Comments for Archaeology at Heathrow T5

Comment on 1934 - 2002 The Perry Oaks Sludge Works by admin

admin — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:24:19 +0000

Thise images shows the T5 construction project in relation to the Treatment Works.

http://www.framearch.co.uk/t5/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/nov-05.jpg

Comment on 2400-1700 BC Bronze Age Enclosure by admin

admin — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:03:56 +0000

Some of the artifacts found in waterholes can be seen in the T5 Photo Gallery.

Comment on 410-1066 AD A New Beginning by admin

admin — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:51:57 +0000

There is some discussion on the nature of this building. Saxon Grubenhausen are thought to have taken several forms. Some believe the internal pits were simply a form of moisture protection for a suspended floor. Others that the pit was also occupied in some way. Most reconstructions show houses faced with close boarding but here daub pits found on the site are interpreted as supplying the materials for the walls.
altdesc=”An alternative Saxon house” captiontext=”" />

This image shows an alternative interpretation with low vertical walls.

Comment on Mesolithic Pits by 8,500-4,000 BC Deep Forest and a River at Archaeology at Heathrow Terminal 5

8,500-4,000 BC Deep Forest and a River at Archaeology at Heathrow Terminal 5 — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:38:49 +0000

[...] Mesolithic location Between the end of the last Ice Age at 9,000 BC and the introduction of agriculture at c.4000 BC, the inhabitants of the Heathrow landscape lived a mobile life, existing by hunting animals and gathering wild plants and other edible resources. The landscape for much of this period would have been heavily wooded, and it is likely that people lived in small family groups. From time to time during the year, these family groups would have met together to exchange news, form marriages and commemorate deaths. Establishing which family groups could have access to the wild resources of the different parts of the woods and Colne floodplain would have been an important aspect of these meetings. We believe a cluster of shallow pits containing burnt flint dating to c. 6,500 BC mark the location of one of these meeting places. The pits are located adjacent to a silted-up stream channel, which would still have been boggy and prevented trees growing, thus forming a small clearing in the forest canopy. We do not know exactly what activities led to the digging of the pits, but the burnt flint suggests they may have been used for boiling meat as part of communal feasting. The waste bone and burnt flint from repeated visits would have accumulated to form a low rubbish mound or midden over the years, and this would have helped to give the location an important historical meaning for the family groups who met there. When we come to consider the construction of the C1 Stanwell cursus in the fourth millennium BC, we will show how it came to incorporate the location of the Mesolithic burnt flint pits, and how the residual meaning attached to that location was transformed into something new. [...]

Comment on 3,000-1,700 BC Developing Ways to Share the Landscape by Karen Nichols

Karen Nichols — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:19:19 +0000

I am the Senior Graphics Officer working on the T5 website. The first image I produced of this event shows it as a family affair. I saw the act of depositing pottery as a ritual which could of been passed down from generation to generation. I believe such an event could have been a private family, an act between those living on a piece of land and their gods. Others have raised the idea of a more formal shared community experience. I have rendered out this image (click to see a larger version) of the same scene with a community looking on. I feel just adding the crowd has changed the whole feel of the event. We don't know which interpretation is nearer the truth. Let us know your views.

An alternative version of the ritual showing a crowd of onlookers. Close

Comment on 3,000-1,700 BC Developing Ways to Share the Landscape by Chrs Brayne

Chrs Brayne — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:44:37 +0000

I am part of the team developing the T5 website. This image was a surprise to me when it emerged from the rendering process but it certainly made me think.
When we were writing the specification for the image I envisaged a much more “formal” ritual. I was not alone. Other people felt that such a ritual would almost certainly be performed in front of neighbours.
The current image shows a very informal interpretation of the act. It shows rituals as embedded within everyday life. Perhaps as only really important to the old and the very young. Perhaps this is a reflection of the way we experience rituals in modern life.
There is also discussion over the fact that our vessel is whole at the moment of deposition. Only shards were found during excavation.
We are now rendering an alternative image. It will be interesting to see how the meanings are altered.