Aveline's Hole, a cave in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, is the earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain. Radiocarbon dating of samples from 800 human bone fragments taken from the site has confirmed that they are between about 10,200 and 10,400 years old. Before its discovery in 1797 the cave appears to have remained sealed from the outside world from shortly after its use as a cemetery. Early explorers removed most of the skeletons - there were reports of between 70 and 100 skeletons lying on the floor side by side - however nothing further is known of these. In 1914 and then from 1919 –1933 the University of Bristol Speleological Society (UBSS) excavated flint tools, animal bones and fragmentary remains from the 21 individuals that had been left behind. Early reports describe a "ceremonial burial" with a skeleton on a disused hearth, together with red ochre, animal teeth and a set of fossil ammonites. The remains were taken to Bristol, where they were displayed in the UBSS museum. In November 1940 the building was bombed and most of the collection plus all the excavation records were destroyed. The surviving remains are now held by UBSS Museum and Wells Museum. Deposited over a couple of centuries, the bones constitute the largest assemblage of Mesolithic remains in Britain, making Aveline’s Hole one of the most important burial sites from this era in Europe. New analysis is producing exciting revelations, including what may be the earliest recorded example of osteoarthritis in Britain. Analysis has indicated that the adults in the group, which also included young children and two infants, were only about five feet tall and slightly built. They do not appear to have lived into their 50s, as few molars show the extreme wear to be expected from elderly hunter-gatherers’ teeth. Strontium isotope measurements suggest that the deceased were relatively local to the Mendip area, indicating a population that was not particularly far-ranging. Pollen analysis has shown that temperatures had risen sufficiently from the end of the last glaciation for an open landscape with birch, pine and grasses to become established. Sea levels had not yet risen enough to detach Britain from the continent or to form the Bristol Channel and Aveline’s Hole was considerably further inland than it is today. From the surviving animal bones it seems that the Mesolithic people hunted mainly red deer and wild pig. They may also have hunted wolf and lynx for their fur, and bear for both food and fur. |
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