Archaeological Research Services Ltd excavated an Early Bronze Age ring ditch with a remarkable sequence of human burials in Autumn 2019 at Ponteland School and Leisure Centre in Northumberland. The Centre is located beside the Fairney Burn, a tributary of the River Blyth, 12km north-west of Newcastle, and a 2.6ha area was excavated in advance of upgrading the Centre and developing its outdoor facilities on behalf of Kier Group plc. We’re now delighted to reveal that a report on the results of the excavations has been published in Current Archaeology issue 399 for June 2023 – not only that, it’s the cover story!
The earliest remains revealed during the excavations comprised an Early Neolithic post and wall-slot structure radiocarbon dated to 3947-3715 BC, which was truncated by the ring ditch, and a nearby pit containing fragments from portions of three Carinated Bowl vessels. A pit containing fragments from a Beaker vessel and radiocarbon dated to 2398-2146 BC was situated to the east of the ring ditch.
The initial ring ditch was penannular on shape. It was centred on an oval burial pit containing a female of about 15 years of age dated to 2026-1896 BC, with a second burial in the form of a cremated adult laid over the first burial’s feet. Another inhumation of an unsexed juvenile of around 9 years of age dated to 1869-1621 BC, inserted at a later date, was found within the upper part of the backfill of the grave. The disturbed backfill contained fragments of a Beaker vessel that could have been associated with the initial burial.
A rectangular building dated to 2133-1938 BC was located immediately to the south of the ring ditch, which could have been associated with the adjacent funerary activity, perhaps the foundations of a charnel house, or part of a domestic settlement.
After the ring ditch had started to silt up, it was then recut to create a continuous, annular ring ditch.
Around 1965-1773 BC a third individual, an adult, was placed with a copper alloy dagger at the waist in a pit cut into the infill on the southern side of the ring ditch. As with the first grave this individual also had a cremated adult laid on their feet. A third grave containing an older female of 36-45 years of age dated to 2022-1828 BC was dug into the south side of the ring ditch, with a Vase Food Vessel placed adjacent to her skull. Both this individual and the first adult female buried at the site displayed perimortem blunt force trauma of the skull which, in both cases, was the likely cause of death.
At least a millennium later, a Middle-Late Iron Age farmstead was established. This comprised a series of unenclosed circular structures which were replaced by a rectilinear timber palisaded enclosure, the western half of which was centred on the location of the Early Bronze Age ring ditch, and a subsequent adjoining enclosure.
Multi-isotope and aDNA analyses are being undertaken on the skeletal remains recovered from the ring ditch to find out about the origins and ancestry of the individuals. Look out for further reports on the fascinating archaeological discoveries from this site!
For more information, see the Ponteland project page here.