Star Carr must
be one of the most unassuming yet archaeologically important sites it is
possible to visit in the British Isles. An empty field hides below its surface
the waterlogged remains of what was once a Mesolithic
settlement standing on the eastern shores of the now vanished Lake Pickering,
a glacial lake formed by meltwaters at the end of the last ice age that
stretched as far west as the Hambleton and Howardian Hills towards the north
of York. At this time lower sea levels meant Britain was not yet an island
being still connected to the continent and as the ice retreated hunters
followed herds of migrating animals across land which is now under the North
Sea and began to move into new territories. One of these that seems to have
been particularly to their liking was beside Lake Pickering where they burned
back the sedges and rushes on the marshy edges of its shore and laid down
mats of brushwood and a trackway of split timbers to make a platform out
into the clearer water - evidence of a wooden oar suggests they also used
boats to move out onto the lake to fish. It is thought that the edge of
the lake was not used as a habitation area but that camps would have been
set up a short distance to the north on slightly raised ground. These would
probably have been temporary seasonal camps and archaeologists seem to be
divided on when the site would have been in use, analysis of plant remains
suggests the main activity taking place here was during the summer months
while finds of worked and natural deer antler suggest people were hunting
here during winter. Although animals such as auroch, elk and boar were taken
as food sources it seems that red deer held a special place in the Mesolithic
world view of these people. Not only were they hunted in large numbers but
they are also responsible for the most famous finds at Star Carr - the antler
headdresses (see images lower down). These consisted of the frontal forehead
bone of red deer stags with the longer parts of the antler trimmed off and
holes drilled through the bone to form either eye-holes or to tie the headdress
to the wearer. What these were used for has fired the imagination of many
writers (this one included) - were they worn as disguises to allow the hunters
to get close to their prey or were they worn during ceremonies where perhaps
a tribal leader would enter a trance state to try to commune with the spirit
of the animal? Whatever their purpose it seems to have been an important
one as twenty one of these headdresses where found here and it appears that
they were placed into the wet areas of the site perhaps as an offerings
after use. A more pragmatic reason could be they they were submerged to
soften the bone prior to it being further worked and what we could be looking
at is Star Carr as a production centre with the headdresses being traded
further afield. This theory could be supported by the finds of nearly two
hundred barbed antler points (see this
image from the Natural History Museum) which would have been tied to
the end of poles to make spears or harpoons for catching fish. Other finds
from the site include many flint
artifacts such such as scrapers, burins and microliths, pieces of worked
and unworked antler and bone as well as wood working tools. Several perforated
stone beads, perhaps used as jewelry, hint at the more personal lives of
the occupants of the site.
At some point the site was abandoned, perhaps the settlers moved elsewhere
as the level of the lake fell although luckily the ground remained waterlogged
and a layer of peat slowly formed helping to preserve so much of the organic
remains that make Star Carr such a unique and archaeologically rich resource.
It slipped from memory until it was rediscovered in 1947 by local archaeologist
John Moore and was then excavated between 1949-1951 by Sir Grahame Clark
whose discoveries, particularly of the headdresses, sparked so much interest
in this quiet corner of Yorkshire. Further excavation work during the 1980's
and within the last ten years have helped to shine more light on the activities
that were taking place on this shore line and carbon dating of organic remains
have given us a date range of activity at Star Carr of between 8770BC-8460BC
suggesting that the site remained important for many generations of Mesolithic
families. Despite all that has been learned from the study of the area much
remains unexcavated and the true extent of the site has yet to be discovered
however recent research indicate that drainage is now threatening the very
existence of Star Carr. Falling water levels mean that the water-logged
peats that have protected the bone and wooden artifacts that make the site
so important are now drying up leading to the decay and destruction of these
irreplaceable items with some experts predicting that much will be lost
within 5-10 years. To lose all that can be learned from this unique 10000
year old site would be a real archaeological shame.
Update: August 2010 - Archaeologists
discover Britain's 'oldest house'
BBC news article on the discovery of a round house at Star Carr dating to
8500BC |
