Authors
Milner, NickyBamforth, Michael
Beale, Gareth
Carty, Julian C.
Chatzipanagis, Konstantinos
Croft, Shannon
Elliott, Ben
Fitton, Laura C.
Knight, Becky
Kröger, Roland
Little, Aimee
Needham, Andy
Robson, Harry K.
Rowley, Charlotte C. A.
Taylor, Barry
Conneller, Chantal
Affiliation
University of York; University of Manchester; University of ChesterPublication Date
2016-02-26
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Show full item recordAbstract
In 2015 an engraved shale pendant was found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. Engraved motifs on Mesolithic pendants are extremely rare, with the exception of amber pendants from southern Scandinavia. The artwork on the pendant is the earliest known Mesolithic art in Britain; the 'barbed line' motif is comparable to styles on the Continent, particularly in Denmark. When it was first uncovered the lines were barely visible but using a range of digital imaging techniques it has been possible to examine them in detail and determine the style of engraving as well as the order in which the lines might have been made. In addition, microwear and residue analyses were applied to examine whether the pendant showed signs that it had been strung or worn, and whether the lines had been made more visible through the application of pigments, as has been suggested for some Danish amber pendants. This approach of using multiple scientific and analytical techniques has not been used previously and provides a methodology for the examination of similar artefacts in the future.Citation
Milner, N., Bamforth, M., Beale, G., Carty, J. C., Chatzipanagis, K., Croft, S., Elliott, B., Fitton, L. C., Knight, B., Kroger, R., Little, A., Needham, A., Robson, H. K., Rowley, C. A, Taylor, B. (2016). A unique engraved shale pendant from the site of Star Carr: the oldest Mesolithic art in Britain. Internet Archaeology, 40(8).Publisher
Internet ArchaeologyJournal
Internet ArchaeologyDOI
10.11141/ia.40.8Additional Links
http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue40/8/index.htmlType
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1363-5387ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.11141/ia.40.8
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