Mount Pleasant henge
Encyclopedia
Mount Pleasant henge is a Neolithic
henge enclosure in the English
county of Dorset
.
Rather like other 'superhenge' sites such as Durrington Walls
much of the earthworks have been ploughed or weathered away and it was not rediscovered until Stuart Piggott and his wife Peggy Guido visited the area in 1936. On finding the site they diagnosed it as a henge
as its bank was outside its ditch and a later Bronze Age
barrow
had been placed on top of the bank. The enclosure is egg-shaped, measuring 370 m along its long axis and dates to 2878-2470 cal BC.
A geophysical survey
in 1969 identified entrances to the henge enclosure and a smaller inner henge enclosure at the south western end of 45 m diameter. Excavation in the 1960s revealed little material in the henge ditch though some fragments of grooved ware
and children's skeletons were found. The inner enclosure however contained large numbers of posthole
s. The holes were arranged in five concentric rings with a cross-shaped layout of aisles leading into the centre. Within the aisles were further holes interpreted as being for stones. This inner feature was similar to timber circle
features at The Sanctuary
and Woodhenge
.
A narrow, 2 m deep palisade
trench was also found running around the inside of the larger henge. Consisting of large oak timbers placed at 50 cm intervals it would have served as a huge barrier to the middle of the site. Evidence that the timber posts that had stood in the trench were burnt was also seen. The excavator, Geoffrey Wainwright
estimated that 1600 timbers had stood in the trench, enclosing an area of 45,000 m². Two entrances were found in the palisade, each only 1m wide. The timber enclosure was built around 500 years after the outer henge enclosure and caused the builders to remodel the enclosure earthworks.
The henge enclosure is the type site
for the Mount Pleasant Period
of the later Neolithic.
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
henge enclosure in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
.
Rather like other 'superhenge' sites such as Durrington Walls
Durrington Walls
Durrington Walls is the site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. It is 2 miles north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury...
much of the earthworks have been ploughed or weathered away and it was not rediscovered until Stuart Piggott and his wife Peggy Guido visited the area in 1936. On finding the site they diagnosed it as a henge
Henge
There are three related types of Neolithic earthwork which are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three types is that they feature a ring bank and ditch but with the ditch inside the bank rather than outside...
as its bank was outside its ditch and a later Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
had been placed on top of the bank. The enclosure is egg-shaped, measuring 370 m along its long axis and dates to 2878-2470 cal BC.
A geophysical survey
Archaeological geophysics
Geophysical survey in archaeology most often refers to ground-based physical sensing techniques used for archaeological imaging or mapping. Remote sensing and marine surveys are also used in archaeology, but are generally considered separate disciplines...
in 1969 identified entrances to the henge enclosure and a smaller inner henge enclosure at the south western end of 45 m diameter. Excavation in the 1960s revealed little material in the henge ditch though some fragments of grooved ware
Grooved ware people
Most Neolithic cultures in Britain are best identified by the pottery remains which they left. A large number of apparently unrelated cultures seem to have produced urns which have characteristic grooves near the top rim, hence the name grooved ware people....
and children's skeletons were found. The inner enclosure however contained large numbers of posthole
Posthole
In archaeology a posthole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide although truncation may not make this apparent....
s. The holes were arranged in five concentric rings with a cross-shaped layout of aisles leading into the centre. Within the aisles were further holes interpreted as being for stones. This inner feature was similar to timber circle
Timber circle
In archaeology, timber circles are circular arrangements of wooden posts interpreted as being either complexes of freestanding totem poles or as the supports for large circular buildings-British Isles:...
features at The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary is a prehistoric site on Overton Hill located around 5 miles west of Marlborough in the English county of Wiltshire.It is part of a wider Neolithic landscape which includes the nearby sites of Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow and Avebury, to which The Sanctuary was linked by the...
and Woodhenge
Woodhenge
Woodhenge is a Neolithic Class I henge and timber circle monument located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. It is north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury.-Discovery:...
.
A narrow, 2 m deep palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
trench was also found running around the inside of the larger henge. Consisting of large oak timbers placed at 50 cm intervals it would have served as a huge barrier to the middle of the site. Evidence that the timber posts that had stood in the trench were burnt was also seen. The excavator, Geoffrey Wainwright
Geoffrey Wainwright
Geoffrey Wainwright is a British Methodist theologian.Born in Monk Bretton, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, in 1939, Geoffrey Wainwright is an ordained minister of the British Methodist Church. He received his university education in Cambridge, Geneva and Rome. He holds the Dr. Théol. degree from...
estimated that 1600 timbers had stood in the trench, enclosing an area of 45,000 m². Two entrances were found in the palisade, each only 1m wide. The timber enclosure was built around 500 years after the outer henge enclosure and caused the builders to remodel the enclosure earthworks.
The henge enclosure is the type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
for the Mount Pleasant Period
Mount Pleasant Period
The Mount Pleasant Period is a phase of the later Neolithic in Britain dating to between c. 2750 BC and 2000 BC. It was so named by Colin Burgess in the 1970s using Mount Pleasant henge as its typesite. The period is divided into three phases, the Frankford industries, the Migdale-Marnoch...
of the later Neolithic.