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| Blick Mead | |
|---|---|
| Name | Blick Mead |
| Location | Amesbury, Wiltshire, England |
| Type | Springhead and Mesolithic site |
| Epochs | Mesolithic, Neolithic |
| Excavations | 2005–present |
| Archaeologists | Nick Prior, David Jacques, Graham Connah |
Blick Mead Blick Mead is a Mesolithic springhead and archaeological site near Amesbury in Wiltshire, England, notable for its early Holocene deposits and evidence for prolonged human activity. The site has produced faunal remains, lithic artifacts, and environmental data that contribute to debates about the origins of Stonehenge, Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene occupation of southern Britain, and Mesolithic–Neolithic transitions. It lies within the broader Salisbury Plain landscape and has attracted interdisciplinary study from archaeologists, palaeoecologists, and heritage bodies.
The site is situated close to Amesbury, River Avon headwaters and within the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. Excavations and survey work have linked Blick Mead to prehistoric routes across Wessex, interactions with former Roman and Anglo-Saxon landscape elements, and regional patterns of hunter-gatherer settlement evident elsewhere such as Star Carr, Hoxne and Boxgrove. Stakeholders include English Heritage, Historic England and local landowners, while dissemination has involved the British Museum, University of Buckingham and regional museums.
Fieldwork began in the early 21st century with systematic excavation campaigns led by a team including David Jacques and collaborators from multiple universities. Archaeological methods combined stratigraphic excavation, micromorphology, and wet-sieving alongside zooarchaeological and lithic analyses, coordinated with specialists from institutions such as University of Southampton, Bournemouth University and University of Oxford. Finds recovery has been guided by standards developed by Institute for Archaeologists and sampling protocols used in comparable projects at Paviland and Gonnersbury. Excavation reports and outreach have involved partnerships with Amesbury History Centre and academic publishers.
Chronological control at Blick Mead is established through radiocarbon dating of organic remains, Bayesian modelling, and comparison with regional chronologies from sites like Star Carr and Holmegaard. Radiocarbon determinations place intensive activity within the early Mesolithic, approximately between 9,800 and 6,000 radiocarbon years BP, corresponding to the Early Holocene and overlapping with early phases of woodland regeneration after the Younger Dryas. Dendrochronological and tephrochronological frameworks used elsewhere in Britain have been referenced to anchor interpretations, while comparisons with Neolithic sequences at Durrington Walls and Stonehenge inform diachronic landscape use.
Recovered material includes knapped flint implements, microliths, and debitage consistent with Mesolithic technology comparable to assemblages from Star Carr and Hauxwell. Zooarchaeological remains include red deer, aurochs/ancient cattle, and freshwater species that provide evidence for hunting, butchery, and seasonal aggregation analogous to practices inferred at La Cotte de St Brelade and Gough's Cave. Cutmarks and burn patterns have been analyzed by faunal specialists from Natural History Museum, London and published comparisons reference sequences from Oronsay and Kendrick's Cave. The density and stratigraphic integrity of artefacts suggest repeated, possibly ritualized, visits to a springhead focal point similar in function to wetlands at Star Carr.
Blick Mead occupies a spring-fed chalk hollow within Salisbury Plain chalk geology and springline habitats comparable to other chalkland springs documented in studies by British Geological Survey and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions for Wiltshire. Sediment cores and pollen analyses conducted by palaeoecologists from University of Birmingham and Cardiff University indicate Early Holocene open grassland and scrub mosaic prior to Neolithic clearance, with indicators for wetland vegetation and freshwater molluscs corresponding to regional climatic amelioration after the Younger Dryas. Geoarchaeological study integrates peat stratigraphy and taphonomic assessments used at sites like Little Salt Spring and Bølling–Allerød analogues.
The site’s proximity to Stonehenge and Neolithic monuments such as Durrington Walls and Avebury has prompted models linking Mesolithic ritual and social use of spring sites to later Neolithic monumentality. Comparative landscape studies involving GIS analysis from English Heritage and academic teams argue for long-term trajectories of place significance from Mesolithic focal points to Neolithic ceremonial centres seen at West Kennet Long Barrow and Woodhenge. Debates engage researchers from University of Wales Trinity Saint David and University of York over continuity versus discontinuity in ritual landscapes within the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site.
Conservation of the springhead and in situ deposits is overseen by English Heritage in coordination with Historic England and local authorities, employing approaches from wetland site management used at Pevensey Levels and riparian conservation frameworks promoted by the Environment Agency. Protective measures balance archaeological excavation, public access, and habitat preservation, with monitoring regimes informed by archaeological standards from the Institute for Archaeologists and environmental guidance from Natural England. Ongoing research, outreach, and stewardship involve partnerships with local communities and heritage organisations to ensure long-term protection within the World Heritage context.
Category:Archaeological sites in Wiltshire Category:Mesolithic sites in Europe