Enclosure (archaeology)
Encyclopedia
In archaeology
, an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site
. It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks
, walls or fencing. Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods. They may be few metres across or be large enough to encompass whole cities.
Enclosures served numerous practical purposes including acting to delineate settlement areas, to create defensive positions or to be used as animal pens. They were also widely adopted in ritual
and burial practices however and seem to demonstrate a fundamental human desire to make physical boundaries around spaces. Enclosures created from ditches and banks or walling can often be identified in the field through aerial photography
or ground survey. Other types leave less permanent records and may only be identified during excavation.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
. It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
, walls or fencing. Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods. They may be few metres across or be large enough to encompass whole cities.
Enclosures served numerous practical purposes including acting to delineate settlement areas, to create defensive positions or to be used as animal pens. They were also widely adopted in ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
and burial practices however and seem to demonstrate a fundamental human desire to make physical boundaries around spaces. Enclosures created from ditches and banks or walling can often be identified in the field through aerial photography
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
or ground survey. Other types leave less permanent records and may only be identified during excavation.
Types of enclosure
- Banjo enclosureBanjo enclosureIn archaeology, Banjo enclosure is the name given to a type of archaeological feature of the British middle Iron Age. They are so named because in plan they consist of a small round area with a long entrance track leading inwards from one direction. This gives them the appearance in plan of frying...
s - Causewayed enclosureCausewayed enclosureA causewayed enclosure is a type of large prehistoric earthwork common to the early Neolithic in Europe. More than 100 examples are recorded in France and 70 in England, while further sites are known in Scandinavia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Slovakia.The term "causewayed enclosure" is...
s - Enclosed cremation cemeteriesEnclosed cremation cemeteryEnclosed cremation cemetery is a term used by archaeologists to describe a type of cemetery found in north western Europe during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. They are similar to urnfield burial grounds in that they consist of a concentration of pits containing cremains which have...
- Enclosed oppidaEnclosed oppidumAn enclosed oppidum was a type of large, late Iron Age settlement, or oppidum surrounded by an encircling bank and ditch.They differ from hillforts through being not necessarily sited on high ground and through being permanent settlements with a strong economic function.As well as re-occupying...
- HengeHengeThere are three related types of Neolithic earthwork which are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three types is that they feature a ring bank and ditch but with the ditch inside the bank rather than outside...
s - Henge enclosures
- KraalKraalKraal is an Afrikaans and Dutch word for an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within an African settlement or village surrounded by a palisade, mud wall, or other fencing, roughly circular in form.In the Dutch language a kraal is a term derived from the Portuguese word , cognate...
s - Ring ditchRing ditchIn archaeology, the term ring ditch refers to a regularly shaped circular or pennanular ditch cut. The term is most often used as a generic description in cases where there is no clear evidence for the function of the site: for instance where it has been ploughed flat and is known only as a...
es - Rondel enclosureRondel enclosureA rondel or roundel enclosure is a type of circular prehistoric earthworks enclosure found in Europe. Since being discovered in the 19th century, three types have been distinguished. One type consists of two semicircular ditches forming a circle and separated by causeways at opposing entrances...
s - Stone circleStone circleA stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
s - Timber circleTimber circleIn archaeology, timber circles are circular arrangements of wooden posts interpreted as being either complexes of freestanding totem poles or as the supports for large circular buildings-British Isles:...
s - Tor enclosureTor enclosureA tor enclosure is a prehistoric monument found in the southwestern part of the Great Britain. They are large hilltop or hillslope enclosures situated close to natural rock outcrops. They are surrounded by one or more circuits of stone-built walls...
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