[PDF][PDF] The mesolithic in the marches: geochemical lithic sourcing in the lower Wye Valley

T Elliot�- University of Worcester, 2019 - academia.edu
University of Worcester, 2019academia.edu
One of the defining features of the British Mesolithic is the depiction of highly mobile families
or communities travelling across and settling in the post-glacial and early Holocene
landscape, often using river valleys as a primary means of access into the interior of the
inland and upland area of the country. The aim of this research was to identify the sources of
Mesolithic artefacts from sites in Herefordshire and the Lower Wye Valley region of the
Anglo-Welsh border to evaluate previous hypotheses of the mobility of communities in this�…
Abstract
One of the defining features of the British Mesolithic is the depiction of highly mobile families or communities travelling across and settling in the post-glacial and early Holocene landscape, often using river valleys as a primary means of access into the interior of the inland and upland area of the country. The aim of this research was to identify the sources of Mesolithic artefacts from sites in Herefordshire and the Lower Wye Valley region of the Anglo-Welsh border to evaluate previous hypotheses of the mobility of communities in this region. The analytical geochemistry technique of Laser Ablation Inductively-Coupled Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and the machine learning algorithm Random Forest was used to classify the artefacts to source locations, based on an array of geological sample sites. The results of this analysis and classification suggest short, medium, and longdistance procurement of raw materials from a range of geological contexts and locations, and a complex mixture of materials or artefacts being carried to the study area. While caution is needed to further interpret these results, the implications support either extensive, continued long-distance mobility throughout the Mesolithic, or greater levels of trade/exchange of lithic artefacts or material than previously considered.
academia.edu
Showing the best result for this search. See all results