UNUSUAL DEPOSITION ON BRONZE AGE AND IRON AGE SETTLEMENTS AND HILLFORTS IN THE UPPER AND MIDDLE THAMES VALLEY

Contexts producing unusual deposits have long been recognized on later prehistoric settlements. These can include complete or shattered pots; complete animal and/or human skeletons, skulls or articulating segments; or unusually large quantities of material culture. Interpretation has tended to follow theoretical fashions, but the intentions and meanings behind these strange deposits are still poorly understood. This paper approaches the subject through a macro-scale analysis, looking at 230 sites in one region over c.1550 years, from the Middle Bronze to the Middle Iron Ages. This regional, diachronic study has found patterns in settlement deposition that are specific to certain periods. Sometimes, these recurring patterns appear to be immediately functional practices, although in most instances recurrent depositional themes have been argued to have specific ritual intent and to be relatable to wider aspects of social organization and the archaeological record. This study also suggests that hillforts witnessed increased levels of deposition of a range of different material. The analysis provides new perspectives on this important aspect of later prehistoric archaeology.