- Chapter Twenty-Six -
BRITISH CELTIC TRADITIONS
Central Southern England - the Pit Tradition
Within central southern England one tradition is now well studied - the 'Pit
Tradition' (Wait 1985: 83-121; Whimster 1981: 4-36; Hill forthcoming). This
tradition may be briefly described as the deposition of either whole or partial bodies
in the nearly ubiquitous grain-storage pits found on sites on chalk hills and river
terrace gravels. Up to six categories of burials may be distinguished depending on the
number and treatment of individuals buried. It is, however, very difficult to assess
what population these burials represent. Since these are the only type of burial
known from this area for the whole of the Iron Age, it is tempting to conclude that
they are in some way 'normal', but this simply is not convincing. On sites where it
is possible to devise at least an order-of-magnitude estimate for the site's population
through time, and then compare the number of expected burials with those found in
the Pit Tradition, it is clear that the known burials represent a very small minority of
the population, perhaps no more than 5 per cent. Furthermore, on most of the sites
and for most of the period, few infants and children are represented although they
should be numerically dominant. However, by the last century Be infants do become
more common. Males and females are usually equally well represented.
The categories into which the range of burials may be divided also change in
popularity through time. During the Early Iron Age most human remains occur as
single bones, whereas by the end of the Iron Age, single complete inhumations
predominate. Most are placed on the left side in a crouched or tightly flexed posi-
tion, oriented with head between north and south-east. The partial bodies are always
a rare occurrence, and are much more likely to occur on hill-forts than on other
forms of settlement, and more likely to include juveniles and adolescents than the
other categories.
These trends may be illustrated by examples at two recently well-excavated sites:
the Hampshire hill-fort of Danebury, and the open village at Stanton Harcourt
Gravelly Guyin Oxfordshire (Figures 26.1 and 26.2). At Danebury at least seventy
individuals (from the 23 per cent of the site excavated) were represented by burials
either complete or in a variety of partial states (Walker in Cunliffe 1984: 442-63).
Most of the burials were found in the large pits usually interpreted as for grain
storage but later reused for refuse disposal. This interpretation about refuse disposal
has been challenged by J.D. Hill (forthcoming), whose detailed analyses of the
pit contents suggest that the contents of many, if not most, pits were not normal
rubbish, but rather follow discernible rules and may be better interpreted as ritual
disposal.
The complete inhumations at Danebury number 25 individuals, comprising I I
adult males, 5 adult females, 2 children over 10 years, 2 children aged 5 to 10 years,
and 5 infants. Fourteen of these were solitary burials, there was one double burial,
two triples and two 'charnel pits' with larger mixed groups of corpses. All but one
of the burials were crouched or flexed, and only one was extended. The tightly flexed
bodies may have been bound prior to burial. The orientations vary widely, but a
distinct preference for heads to the north is apparent. In addition there is a variety