78 Casterley Camp Excavations. 



were of a much earlier date. A considerable part of a large 

 (PI. I., Fig. 8) "cooking pob" was found, crushed among the 

 bones of skeleton No. 2, and sherds of similar pottery were scat- 

 tered over the floor of the larger pit as well as on that of the annex. 



The filling-in of the annex was for some reason of a much less 

 clayey nature than that of the larger pit, and in it were found no 

 less than fourteen antlers of the red deer. The antlers appeared 

 to have fallen, or to have been thrown in, in a loose heap, with 

 their branches pointing in all directions, some lying fairly flat, 

 others sticking straight up. The point of the first antler was found 

 lft. below the turf, and the tangled mass extended downwards for 

 a depth of 2ft., thus leaving only about lft. between it and the 

 skeletons beneath. A few fragments of pit pottery were found 

 among the antlers, which were very much decayed, most of them 

 crumbling to pieces when touched. They varied considerably in 

 size, and several of them must have been fine specimens when 

 perfect; two pairs had part of the skulls attached, and must there- 

 fore have been taken from slaughtered deer; one of these had the 

 brow tine sawn off; the other antlers were all shed. 



The following objects were also found in this pit: — a few flint 

 flakes, a fine flint axe, found on a ledge in the wall of the large 

 pit; a loom weight and spindle whorl of chalk, found together 

 behind one of the skeletons (No. 3) ; and close up against the wall 

 at the back of the annex; fragments of coarse hand-made pottery; 

 part of an iron brooch found under the sternum of skeleton No. 

 2, and some pieces of much rusted iron, part of a ring or the bow 

 of a brooch, found under the foot of the child's skeleton. The 

 brooch was of stoutish iron wire, with spiral spring, pin and bow 

 all in one piece ; only the spring and a remnant of the bow and pin, 

 all much rusted, remained. 



The child's skeleton (No. 1) lay on the threshold of the annex, 

 on its left side, facing into the large pit, the knees drawn up, and 

 hands close up in front of the face. Skeleton No. 2 (on the right 

 hand side looking into the annex) lay with its back close up under 

 the side of the pit, on its left side, one knee more drawn up than 

 the other, the hands close up in front of the face. 



