 |
Pagan
Institute |
|
Pagan
Institute |
Tests
reveal Amesbury Archer 'King of Stonehenge' was a settler from the
Alps
Wessex Archaeology Press Release
February 3, 2003
The latest tests on the Amesbury Archer, whose grave astonished archaeologists last year with the richness of its contents, show he was originally from the Alps region, probably Switzerland, Austria or Germany. The tests also show that the gold hair tresses found in the grave are the earliest gold objects found in BR.in.
The grave of the Archer, who lived around 2,300 b.c.e., contained about 100 items, more than ten times as many objects as any other burial site from this time. When details were released, the media dubbed the Archer "The King of Stonehenge".
The grave was found three miles from Stonehenge, near Amesbury in Wiltshire, last May during an excavation by Wessex Archaeology, based nearby at Salisbury, in advance of the building of a new housing scheme and school.
The Archer was obviously an important man, and because he lived at the same time that the stones at Stonehenge were first being built, archaeologists believe he may have been involved in its creation.
Tests were carried out on the Archer's teeth and bones and
on the objects found in the grave, which included two gold hair
tresses, three copper knives, flint arrowheads, wristguards and
pottery. They show that he came from the Alps region, and that
the copper knives came from Spain and France. This is evidence
of the wide trade network that existed in the early Bronze Age.
The gold dated to as early as 2,470 b.c.e., the earliest
gold objects found in BR.in.
Stonehenge was begun in the late Stone Age, around 3,000 b.c.e.,
as a ditch and a bank enclosing an open space. In about 2,300
b.c.e. - approximately the time the Archer died -the
world-famous stones were erected, the large 20-ton Sarsen stones
from the Marlborough Downs nearby and the smaller four-ton
Bluestones from Preseli in west Wales. How the Bluestones were
transported 240 miles (380 kilometres) is not yet known.
The importance of the Archer and his grave are detailed in a
programme 'King of Stonehenge: A Meet the Ancestors Special' on
BBC2 on Wednesday February 19 at 9pm.
Dr Andrew Fitzpatrick, of Wessex Archaeology, said:
"This was a time of great change in BR.in - the skills of
metalworking were being brought here from abroad and great
monuments such as Stonehenge were being built.
"We have long suspected that it was people from the continent
of Europe who initiated the trade that first brought
metalworking to BR.in, and the Archer is the first discovery
to confirm this.
"He would have been a very important person in the Stonehenge area and it is fascinating to think that someone from abroad - probably modern day Switzerland - could well have played an important part in the construction of BR.in's most famous archaeological site."
The Archer was an example of the
spread of the Beaker culture from the continent, marked by a new
style of pottery, the use of barbed flat arrow heads, copper
knives and small gold ornaments. Tests on the bones carried out by
Wessex Archaeology's own staff showed that the Archer was a
man aged between 35 and 45. He was strongly built, but he had an
abscess on his jaw and had suffered an accident a few years
before his death that had ripped his left knee cap off. As a
result of this he walked with a straight left which swung out to
the side of him, and suffered from an infection in his bones
which would have caused him constant pain. Other tests on the enamel found on
the Archer's teeth could not reveal how long he had lived in
BR.in, only that he must have lived in the Alps region while a
child. He was most probably from what is now Switzerland,
although it is possible he could have come from areas of Germany
near Switzerland or Austria. Also found at the site was a
second skeleton of a younger man, aged 20 to 25. Two gold hair
tresses were found lodged in mud in his jaw. Bone analysis
showed he and the Archer were related and it is likely they were
father and son. Analysis of his teeth show he grew up in
southern England but may have spent his late teens in the
Midlands or north-east Scotland. Other tests were carried out by
the British Museum, the National Museums of Wales and Scotland,
the British Geological Survey, the National Trust Museum at
Avebury and the Universities of Durham, Exeter, Oxford and
Southampton. They showed that the Archer wore animal skins
fashioned into a cloak and was buried with pottery made locally,
perhaps specially for his funeral. The preceding press release was
accessed on Feb. 28, 2003 at http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/amesbury/ ©
2002 Wessex
Archaeology 
Grave Goods at Amesbury
c. 2300 b.c.e.
press/archer_feb_03_v1.html
Contact
Us | Back to Top
The
Pagan Institute
is interested in documenting our history and prehistory.
You can help by sending us URLs and other resources to: Research@paganinstitute.org
Updated Feb. 15, 2003