7993 All Canning's Cross

Descriptions

The archaeological sites at All Cannings Cross, and its immediate neighbour, Stanton St. Bernard, located in the Vale of Pewsey in central Wiltshire, are of international importance in terms of how we understand and characterise the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age transition in Europe. All Cannings Cross, in particular, has an iconic status amongst prehistorians and is a reference point for much discussion relating to the Iron Age in the British Isles and north-western Europe. They are 'middens' - massive accumulations of domestic material (pottery, animal bone, on occasion metalwork), inter-mixed with the residues of farming activity such as stabling waste. In addition, these middens incorporate structural remains including chalk platforms, ditches and other cut features, such as pits. All Cannings Cross and Stanton St. Bernard midden sites are undesignated and it is anticipated that the production of an Assessment Report, reviewing the work undertaken on the sites by Sheffield University (with input from David McOmish, Historic England), will provide important supporting documentation as the All Cannings Cross site is considered for future protection, as well as providing a platform for new research and investigation here, or at other key locales.