possible harness-fragments, hinge, L-hook, 'strike-a- light' and spiral object I88 go Iron objects I 9 r 91 Iron nails 192 92 Objects ofs tone I 95 93 Miscellaneous objects (daub and charcoal) I97 94 Reconstruction of bronze-bound wooden object laid along long axis of Grave AX (see also Fig. 25) . 201 95 Plan of palisade-enclosure at Harehope, Peeblesshire (after Feachem) 207 g6 (a) Houses at Skorbaek (after Hatt) 215 (b) House Ib Norre Fjand (after Hatt) 2I6 (c) Byre-house at Tofting (after Bantelmann) . 217 (d) Byre-house at Feddersen Wierde (after Haaruagel) 218 97 Einswarden house (after Zippelius) 220 (a) Plan (b) Reconstruction (c) End-elevation g8 Diagrams of structural developments at Ezinge (after van Giffen) 221 gg Plans of Ezinge houses (after van Glffen) 222 100 Reconstruction of Ezinge house (after Zippelius) . 223 101 Hall and 'hamlet' of minor buildings at Fochteloo (after van Giffen) 224 102 Fochteloo hall (after van Giffen) 226 103 Types of building found at Warendorf (after Winkelmann) 229 104 Structural framework of rectangular building at Warendorf (after Winkelmann) 230