A Neolithic cathedral?

Huge circular cropmarks, visible only from the air, mark the existence of some intriguing archaeological remains in a field near Peterborough, on the edge of the Fens. Archaeologists believe the two concentric circles are what they call a causewayed enclosure, dating from the Neolithic era.

Large ditches mark out the circles, which could be as much as 6,000 years old – more than 2,000 years older than the main structures at Stonehenge. In the bottom of the ditches, which have been undisturbed by later human activity, there could be all sorts of finds – human and animal bones, pottery, waste and ritual offerings. Some archaeologists believe that these circles are enclosures connected with early farming activity; others believe that they represent some kind of religious or ritual sites.

Time Team's expert on prehistoric Britain, Francis Pryor (fresh from his TV successes presenting Britain AD and Britain BC), joined the team for this programme. Together with the rest of the team and other experts, he hoped to cast fresh light on the purposes of these ancient structures.

Time Trail

The Neolithic era in Britain lasted from around 4500 to 2300 BC. It saw the introduction of a number of innovations that marked the transition from a nomadic, hunter-gather lifestyle to a settled, more complex social structure. These included monument building, the first engineering projects, the use of pottery and, most importantly, the increasing cultivation and domestication of plants and animals. Many of Britain's most famous ancient monuments, including the first phases of construction at Stonehenge and Avebury, date from this period. So too do the first elaborate burials, as well as still-unexplained structures such as the causewayed enclosure found at Northborough.

Finds on Neolithic sites are often sparse, so even small discoveries can have important implications for our understanding of the period. Many of the objects used in everyday life would have been made of wood or other organic materials, little of which has survived to the present day. This means that experimental archaeology, such as the woodworking using flint tools carried out by Time Team as part of the Northborough programme, is especially valuable in trying to reconstruct the techniques and materials that would have been used so long ago.

Details of other Time Team digs on prehistoric sites, together with information on everything from prehistoric cooking to cannibalism and human sacrifice, can be found on our Prehistoric Britain pages. When you've browsed the pages, why not try this week's Time Trial quiz to see how much you know?

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