Publications
A Mesolithic Site at Rock Common, Washington, West Sussex, by Phil Harding, published 2000 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 138, article, pp.29-48) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14509] & The Keep [LIB/500298] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:A concentration of Middle-Late Mesolithic flint work was recorded by excavation at Rock Common, Washington, West Sussex (NGR 513114). The excavation (>130 square metres) occupied an area of the site known as 'The Rough' and was defined by test-pitting within an area of 1750 square metres, above the 70 metres OD contour. The Mesolithic assemblage comprised over 50,000 pieces of worked flint, including Horsham microliths and microburins. There were some residual finds of Late Glacial artefacts. The material appears to have been largely in situ, although localized vertical and horizontal movement of artefacts through the sandy subsoil has led to a blurring of spatial patterning. The distribution is interpreted as suggesting that re-tooling and repairing of hunting equipment was undertaken around a series of hearths, represented by burnt flint. Some Neolithic flintwork was also recovered.
Colluvial deposits located at the base of the slope ('hill wash') on the edge of The Rough were also sampled and found to contain derived Mesolithic material. A 'hollow way' bisecting The Rough was also sampled and contoured and seen to include a palaeosol thought to contain Late Glacial artefacts.
Colluvial deposits located at the base of the slope ('hill wash') on the edge of The Rough were also sampled and found to contain derived Mesolithic material. A 'hollow way' bisecting The Rough was also sampled and contoured and seen to include a palaeosol thought to contain Late Glacial artefacts.