This paper evaluates traditional and current interpretations of the Dorsey, a large earthwork and timber piled enclosure in Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland. It casts doubt on the interpretation of the site as a frontier defence and, on the basis of parallels with other Irish sites such as Navan Fort, suggests that it may have been a focus of ritual activity. Although concentrating on a single site, specific features are identified which may, with further analysis, provide an alternative and enhanced understanding of a range of Iron Age sites in Ireland.

The sub-Crag detritus-bed, sometimes called the nodule bed, or the Suffolk bone bed, was first brought to the notice of geologists by the late Prof. Henslow, who, in 1843, discovered that the Crag contained many nodules rich in lime phosphates, of great agricultural and commercial value—mostly known as “Coprolites,” though not of coprolitic origin, unless the spirally-formed bodies are the coprolitic rejectamenta of sharks or other animals having a spiral intestine.

The detrital bed is principally made up of the following constituents:—(1) Phosphatic nodules (the so-called Coprolites). (2) Sandstone nodules or box-stones. (3) Rocks of various ages earlier than the Crag. (4) Large chalk flints, many unrolled. (5) Rolled and waterworn bones, usually much mineralised. (6) Cetacean beaks, and other bones. (7) Bones and teeth of land mammalia. (8) Wood and other items, chiefly of uncertain age.

The above groups are of very different periods, and I propose treating each one separately, their origin and mode of occurrence as far as is known, or suggested.

I have been asked to explain the circumstances under which certain flint implements of the Le Moustier period were found near the trenches at Coigneux. And this with special reference to geological strata. Between the 1st April and the 14th August, 1918, Coigneux, a small village about 16 miles S.W. of Arras, lay some 6 miles behind the British front line. At the commencement of the German offensive in 1918 the ground on three sides of the village was hastily prepared for defence, and a triple line of trenches with many branches (known as the “Red Line”) was constructed. At first these trenches were only about 4 feet deep, but in June and July some of them were further excavated to a total depth of 6 feet. They were never manned by the infantry, and the parapets of the trenches were never disturbed. As officer in charge of the 42nd Division Observers, I lived in the neighbourhood of Coigneux from the middle of April till the middle of August, 1918. I had, therefore ample opportunity in the intervals of military duty to inspect the excavations, especially during the period of their extension. I had already searched for flint implements in different parts of France. And in June 1918, a kind suggestion from Reginald A. Smith, Esq., F.S.A., made me pay special attention to this excavated ground.

In discussing the points of contact between Neolithic Britain and the Continent, it is desirable from many points of view to begin at the beginning, and to conclude with the introduction of metal. I prefer this to the method adopted in our leading text-book, even though it brings us at once into an area of conflict, where nothing should be taken for granted, and general agreement is not yet in sight. In Scandinavia there seems to be a definite terminus a quo, though even there some elements of doubt can be detected. It is generally assumed that human life began in the peninsula soon after the last or Baltic glaciation came to an end; and the first question is whether the same holds good for Britain, and if so, to what extent, for an ice-free area in the south of England is recognised by most authorities even during the severe glaciation that accounted for boulder-clay at Finchley, only three miles north of the Thames.

As will be seen later, intercourse with Scandinavia was lively during two phases of the Megalithic period, but there is nothing to shew that the Neolithic civilisations east and west of the North Sea had a common origin or began at the same date.

The excavations described in the Preliminary Report were, through the generosity of the Trustees of the Percy Sladen Memorial Fund, and with the co-operation of Dr. R. V. Favell, resumed in 1924 and further efforts made to discover evidence of the earliest mining activities at Grimes' Graves. Summarised briefly the work of 1923 had already established the following facts:—

(1) The existence on the southern slope of the valley, north of the Graves, of primitive flint mines roughly circular in shape and sunk to the Floor-stone, at that point 12 feet 6 inches deep.

(2) That the two pits examined were devoid of galleries, the shafts being belled out at the base to obtain as much flint as possible.

(3) That Hand Picks of a form not hitherto recognised and formed of the long bones of animals, had been used for excavation purposes assisted by wedges and choppers of flint.

(4) That Deer-antler picks, or fragments of deer antler were entirely absent.

(5) That access had been gained to the pits by rude staircases cut in the shaft walls.

(6) The nature of the valley deposits was established by a series of sections and the almost complete erosion there of the Floor-stone, by glacial agencies, proved.

(7) The limits within which Floor-stone exists in situ on the south side of the valley was defined and an outcrop of contorted Floor-stone discovered.

Before studying the significance of the series of implements generally known as ‘discoidal polished flint knives,’ I should like first to acknowledge printed sources of informatıon, and secondly, assistance rendered by correspondents and curators of various collections. Many years ago Sir John Evans recognised the type and described and figured several examples in his ‘Ancient Stone Implements of Great Britain,’ and later, in Volume XLIV., pages 97–100 of the Wiltshire Archæological Magazine, Dr. R. C. C. Clay collected some sixty odd records, which he classified according to their shape. The excuse for this paper is that it is an attempt to extract from as wide data as possible the significance of the forms and distribution of the type as a whole. In accumulating the necessary evidence I have received especial help from Mr. Burkitt, who has enabled me to handle the fine series in the Museum at Cambridge; from Mr. Leeds, who gave me access to the specimens of the Evans Collection now in the Ashmolean; from the Curators of London, Norwich and Ipswich Museums, who sent me interesting records; from Mr. Graham Callander, who not only checked my list for Scotland, but who also contributed new records and helpful suggestions. In addition, several private collectors have kindly let me have records of their specimens, and, in many cases, illustrations.

The problem of the transition period between Palæolithic and Neolithic times has long fascinated prehistorians. Much work has been done and a good deal more is known of this elusive era than was the case formerly, though still many things remain obscure. It is proposed here to try and sketch out what has been discovered with special reference to some of the early cultures of Northern Europe and then tentatively to apply this knowledge to our own country. The problem of the surface finds in East Anglia are very intricate and although it is not the province of this paper to concentrate on them, it is hoped that a little light may be thrown on the subject by this study and that some perhaps helpful suggestion may be made.

As is well known, the difficulty that the early prehistorians had to face was the apparent catastrophic change in everything which took place at the end of Palæolithic times. Suddenly the Palæolithic industries, art and fauna cease, and their place is taken —as it then seemed—by the comparatively monotonous Neolithic industries of the so-called Western Circle with domestic animals, pottery, polished stone axes and a more or less modern fauna, showing that the climatic conditions, far from being arctic, had become reasonably genial.

On the 3rd of October, 1909, I found on a stone heap in Messrs. Bolton and Laughlin's brickfield near Ipswich a large flint implement fashioned from a cylindrical nodule and flaked to a cutting edge at one end. This implement, which is obviously very massive, weight 8¾lbs., is deeply patinated on its worked surfaces a yellowish-brown colour, and has a very hard ferruginous deposit attached to portions of its crust.

Following on this discovery I commenced, searching for others, and eventually found them lying on the London Clay under a seam of decalcified crag, and associated with many bones and phosphatic nodules such as are met with at other ordinary bases of the Red Crag. This decalcified crag occurs in two basin-shaped hollows, one 56 yards wide and the other 45 yards, in the London Clay. The general arrangement of the beds (Plate I.) in the hollows is as follows:—

1. Top sand and gravel, in places up to 9 feet in thickness.

2. Middle Glacial Sands, with sarsen stones, maximum thickness 12 feet to 15 feet.

3. Decalcified crag, with casts of shells up to 3 feet. This is very hard in the eastern hollow, and rests upon an uneven floor of London Clay, containing pockets filled with pebbles, and boulders of flint and micaceous sandstone.

The Inland Niger Delta in Mali is scattered with thousands of tell-like dwelling mounds that testify to the rich archaeological heritage of this attractive occupation area. The results of archaeological research suggest an occupation history of more than two millennia in which large urban settlements such as Djenné-Djeno and Dia play a central role. Regional surveys have revealed primary information on the vast rural hinterland of these extensive cities, but little is known about the structure and evolution of this considerable settlement system. The aim of the re-examination of 128 sites in the southern part of the Niger alluvial plain was to obtain an understanding of intersite relations based on sites' chronological, functional, socio-economic, and hierarchical differentiation and their participation in different trade networks. For the research it was crucial to find a method to date the last occupation period of the sites using surface remains. The results of the study emphasise the former occupants' preference for the most elevated landscape units close to fertile pastures, good cultivation grounds, and extensive fishing potential for their settlement sites. The occupants' ability to distribute and exchange agricultural surplus for luxury goods – imported via regional, inter-regional and trans-Saharan trade networks – is impressive, showing that they were able to compete with occupants of the large urban centres. Although the rural sites were much smaller than Djenné-Djeno and Dia, they were well connected. The rural hinterland apparently played an important role in most of the great West African empires. Population densities of the Inland Niger Delta were high for a long time, until the trade routes changed in the 15th century AD and the region became socio-politically unstable. This led to the abandonment of settlements, first around the urban settlements, and later also in the rural hinterland. The present-day occupation of the region is only a poor reflection of its impressive past.

Depuis 8 mois, nous avons, entre autres terrains riches en Paléolithique ancien, exploré la plupart des plages anciennes au Nord et au Sud de Lisbonne, du cap d'Espichel au Sud, à la presqu'île de Peniche au Nord, soit environ 120 km. de côtes, dont auparavant (grotte de Furninha excepté) on ne savait rien du point de vue préhistorique. Les sîtes les plus importants qui nous ont livré du matériel, parfois en très grande quantité, sont du Sud au Nord:

(a) Entre Sado et Tage: les plages anciennes du Fort de Barralha (Espichel), de Lagosteiros et de Foz da Fonte, au Nord du cap.

(b) Entre Tage et Serra de Sintra: plages de S. Juliao da Barra et du Guincho.

(c) Au Nord de la Serra de Sintra, les plages de Magoito, Açafora, Ericeira, Beiramar.

(d) Autour de Peniche, les plages de Consolaçao, Porto de Lôbos, phare de Peniche et grotte de Furninha, dans sa falaise.

Nous avons recueilli de nombreuses observations géologiques et archéologiques, et récolté, sur ces anciennes plages, un matériel lithique considérable, principalement en quartzite, parfois en basalte ou en silex, voire en calcaire dur. De sorte qu'en attendant une description plus détaillée qui ne tardera pas trop à paraître, nous sommes en mesure de tirer dès maintenant quelques conclusions d'ensemble sur ce littoral et ses industries paléolithiques marines.

Coarse ‘dwelling-place’ pottery is usually of little interest in the study of Neolithic cultures, for which reason it rarely receives the same attention as forms of ware that is of better workmanship, technically and artistically. Still, within the category ‘coarse pottery’ there may be details of no little significance to comparative archaeology. As an example, I propose in the following to discuss briefly a single type of vessel within European Corded-Ware or Battle-Axe cultures, starting out from some finds in Denmark where the type has not previously attracted attention.

A few years ago an examination was made of a Stone Age settlement at Selbjerg, on the islet of Øland in the Limfiord, Northern Jutland; traces were observed of several Neolithic settlements in conjunction with a regular culture deposit and shell mound. One important discovery was pottery of the South Scandinavian Pitted-Ware Culture. Higher up in the deposit were fragments of pottery which were determinable as of Late Single Grave Culture. At least eight vessels were represented, including a beaker of flower-pot type and one or two large, coarse vessels. It has been possible to reconstruct the form of the best preserved specimen (fig. 1). It had measured about 35 cm. in height and presumably had a flat base (some bottom sherds may perhaps be parts of this vessel, but they have been omitted from the drawing). As the sole form of decoration it has an applied clay moulding just below the rim. Both rim and moulding are formed into waves by finger pressure.

In better condition is a vessel (pl. III, a) recently excavated at Ravnholt, in the parish of Gesten, South Jutland. The upper part could be pieced together completely and the bottom was in such a state of preservation that it could be reconstructed; only a few sherds of the intermediate wall could not be fitted in. In all probability the vessel was about 40 cm. in height with a diameter of 35 cm. across the rim. It is relatively thin walled, the material is coarse and gravelly; both inside and out the surface presents a curious striation, as if the wet clay prior to kilning had been smoothed off with a whisk of straw or something else that was rough. On its outer side the edge of the rim is drawn out into small waves (pl. III, c), and about 2 cm. below it is a wavy moulding formed by finger pressure from one side. Otherwise the vessel is quite plain.

In a recent number of these Proceedings, the present writer defined a type of megalithic burial chamber which was there called the transepted gallery grave, and discussed the distribution of this type in southern Britain. The transepted gallery grave (sometimes called the cruciform gallery grave, or the cruciform allée couverte) consists, as was pointed out, of a central gallery grave or allée couverte with one or two pairs of small rectangular side-chambers: in plan this type of monument resembles either a Latin or a Lorraine cross. Sometimes the gallery extends beyond the last pair of side-chambers, at others it stops flush with them. It will be remembered that we listed eight tombs of this type in England and Wales: Pare le Breos Cwm and Penmaen Burrows in Glamorgan, Nempnett Thrubwell and Stoney Littleton in Somerset, Wayland's Smithy in Berkshire, and three Gloucestershire sites—Uley, Nympsfield, and Notgrove. From the distribution of these chambers it was suggested that some of them formed the primary settlement on the shores of the Bristol Channel of a culture which subsequently spread over south-east Wales, the south-west Midlands, Wiltshire and Somerset, and which we called the Severn-Cotswold culture.

It was, moreover, suggested that the origin of the transepted gallery grave in Britain, and therefore of the Cotswold-Severn culture, must be sought for outside the British Isles, and we agreed with Fleure, Forde, and Le Rouzic in deriving these early settlers on the shores of the Bristol Channel from Brittany. In 1936, when the article was written, I knew of only about half-a-dozen transepted gallery graves in France: but in the following year I discovered among the Lukis MSS. at St. Peter Port a number of plans of other transepted gallery graves in western France.