The ongoing excavations at Cholsey have been nothing if not engaging. Even though it is clear that we are away from any areas of occupation, this managed landscape was obviously of importance with offerings being given to the Gods.
‘Normally I shy away from words like ‘ritual’, ritual in archaeology is often used to cover those things we do not know and yet in this instance it is difficult to use any other phrase’.
Jon Webster (Project manager)
This week Richard from our London office found yet another specifically buried animal, placed in a manner that suggests more than simply removal of unwanted or diseased remains. We know this must have been one of the earliest actions on the site so far seen, as one of the Bronze Age ‘droveway’ ditches overlies, and is therefore later than it. Is this an offering to bless the landscape which would soon be used for animal husbandry? Or is it a coincidence that it underlies the main foci in the landscape? Hopefully we’ll be able to find out more as we proceed. Who knows what next week will bring?
