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THE CURSUS

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Description

DESCRIPTION

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Neolithic cursus, comprising a long, narrow earthwork enclosure circa 2.7 kilometres long, and varying in width from 100 to 150 metres. The cursus is orientated roughly east-west, passing within circa 700 metres of Stonehenge (SU 14 SW 4), which is located to the south. Both ends of the cursus are square in plan with rounded corners. Two round barrows lie within the cursus interior at its western end. Much of the cursus bank and ditch survives as earthworks, the bank to a maximum height of 0.4 metres, and 6.5 metres width. Small scale excavations occurred in 1947, 1959 and 1983, plus some reconstruction work in 1987. Dating evidence for the main phase of use is limited, but construction has been assigned to a period contemporary with phase 1 at Stonehenge (circa 2950-2900BC), and the main use of the monument is believed to have come to an end during phase 2 (circa 2900-2400BC).

DETAIL

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(SU 10944291 - SU 13734317) The Cursus (AT). (1)

An earthen enclosure with outer ditch, 3030 yards long and
between 110 and 145 yards wide, placed roughly E-W. An
excavation in 1947 showed features resembling those of the bank
and ditch of Stonehenge Phase I, with which it is probably
contemporary. (2)

The cursus is correctly shown on OS 25". The outer scarp of the
bank is the only readily identifiable feature, varying in
height from 0.1 to 0.6 metres though in places very vague
unsurveyable indications of the inner scarp can be seen. (3)

The Stonehenge Cursus extends from SU 10954290 to SU 13704320, a distance of c. 3km, and varies in width from 100m to 150m. Both ends are square in plan with rounded corners. Much of the enclosing bank and ditch survives and is well preserved for a distance of 1100m east of Fargo Plantantion. The bank survives to a maximum height of 0.4m, width 6.5m; the ditch is of compariable dimensions. Excavations on the Cursus have been carried out in 1947 (4) and 1959 (5). The 1947 excavations were located on the south side, 70m east of Fargo Plantantion. The ditch was found to be flat-bottomed, with steep-sides, 1.8m wide and up to 0.75m deep. A berm separated it from the bank which was 4.6m wide and 0.4m high. The 1959 excavations were carried out west of Fargo Plantation, the ditch on the north and south sides had a very similar profile and dimensions to that of the earlier excavations. The ditch at the western end, however was found to be much larger, having a maximum width of 2.75m wide, 2m deep with a wider berm separating it from the internal bank, in addition to an external banks.

One internal feature, a bank and ditch, 6.5m wide, is visible within Fargo Plantation. It has been suggested by the authors that this is probably contemporary with one of the phases of use of the cursus. Two round barrows are also within the interior at the western end; Amesbury 56 (SU 14 SW 31) and Winterbourne Stoke 30 (SU 14 SW 317) Gaps within the eastern end have been recorded by Stukeley and Colt Hoare. These appear to be doubtful as early APs (NMR SU 1343/1-2) show the bank to be continuous. (6)

A large flint assemblage was recovered from the 1959 excavations, this includes flakes, cores and a scraper some of which represents flint working debris and is probably Late Neolithic or later in date. The assemblage does not provide any unequival dating evidence for the cursus. (7)

Two sample excavations were carried out though the southern ditch and bank area, at SU 11204288, Fargo Wood (W56 A) and SU 12384299, the Larkhill track (W56 B). The ditch was found to be flat-bottomed, c. 2m wide, 0.8m deep. In contrast to the relationship recorded by Stone (4) the bank and ditch did not appear to be separated by a berm and may be an indication of an irregular construction method for the flanking earthworks. The sporadically segmental appearance of the ditch may be an indication of its original form, a causeway was recorded within the length of ditch investigated by Stone (4). These terminals were of markedly different shape, suggesting an irregular, possibly gang-dug ditch. Bronze Age pottery and a copper alloy ring were recovered from the upper ditch fills at W56 A, worked flint from W56 B.

Very few stratified finds have been recovered from all the excavations which have taken place on the cursus. An antler found on the base of the ditch during Stone's excavations (4) has produced a Radio-carbon date of 2878-2502 BC (OxA 1403). This is considerably later than was estimated and cannot be used for the construction of the cursus. It may date the `recess' in the ditch edge within which the antler lay as an intrusive feature. Richards has suggested that the construction of the Cursus should date to the same phase as that of the Lesser Cursus (SU 14 SW 41), which is dated to the first half of the fourth millennium BC. (8)

The Cursus is visible as a slight earthwork and a cropmark on aerial photographs, and has been mapped by both RCHME's Salisbury Plain Training Area NMP and EH's Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project. (12-15)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1961

( 2) edited by R B Pugh and Elizabeth Crittall 1957 A history of Wiltshire: volume 1, part 1

The Victoria history of the counties of England LV Grinsell: Archaeological Gazetteer Page(s)28

( 3) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ANK 10-OCT-69

(4) Royal Archaeological Institute The Archaeological Journal

Stone, JFS, The Stonehenge Cursus and its affinities. 105, 1947 Page(s)7-19

(5) The Wiltshire archaeological and natural history magazine

Christie, PM, The Stonehenge Cursus 58, 1963 Page(s)370-82

(6) Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, England 1979 Stonehenge and its environs: monuments and land use

Page(s)13-15

(7) The Wiltshire archaeological and natural history magazine

Saville, A, Five flint assemblages from excavated sites in Wiltshire. 72/3, 1980 Page(s)1-28

(8) by Julian Richards 1990 The Stonehenge Environs Project

English Heritage archaeological reportsNo.1 (1985) - no.24 (1994) 16 Page(s)93-6

(9) by Frances Blore, et al. 1995 Archaeological assessment of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site and its surrounding landscape

Record number 385, 548, 549 Page(s)129

(10) Rosamund M J Cleal, K E Walker and R Montague ... [et al] 1995 Stonehenge in its landscape : twentieth-century excavations

English Heritage archaeological reports [new series]1 (1994) - 10

(11) The Wiltshire archaeological and natural history magazine

82, 1988 Page(s)182

(12) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR SU 1142/4 (CCC 11752/OS1734)

(13) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

NMR SU 1143/18 (CCC 5203/05666) 09-FEB-1934

(14) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

USAAF US/7PH/GP/LOC122 1060-65 24-DEC-1943

(15) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

NMR SU1142/73-4 (18559/22-3) 09-JAN-2000

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