CAVE BURIAL

Gazetteer of Caves, Fissures and Rock Shelters in Britain Containing Human Remains

Aveline's Hole


Excavation

1797; D. Williams, 1828; W.T. & A.T. Aveline, 1843; W.B. Dawkins, 1860, 1864; BSRS, 1912-1914; J.A. Davies, 1919-1930.

Curation

UBSS Museum; Natural History Museum, London.

Burials

MNI: 21+ (16 adults, 5 juveniles)

Finds

Flint, bone and tooth artefacts; worked fossils; animal bones.

Dates

PeriodReliability
Neolithic14C date obtained directly on human remains
Mesolithic14C date obtained directly on human remains

14C

9114 bp (BM-471); 9100 bp (OxA-800); 8860 bp (OxA-801); 8740 bp (OxA-1070) on human bone 9090 bp (Q-1458) on mixed bone sample; 8100 bp (GrN-5393) on stalagmite inside human skull; 9210 bp to 8890 bp (18 samples) (GrA-22421-GrA22605) on human bone; 9340 bp to 9125 bp (7 samples) (OxA-34338-34971) on human bone; 4958 bp to 4643 bp (6 samples) on human bone.

Additional Notes

The majority of the dated human remains from this site are Early Mesolithic in date. However, a number of crania are of Early Neolithic age.

Burrington

North Somerset

South West

NGR: ST 4761 5867

Click to highlight on map


External References

Mendip Cave Registry and Archive3
National Monuments RecordST 45 NE 2
Sites and Monument RecordS 0268
Scheduled Ancient Monuments13259

Bibliography

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Article Author Graham Mullan