BRITISH HEATWAVE UNEARTHS PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENTS
▶ Archaeologists estimate that the oldest discoveries revealed by summer’s fiery temperatures and resultant parched soil could date from 3,600BC
As sodden London commuters squelched into their offices after the return of unsettled weather this week, it was easy to forget the scorching heatwave that sent the UK into a frenzy last month.
At its height, Londoners spilt out into parks and cafes to lap up the sun as the England football team seemingly teetered on the impossible – before both the heatwave and that World Cup charge spluttered to an abrupt halt.
While the blazing temperatures seem to be over, their effects are lasting, however.
The exceptionally dry conditions have revealed prehistoric settlements in the form of crop markings – burial mounds and mysterious ancient monuments hidden for thousands of years have been caught on camera by aerial surveys.
The exciting discoveries were made possible because of a lack of moisture in the soil that left the land parched. The hot spell allowed experts an intriguing eye into thousands of years of English history.
Neolithic ceremonial monuments, Iron Age settlements, square burial mounds and a Roman farm are among the new findings.
Historic England, an organisation responsible for protecting the country’s ancient heritage, said its archaeologists had been making use of the summer heat and looking for patterns in crops and grass that could reveal historic secrets.
“The exceptional weather has opened up whole areas at once, rather than just one or two fields, and it has been fascinating to see so many traces of our past graphically revealed,” said Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson.
Aerial photography of cropmarks was used to produce archaeological maps to determine the significance of the discoveries. This in turn helped experts to decide how best to protect these vital sites from future development or damage caused by agricultural activity.
The oldest discoveries were of two Neolithic “cursus” monuments – that usually date from about 3,600 to 3,000 BC, found near Milton Keynes. These monuments are regarded as one of the oldest types in England, and about 100 have been found by archaeologists over the years.
Their exact function remains a mystery, but the monuments are generally thought of as enclosed paths or processional ways. They may also have served to demarcate or even act as a barrier between different landscape zones.
In Derbyshire and Yorkshire, ancient Iron Age and Bronze Age burial mounds were also unearthed. In Yorkshire, the shape of the cropmarks, known as square barrows, represent the ditch surrounding a burial mound. These are sometimes associated with elaborate burials with exotic grave goods such as chariots. Despite Yorkshire being well explored, Historic England says it has the potential for new revelations.
These were just some of the unusual crop patterns found that indicated the presence of historic structures. In each case, the remains are revealed as differences in colour or in the height of crops or grass.
While the recent discoveries revealed by the heatwave can only be fully appreciated from the air and could perhaps even seem slightly un-
der whelming to the naked eye, archaeologists are incredibly excited about the findings.
“This has been one of my busiest summers in 20 years of flying, and it has been very rewarding making discoveries in areas that do not normally reveal cropmarks,” said Damian Grady, who oversaw Historic England’s aerial reconnaissance operations.
“This is the first potential bumper year in what feels like a long time. It is very exciting to have hot weather for this long,” said Mr Grady’s colleague Helen Winton.
The baking temperatures across England and northern Europe allowed archaeologists to identify sites spread across England, rather than just a localised region, emphasising the continental reach of the heatwave.
“This spell of very hot weather has provided the perfect conditions for our aerial archaeologists to ‘see beneath the soil’ because cropmarks are much better defined when the soil has less moisture,” Mr Wilson said.
“The discovery of ancient farms, settlements and Neolithic cursus monuments is exciting,” he said.
His team were particularly prolific in finding new sites in Cornwall, south-west England. They gained a better understanding of the continuity and range of settlements in the past 4,000 years in Cornwall, via the discovery of an Iron Age round. These settlements consist of a circular bank and outer ditch with a single entrance and usually contained round houses positioned close to the edge of the outer ditch.
It is quite possible these findings will become more frequent as climate change continues to rear its head. The heatwave was described by scientists at World Weather Attribution as remarkable, but not unexpected.
A report conducted by WWA said the “probability to have such heat or higher is generally more than two times higher today than if human activities had not altered climate”.
“Because of the underlying warming trend even recordbreaking events can be not very extreme ... with global mean temperatures continuing to increase heatwaves like this will become even less exceptional,” the report said.
It will not be the last year, then, that the fierce sun and drying earth combine to give up the secrets of the past.