摘要 : The late Bronze Age saw marked changes in landscape use across much of southern Britain and a new exceptionally rich site type, frequently termed a midden, developed. These distinctive sites are characterised by thick artefact-ric... 展开 The late Bronze Age saw marked changes in landscape use across much of southern Britain and a new exceptionally rich site type, frequently termed a midden, developed. These distinctive sites are characterised by thick artefact-rich deposits and substantial dark earth layers. Although not a defining feature, the size of many middens is their most striking characteristic. For example, one of the largest middens, Potterne, excavated by Andrew Lawson in the 1980s, covers approximately 3.5ha and has 1- 1.5m thick deposits across much of its area. Consequently, excavations of even relatively small areas of these sites yield vast quantities of material culture. Feasting was central to the accumulation of these mounds and fragmentary animal bone is invariably the most common find. These faunal assemblages often have a substantially higher proportion of pigs than other later prehistoric settlements. For example, at the smaller midden (c. 0.3ha) at Llanmaes in South Wales, recently excavated by Adam Gwilt of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales and Mark Lodwick of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, 70% of identified specimens were pig (total fragments 80,000). An even more unusual feature at Llanmaes was a pronounced preference for right forequarter elements. 收起