NOTE ON A PREHISTORIC DEPOSIT.
103
little extent. At the same time, none of the pieces found are
quite of the type that is most commonly found in association
with Neolithic remains, but rather resemble that of the Bronze
Age, or even of the Prehistoric Iron Age. The material
available for study is, however, small; the average differences
in these cases are a little indefinite; while pottery of the same
period varies greatly. I think, then, that we cannot venture to
fix its age within narrower limits than those comprised within
the Prehistoric Age.
The deposit, as already stated, contained a great amount of
vegetable debris, many artificially burnt flints, and some small
natural flints, but otherwise was a fairly pure clay. Upon
washing out ten ounces of the prehistoric bed, the residue, con-
sisting of fine quartz sand, with a certain proportion of minute
brown nodules and a little charcoal, was found to weigh sixty
grains. The same amount of pure London Clay from the same
spot, when washed out in the same manner, yielded a residue
weighing eighty grains. This differed from that of the pre-
historic bed in the absence of charcoal, and in the fact that the
minute brown nodules were in such large proportion as to give
a brown colour to the residue. Evidently the prehistoric bed is
re-distributed London Clay, with the addition of vegetable
matter, the loss of a considerable proportion of the brown
nodules, but practically no further addition of sand. I have not
attempted any determination of the minute brown nodules.
It is remarkable that not a single worked flint was found.
One would naturally expect that these would be present, even if
the deposit belongs to the Bronze Age. Possibly the majority of
them may lie at a little greater depth in the deposit than the
excavation touched. One must, however, remember that the
quantity of material moved was not very extensive.
We must hope that some future excavations will throw
further light upon the problems presented by this ancient site.