Thread by @martaguardamino

This comes a month late (genuine #slow #Archaeology here!) but here some insights about a 5th drum known in Britain that has been forgotten in all this press/media frenzy ..... A THREAD about the (unfinished) Lavant Drum..1/1

theguardian.com/science/2022/f…

When the amazing Burton Agnes drum was presented to the public, it was noted in the press that this was one of 4 drums known in Britain, being the other three the famous, beautiful, Folkton drums found in the 19th century also in a child's grave. 2/* cambridge.org/core/journals/…

But the fact is that there is a fifth chalk drum which was discovered in the 1990s by archaeologist James Kenny in a multi-period site in Chalkpit Lane, East Lavant (Sussex), around 280 miles from Burton Agnes and 300 miles from Folkton in North Yorkshire. 3/*

The drum was found at the base of a pit with animal bones (5 bones and a roe deer antler), knapped flints, and pottery sherds. The drum weights 634 gr, is 115mm in diametre. As you can see in the model, the drum does not seem to be 'finished' 4/* skfb.ly/OKoS

BUT the drum has fine incisions that outline some kind of enclosed area; they seem to draft decorative motifs that were never completed. There are also marks of flint tools used to shape the drum, especially the boss and the roughout of a decoration (as revealed by RTI). 5/*

As you will see in the model,there are also two concave regions on the surface of the cylinder and several peck marks. (My impression is that the drum was discarded, also because it was found in a pit) 6/*

The animal assemblage was composed of roe deer antler, red deer scapula and humerus (chopped and exposed to heat) and a cattle scapula, humerus (dated: SUERC-67311(GU40862, 4204+/-31BP, 2807-2759 cal BC (68.2%)) and a femur fragment. Perhaps two bones from goat or sheep. 7/*

The lithic assemblage was composed of a small spherical sandstone, probably used as hammerstone and rubber, a series of flint tools, including 3 scrappers and one bifacially worked tool. And 3 pottery sherds, including 1 Durrington style Grooved Ware pottery sherd. 8/*

The Lavant drum seems to be have been discarded 'unfinished'. It is a hugely valuable find, as it yields substantial information about the way these drums were created, shaped, and decorated, because it preseves many marks of shaping. 9/*

It could have been used for experimentation. It is important to bear in mind that it was found in a pit (probably a discard pit) not a funerary grave. Finally, it is almost as old as the Burton Agnes drum, dated to 3005 to 2890 BC, probably just around one century younger. 10/*

If you want to know more, we published all the information of our study in "Making a Mark: Image and Process in #Neolithic #Britain and #Ireland (pp. 72-81) (book now on sale, just saw!!): oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/making-a… @OxbowBooks end/*