Tufa found in the wellow valley

Stony Littleton 8

Image by postman

moss Aug 3, 2005 17:36:27

Whilst trawling the web today, came across an article in PAST http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prehistoric/, referring to some work done last year. Tufa had been found in the valley bottom, or valley sides, adjacent to the Wellow Brook, to quote " continuous tufa formation through the valley which seems to have formed during the the Mesolithic and perhaps neolithic period" , (think its the action of water and calcium carbonate).
What makes it interesting is that small late mesolithic/early N. pits were found, having items including flint, stone, ball of tufa, and also fossils in one pit. Well as Stoney littleton is just further down the valley and has not only a fossilized ammonite, but another stones with fossil adjacent, plus David Milners picture, it begs the question did fossils form part of the symbolic representation of the people who settled here, or were they just pretty stones or decorative?
The tufa is also seen as maybe something symbolic, the pits follow the line of the tufa deposition, and the excavators put forward the theory that the area surrounding the tufa would have appeared white, maybe making a "magical"landscape.
Jodie Lewis by the way has written an interesting article on the B/A votive offerings down the swallett holes on the Mendips, and probably here the religious ritual relates to the underground River Axe, seen in full Tolkienesque glory at Wookey Hole....

juamei Aug 3, 2005 22:15:08

Replying to moss

Sticking Tufa into google gives some amazing limestone formations in the US, nothing like that in the valley containing Stoney Littleton unfortunately.

http://www.monolake.org/naturalhistory/tufa.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufa

Were the pits further up the valley then, I'd love to see a complete archeological map of that valley and the next one over towards Faulkland. My question, is where is the Causewayed Enclosure that goes with the barrow at Wellow and the circle at Faulkland? :)

Nat Aug 5, 2005 12:01:32

Replying to moss

I'm absolutely starving hungry and everytime I flick into TMA and see this post the heading to me reads -

"Tofu found in the wellow valley"

.... I've now had to go and eat a cake to stop my tummy rumbling!! :o)

Carry on..

Nat xx

Jodie Jan 10, 2006 16:00:46

Replying to moss

Hi
For those interested in Neolithic Mendip/northern Somerset thought that you might like to know that my book (based on my PhD thesis) entitled "Monuments, Ritual and Regionality: the Neolithic of Northern Somerset" has just been published by British Archaeological Reports (Archaeopress 2005). In it I present new findings and interpretations of all the sites in the region, including Stoney Littleton, Stanton Drew, Priddy Circles, Devil's Bed and Bolster, Fairy's Toot and many more. Also covered are caves and swallets, settlement sites, ritual pits etc etc. My work on tufa will be published separately, however.
Seems a plug I know, but there are no royalties involved - all done to further our knowledge of this important region!
Best wishes
Jodie Lewis

daveyravey Jan 10, 2006 21:02:18

Replying to moss

I didn't realize they ate soybean curd in them days!:-)