| Summary : A Late Neolithic timber structure, one of a number of sites investigated as part of the Raunds area project. A sequence of palaeochannels representing a former channel of the River Nene runs northwest-southeast just to the north of the West Cotton monument complex. A cutting in 1989 uncovered deposits of brushwood and alder trunks at the southern edge of the earliest of the palaeochannels, and these have been interpreted as a platform. Radiocarbon dates obtained so far fall within the range 2916-2464 Cal BC. The platform extended several metres into the channel, and appears to have been consolidated with dumps of gravel, clay and further brushwood. No artefacts were present, but axe marks were present on the timbers. A substantial assemblage of animal bones has been recovered from the site, and the platform has been tentatively interpreted as a revetted timber "island" utilised for the the dumping of feasting debris. |