GC25J2B Prehistoric Farming in Belhus Country Park (Traditional Cache) in Eastern England, United Kingdom created by SXParx, adopted by Unobtainium

This cache has been archived.

Unobtainium: We've moved out of the area so time to go.
Unobtainium

GC25J2B ▼

A cache by SXParx, adopted by Unobtainium Message this owner

Hidden : 3/25/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Related Web Page

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

This cache is set as part of the Essex Country Parks/Trailnet - Heritage Lottery Funded Geocaching project.

Prehistoric Farming or Stumped

Gravel extraction during 1982 not only created the parks lake system but also the opportunity for archaeologists to investigate the site's history. An area between Whitehall Wood and Brick kiln Wood was excavated by Passmore Edwards Museum. Traces of a prehistoric settlement and Fields were uncovered dating back to approximately 800 / 600 BC, the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age.

The site can be separated into different areas of activity with the furthest from the living area, close to Brick kiln Wood, containing a number of pits full of burnt flint and charcoal. Flint tools remained in use throughout the bronze and iron ages because of the high cost of the new materials, and closer to the settlement, but still within the fields, there appears to have been a flint knapping (or tool making) area. Here the flint knapper probably worked in a shallow depression, protected from the elements by some sort of wooden structure.

Much of the site was divided by a ditch system. The large ditches on the site probably mark the main boundaries, with smaller structures indicating individual plots or small fields. This is the only example of late Bronze Age and early Iron Age field system found so far in this area. On the edge of Whitehall Wood some small, deep, circular pits were found which were likely to have been postholes for a rectangular building. This now wooded area probably marks the edge of the main living area.

Pieces of pottery found at Whitehall Wood were similar in design to Bronze Age pieces found at Mucking and Rainham. So it is possible that the people who lived on this site were in contact with those living in other settlements in this part of Essex. There are likely to have been a number of Bronze and Iron Age farms and villages in this area.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Fghzcrq

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)