Life on the lake: The prehistory & history of Skipsea, Holderness Dr Jim Leary & Dr Elaine Jamieson

Описание: The flat landscape of Holderness, East Yorkshire, was once dotted with freshwater lakes and pools. These have been used for thousands of years and constitute a remarkable, largely unexplored archaeological resource.

Archaeologists from the University of York are currently halfway through a six-year project focused on these ancient lakes, especially around Skipsea village. The lakes have continually drawn people over time. Antiquarians and archaeologists have uncovered Mesolithic stone tools, animal remains, and bone harpoons from within them, as well as Neolithic and Bronze Age structures and trackways at their edges. Today, the remains of a large motte-and-bailey castle built by Drogo de la Beuvrière around AD 1071-86 dominate the landscape. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the mound was probably constructed during the Iron Age.

This lecture will present the findings from the recent excavations at Skipsea. These include a previously unknown early medieval settlement featuring the remains of a large timber hall, a well-preserved malthouse, and an intriguing sunken structure. Accumulations of pottery and animal bones along the wetland edge indicate activity from the late prehistoric period.