➤ Time Team's Top 3 MYSTERIOUS MONUMENTS
Time Team Classics・39 minutes read
Bodmin Moore in Cornwall holds a rich history with hundreds of prehistoric settlements, including houses dating back to the Bronze Age, and evidence of possible tribal gathering centers for rituals. Recent excavations and surveys have uncovered significant findings, such as animal dung used as fuel in Bronze Age houses, stone circles, and evidence suggesting a ceremonial landscape, linking various features of the site.
Insights
- Cornwall's Bodmin Moore boasts a rich history with hundreds of prehistoric settlements, including at least 200 Bronze Age settlements and 1500 houses, indicating a long-standing human presence in the area focused on ritual ceremonies and tribal gatherings.
- Henry's core sampling and trench discoveries suggest that water played a crucial role in the prehistoric landscape of the site, with evidence of a nearby river, Stone rows, and circles, uncovering a complex ceremonial site with features dating back to the Mesolithic period.
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Recent questions
What is the significance of Bodmin Moore?
Bodmin Moore is a landscape rich in history, featuring hundreds of prehistoric settlements, stone circles, and structures that suggest tribal gathering centers for ritual ceremonies. Excavations aim to determine the purpose of these structures, whether they were houses or stock pens, focusing on dating and interpretation. The area also shows evidence of Roman visitors, like tourists or pilgrims, and has been used for livestock grazing for over 5000 years. Bronze Age pottery and animal dung found in the area confirm its age and use, with high phosphate levels indicating human activity around fires. The landscape's unique features, like a Neolithic bank and Stone circles, make it a significant archaeological site.
What evidence supports the theory of water being crucial in the prehistoric landscape?
Evidence in trench one at Bodmin Moore supports the theory of water being crucial in the prehistoric landscape. A linear Stone cart and sediment found in the trench suggest the presence of a river nearby. The site's location on the edge of a valley, possibly near a river, with Stones contemporary to the river dating back to the prehistoric period, further reinforces the importance of water in shaping the landscape. This evidence indicates that water sources played a significant role in the lives of the early settlers in the area.
What discoveries were made during the 200th dig celebration at Bodmin Moore?
The 200th dig celebration at Bodmin Moore marked an exciting find, with the potential discovery of a Stone circle being a key feature of the site. A trench revealed a Bronze Age Stone deliberately placed with wedged Stones, hinting at the possibility of a Stone circle or row. Additionally, a post hole discovery in the Bronze Age Stone Circle trench, along with Mesolithic flints, suggested a timeline of the site's development. These discoveries during the celebration added to the understanding of the ceremonial landscape at Bodmin Moore.
What features were linked in the ceremonial site at Bodmin Moore?
A survey and borehole work at Bodmin Moore revealed streams, a central Mound, an island for the Stone Circle, and a Mesolithic Timber structure, linking all features in the ceremonial site. These findings connected various elements of the landscape, providing insights into how the different structures and natural features were interrelated in the prehistoric period. The discovery of these linked features enhances the understanding of the ceremonial significance of the site at Bodmin Moore.
What does the discovery at Hamsterley Castle reveal about the site?
The discovery at Hamsterley Castle, an Iron Age enclosure, shows evidence of the original build and Hodgkin's rebuild, with a potential Dark Age structure and guard house indicating a late Iron Age Farmstead. This finding suggests a long history of occupation and development at the site, with different structures and features representing various periods in the area's history. The discovery at Hamsterley Castle provides valuable insights into the evolution of the site over time and its significance in different historical periods.
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Summary
00:00
"Bodmin Moore: Rich History of Prehistoric Settlements"
- Cornwall's Bodmin Moore is a landscape with a rich history, featuring hundreds of prehistoric settlements.
- An archaeological survey revealed at least 200 settlements and 1500 houses from the Bronze Age.
- The landscape includes structures that could be thousands of years older, like a Neolithic feature 500 meters away.
- The first settlers were drawn to Rocky outcrops like Roe or Rao tour, possibly for worship.
- Stone circles and structures suggest tribal gathering centers for ritual ceremonies.
- Excavations aim to determine if structures were houses or stock pens, with a focus on dating and interpretation.
- A Neolithic bank can, over 500 meters long, points towards the tour and is unique in Britain.
- Roman glass found in the area hints at later visitors like tourists or pilgrims.
- Dung beetles indicate livestock grazing in the area for over 5000 years.
- Bronze Age pottery discovered in a house circle confirms its age and use for cooking 3500 years ago.
15:36
Bronze Age village reveals ancient phosphates.
- Animal dung rots down, leaving phosphates.
- Animal dung was used as fuel in Bronze Age houses.
- Tests indicate the level of human activity around fires.
- Phosphates persist in the soil over millennia.
- Initial impressions show high phosphate levels in the house center.
- Evidence of phosphates even outside the house.
- Clear distinction in phosphate levels between different trenches.
- Organic remains in the soil locked for thousands of years.
- Bronze Age pottery found, indicating a village.
- Pollen analysis suggests no crop cultivation by Bronze Age farmers.
31:11
Prehistoric Stone Circle Discovery at Hamsterley Castle
- Henry conducts core sampling to test his theory that the site was built on Islands surrounded by water, finding inorganic sediment with enough remains to make it brown.
- Evidence in trench one supports the theory of water being crucial in the prehistoric landscape, with a linear Stone cart and sediment suggesting a river nearby.
- The site is on the edge of a valley, possibly near a river, with Stones contemporary to the river, dating back to the prehistoric period.
- The discovery of a prehistoric single Stone row adds to the Bronze Age ceremonial landscape, with the potential of a prehistoric Stone circle being a first for Time Team.
- The 200th dig celebration marks an exciting find, with a potential Stone circle being a key feature of the site.
- A trench reveals a Bronze Age Stone placed deliberately with wedged Stones, hinting at a possible Stone circle or row.
- A post hole discovery in the Bronze Age Stone Circle trench, along with Mesolithic flints, suggests a timeline of the site's development.
- A survey and borehole work reveal streams, a central Mound, an island for the Stone Circle, and a Mesolithic Timber structure, linking all features in the ceremonial site.
- The site at Hamsterley Castle, an Iron Age enclosure, shows evidence of original build and Hodgkin's rebuild, with a potential Dark Age structure and guard house, indicating a late Iron Age Farmstead.
