Mesolithic to Neolithic flints, Langford Road (EHER 14651)

Trial trenching and archaeological excavation in 1993 and 1994 recovered an assemblage of Mesolithic-Neolithic flint tools including an arrowhead and thumbnail scraper.

1993. Trial trenching. The evaluation recorded prehistoric activity in three of the eleven trenches with some residual material in another. Most of the prehistoric pottery could not be firmly dated, only identified as pre-Iron Age. However, the presence of a Neolithic arrowhead and a Neolithic/Early Bronze Age thumbnail scraper point to an early rather than later date for some of the features (see EHER 81881 for the Bronze Age remains). <1> <2> 1994. Archaeological excavation. Following the evaluation a full excavation was carried out in 1994. The earliest finds recovered were five Mesolithic/Neolithic flint tools. Two were found in a redeposited context, whilst the remaining three were found in pits: a Neolithic tool came from a pit to the north of Bronze Age Building 1 (see EHER 81881), and a Neolithic leaf-shaped arrowhead was found during the evaluation in a pit in the central area of the excavation. No Neolithic pottery was recovered from the excavation. At least two, and possibly three industries are represented amongst the assemblage. The Mesolithic component appears small as does the possible Early Neolithic group, and the majority of the material seems likely to fall within the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age period. <3> <4> Area = 1.17 Note: The material described in this record may be associated with the settlement at Elms Farm, see EHER 17444.