Secular and ecclesiastic dynamics at Anglo-Saxon Flixborough.

Secular and ecclesiastic dynamics at Anglo-Saxon Flixborough. CHRISTOPHER LOVELUCK & DAVID ATKINSON For the Canadian academic, see .David Atkinson (born 24 March 1940) was Conservative British Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East from a 1977 by-election until he stepped down at the 2005 general election. . The early medievalsettlement remains from Flixborough, Lincolnshire: the occupationsequence, c. AD 600-1000 (Excavations at Flixborough Volume 1). 2007.xxvi+150 pages, 124 b&w & colour illustrations. 2007. Oxford:Oxbow; 978-1-84217-255-1 hardback 30 [pounds sterling]. KEITH DOBNEY, DEBORAH JAQUES, JAMES BARRETT & CLUNY JOHNSTONE.Farmers, monks and aristocrats: the environmental archaeology ofAnglo-Saxon Flixborough (Excavations at Flixborough Volume 3). xxx+314pages, 151 figures, 15 plates, 69 tables. 2007. Oxford: Oxbow;978-1-84217-290-2 hardback 30 [pounds sterling]. CHRISTOPHER LOVELUCK. Rural settlement, lifestyles and socialchange in the later first millennium AD: Anglo-Saxon Flixborough in itswider context (Excavations at Flixborough Volume 4). xxvi+214 pages, 97b&w & colour illustrations. 2007. Oxford: Oxbow;978-1-84217-256-8 hardback 30 [pounds sterling]. The three books under review contain the comprehensive reports ofan important rescue excavation carried out in the East Midlands ofEngland between 1989 and 1991. Located on the eastern side, and abovethe floodplain floodplain,level land along the course of a river formed by the deposition of sediment during periodic floods. Floodplains contain such features as levees, backswamps, delta plains, and oxbow lakes. , of the River Trent, close to its confluence with theRiver Humber, the Anglo-Saxon settlement in the parish of Flixborough,North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England.The 846 km2 council area lies on the south side of the Humber estuary and consists mainly of agricultural land, including land on either side of the River Trent. , was excavated by a team from the HumbersideArchaeology Unit (now Humber Archaeology Partnership). Flixborough isone of only a very small number of early medieval rural settlements thathave been investigated and one of still fewer that have been fullyanalysed and published. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The lead author of Volumes 1 and 4 and post-excavation projectmanager, Christopher Loveluck, is supported by over sixty specialistcontributors. Volume 1 presents the occupational history, stratigraphic stra��tig��ra��phy?n.The study of rock strata, especially the distribution, deposition, and age of sedimentary rocks.strat and structural evidence, and proposes an interpretation which integratesthe results of the analysis of the material culture. Six main periods ofoccupation, with 17 sub-phases, between the seventh and eleventhcenturies AD are defined and discussed. The site is one of few from this period to be excavated usingsystematic sampling techniques for the recovery of environmentalevidence. Volume 3, by Dobney et al., details the environmental record,concentrating in particular on the zooarchaeological evidence (the siteproduced over 200 000 vertebrate remains) and to a lesser extent on theplant macrofossils, which were sparse in the deposits. This volume addssignificantly to understanding the character of the site and localenvironment, revealing detailed evidence for resource exploitation, theagricultural economy and trade and exchange networks. Volume 4 presents the thematic analyses, integrating all thevarious forms of evidence and exploring wider perspectives, to considerthe importance of the remains within a western European context.Although the report on the artefacts (Vol. 2) has yet to be published(it is due in April 2009), the results have been used widely andincorporated into Volumes 1 and 4. The reports are also supported by anextensive archive deposited with the Archaeological Data Service.Together, these reports represent the culmination of a programme ofpost-excavation analysis begun in 1997. This is a major achievement andall those involved in the project are to be congratulated because largeprojects such as this are a large team effort. English Heritage deservescredit too, for funding the excavation, analysis and publication of thisimportant site. The site produced over 40 buildings and a complex sequence ofsurface deposits, together with large artefactual adj. 1. of or pertaining to an artefact.2. made by human actions.Adj. 1. artefactual - of or relating to artifactsartifactual and environmentassemblages. However, the excavation area was actually quite small (c.0.4ba.) and the total extent of the settlement was not defined.Evaluation by trenching took place in 1988, prior to quarrying, whichdefined the main site and also 11 inhumation graves c. 60m to the south.Further trial trenches in 1994 produced additional evidence ofAnglo-Saxon occupation to the south-west of the main site; these resultsare not further discussed in the report and it is somewhat unclear whyno further excavation took place there. New surveys between 1991 and1995 demonstrated that both Middle and Late Saxon occupation continuedto the north, south and east of the excavated area. The remains were sealed by blown sand up to c. 2m in depth, whichis unusual on a rural settlement (of any period) in England, and thishas resulted in the survival of a sequence of stratified stratified/strat��i��fied/ (strat��i-fid) formed or arranged in layers. strat��i��fiedadj.Arranged in the form of layers or strata. surfacedeposits and intercutting buildings. Many buildings at Flixborough hadseveral phases and were apparently dismantled and rebuilt on the samesite; for example, the earliest building, Building 16a, initiated asequence of seven successive buildings on the same site. The sequence isalso tightly dated, perhaps surprisingly given the high level ofresiduality in many deposits. This satisfying result is owed to thelarge quantity of diagnostically datable artefacts, combined withcareful analysis. Ever since excavarions were in progress, there has been speculationabout the nature of the site, and particular attention has been paid byboth archaeologists and historians to the question of whether or notFlixborough was an undocumented monastic centre or minster. Loveluckdraws on a wide range of finds categories, combining the results fromthe analyses of the animal bones and botantical data with those fromartefactual, structural and skeletal analyses to address this question.His analysis reveals a dynamic sequence that is subtler and morecontextual than previously attempted, as these attempts, he suggests,have often homogenised internal settlement dynamics under singlestatus-related labels, linked to quantity of wealth and perceived statusindicators. Loveluck argues for an aristocratic, rather than a monastic,presence during the eighth century, based in particular on evidence forfeasting and hunting. The large quantities of material within surfacedeposits are interpreted as evidence for profligate prof��li��gate?adj.1. Given over to dissipation; dissolute.2. Recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant.n.A profligate person; a wastrel. discard of fine andcomplex artefacts, expressed as conspicuous consumption. Loveluck does,however, suggest that the building which acted as a focus for burialduring the early eighth century (Building 1 a) might have had anecclesiastical function, possibly a mortuary chapel or religious focusfor a leading family. The large assemblages of wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. and birds are key pieces ofevidence in the interpretation of the site in terms of seculararistocratic social practices. The quantity of wild bird bones mightwell be the result of hunting and feasting by an elite; other categoriesof material culture would lend support to such an interpretation.However, it might simply be a reflection of Flixborough'sgeographical location: the wetlands along the Trent and Humber floodplain are ideal for such exploitation. Furthermore, the intensivesampling strategy and the high level of preservation may have resultedin a situation that is not comparable on other excavations. There are alarge number of bones from cranes (although no minimum number ofindividuals is given). Cranes were apparently a delicacy at medievalfeasts and they were an especially favoured prey for falconry falconry(fôl`kənrē, fô`–, făl`–), sport of hunting birds or small animals with falcons or other types of hawks; eagles are used in some parts of the world. ,unquestionably un��ques��tion��a��ble?adj.Beyond question or doubt. See Synonyms at authentic.un��question��a��bil an aristocratic pursuit. This is discussed at length inVolume 3 bur there is actually no direct evidence for falconry atFlixborough. This is surprising, given the large size of the faunalassemblage and the supposed aristocratic status; for comparison, aperegrine falcon skeleton was recovered from the contemporary settlementat Brandon in Suffolk (E Crabtree, pers. comm.). Of especial es��pe��cial?adj.1. Of special importance or significance; exceptional: an occasion of especial joy.2. interest is the exceptionally large assemblage ofcetacean cetaceanAny of the exclusively aquatic placental mammals constituting the order Cetacea. They are found in oceans worldwide and in some freshwater environments. Modern cetaceans are grouped in two suborders: about 70 species of toothed whales (Odontoceti) and 13 species of bones (over 600 fragments) from the site. The majority werebottle-nosed whale. Dolphins and porpoises are also known to beassociated with the aristocracy during the medieval period. Dobney etal. argue for selectivity in acquisition, suggesting this is'incontrovertible evidence for the existence of a well organisedand active cetacean fishery' (Vol 3, p. 207). While the number ofcetacean bones is undoubtedly high, this reader can't help feelingthat the importance of cetaceans has been slightly overstated o��ver��state?tr.v. o��ver��stat��ed, o��ver��stat��ing, o��ver��statesTo state in exaggerated terms. See Synonyms at exaggerate.o , given thehigh level of re-working of deposits on the site. Although considerableeffort has been made to study the taphonomy ta��phon��o��my?n.1. The study of the conditions and processes by which organisms become fossilized.2. The conditions and processes of fossilization. of the faunal assemblage, itremains unclear from the report exactly how many individuals the 600fragments actually represent (the minimum number of individuals is againnot given). During the early to mid-ninth century (Period 4), the materialculture undergoes a major change. There is a dramatic decrease in theevidence for ostentatious os��ten��ta��tious?adj.Characterized by or given to ostentation; pretentious. See Synonyms at showy.os display, suggesting the inhabitants were nolonger leading the life of a secular elite. There is now an emphasis onartisan activity and the quantity of craft-working debris and range ofspecialist production increases, particularly textile production. Thereare major changes in the animal husbandry animal husbandry,aspect of agriculture concerned with the care and breeding of domestic animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, hogs, and horses. Domestication of wild animal species was a crucial achievement in the prehistoric transition of human civilization from regimes, with a considerablereduction in the occurrence of wild species. There is also evidence forliteracy, possibly indicating that greater attention was paid to estatemanagement. Loveluck sees this combination of traits as indicating asettlement of ecclesiastical or monastic type during this period.Possibly it was an ecclesiastical estate centre linked to a monastery,but he admits that the extent of this estate is difficult to ascertain. Extensive demolition and rebuilding events betray a number of majorchanges in the character of the site. One such reorganisation, dated tosome rime after the early 860s (Phase 4ii), stands out in particular.This event is marked by vast quantities of unburnt artefacts and animalbones, and entailed 'the comprehensive levelling of all thebuildings' (Vol. 4, p. 154). Dumping of refuse takes place on avast scale, with large quantities of wood-ash, fused ash, charcoal,burnt and unburnt soil laid down in deep layers. There are alsosubstantial primary deposits relating to weaving containingnear-complete loom-weights. These deposits, and other artefacts, areinterpreted as refuse, although the large charcoal-rich deposits hint ata destruction by conflagration. The event is followed by an almost totalbreak in the use of space. The long-lived plots are abandoned in favourof new locations, the new buildings are significantly smaller than, andof a different construction type to, the previous buildings, and thematerial culture undergoes further changes. Clearly, archaeologists need to be cautious about linking changesin the archaeological record to documented events, and Loveluck isrightly critical of text-led approaches to the interpretation ofsettlements. Nevertheless, the major break identified in thearchaeological record appears to fit the documentary evidence A type of written proof that is offered at a trial to establish the existence or nonexistence of a fact that is in dispute.Letters, contracts, deeds, licenses, certificates, tickets, or other writings are documentary evidence. , and wouldprovide a neat explanation for the mid-ninth century discontinuity. AsSarah Foot suggests in her discussion of the historical context, we can'reasonably surmise that Danish ships attacked the southern banksof the Humber' (Vol. 4, p. 134) during the middle of the ninthcentury. Viking raids began sporadically from the 790s, increasing infrequency after 830, and it was from a base at Torksey, less than 30miles south of Flixborough, that the Danish army made its decisiveattack on Mercia in 874. The mid-ninth century transformation is, however, just one ofseveral reorganisations between the seventh and eleventh centuries andthe tenth century sees a further major change. Ostentatious displayreturns, but now principally through the built environment, withbuildings eloquently described as 'theatres' of consumption.Wild species are again abundant in the faunal assemblage. Using thedocumentary evidence, Loveluck suggests that the site is probably partof the manorial centre of North Conesby, located further east around thepossible site of a proprietal church. Christopher Loveluck should be congratulated for the detailedanalysis and interpretation of this complex stratigraphic sequence, forsuccessfully coordinating a large group of specialists and forintegrating the results of the project into an impressive, and readable,account of the development of this important site. Meshing togetherspecialist reports within the general discussion, as well as publishingthe detailed reports does, however, make the text repetitive at timesand duplication between volumes is apparent. The indifferent quality ofthe colour plates in the three volumes and the absence of any otherphotographs in the reports are a disappointment; the images of thefinds, reproduced without scales, are of poor quality. The phase plansare also quite unattractive and often difficult to comprehend; featuresand deposits are incomplete, presumably pre��sum��a��ble?adj.That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. because their full extent wasnot traced, but this is not explained in the report. Finally there arealso a number of minor errors: for example, the location plan (Vol. 1,Figure 1.1), reproduced in all three volumes, contains a typo typo - typographical error (MarketRaisen for Market Rasen) and West Stow is in Suffolk, not Norfolk (Vol.3). Perhaps these details can be corrected in Volume 2. Overall, the work is thought-provoking and has broader implicationsfor the interpretation of other sites of this period, particularly thosewithout such high levels of preservation. The results demonstrate thevalue of detailed analysis of the specific site formation processeswhich led to the creation, and survival, of large surface deposits atFlixborough; the methodology employed here is important for the study ofsimilar deposits on other sites. For Europe more generally, Loveluckcombines the varied categories of evidence from the excavation with thatfrom across western Europe to place the settlement in context. He arguesagainst a single, universal label to characterise the site and putsforward a compelling interpretation that is persuasive because it isbased not on one single type of evidence but on a whole range. A complexsettlement emerges: not simply a secular elite centre or a monasticcentre, but a site where dynamic change took place over relatively shorttime spans. This fluidity in settlement type was probably the normrather than the exception during this period. Jess Tipper * * Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England, providing a range of services under the control of elected county councillors that include education, planning, transport and streets, social services, public safety and more. Archaeological Service, Shire Hall, BurySt Edmunds Coordinates: Bury St Edmunds is a town in the county of Suffolk, England, and was formerly the county town of West Suffolk. It is also the seat of the East of England Regional Assembly. , Suffolk, IP33 2AR, UK (Email:jess.tipper@et.suffolkcc.gov.uk)