PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT AT LATTON LANDS 133 
amount of gnawing recorded varied from feature to 
feature, but this could just as well be accounted for 
by variation in surface preservation. 
Comparative material 
There is a paucity of published bone material from 
sites of this period. What there is suggests that a 
relatively high proportion of cattle is usual (Tinsley 
and Grigson 1981, 210-49), though Jones notes a 
high proportion of sheep at Roughground Farm, 
Lechlade (Jones 1993, 34). 
Conclusions 
Post-depositional damage and destruction of the 
bone assemblage has affected interpretation in 
terms of both animal numbers/proportions and 
taphonomy. The general picture is one of mixed 
animal husbandry able to exploit a range of 
environments from wet to dry grassland, scrub to 
woodland. There is little evidence for exploitation 
of wild resources, so it is likely that food supply was 
based on the established farming system. Cattle 
appear to have been the major source of meat, but it 
is not possible to establish details of their 
exploitation, or the proportions of the other major 
domestic species. The site could have been self- 
sufficient in animal resources, with breeding, 
management, slaughter, processing and disposal all 
based there, though this would not rule out 
exchanges and connections with other sites. 
The Human Skeletal Remains 
by Annsofie Witkin 
Introduction 
The human skeletal remains consist of an 
articulated skeleton (651) and two disarticulated 
fragments of femur shaft and cranial vault. The 
articulated skeleton lay in an oval pit (640, Figure 
11) in a crouched position orientated west-east. The 
disarticulated bones were located in the secondary 
fill (1752) of pit 1750 (Figure 10) containing 
waterlogged material. The human remains are of 
uncertain date, but may belong to the middle or late 
Bronze Age. 
Quantification 
Pit (1750) was 0.68 m deep and 0.68 m wide, and the 
layer in which the disarticulated bones lay was 
waterlogged and contained animal bones and a 
polishing stone. Another organically rich layer 
(1753) overlay that containing the human remains. 
The pit was sealed with redeposited clean natural 
gravel, making the pit invisible in plan view. 
Skeleton (651) was buried in a pit 640, resting upon 
three fills (653, 652 and 654) and overlain by a 
fourth (641). Three fragments of unidentifiable 
burnt bone from the western terminal of a middle 
Bronze Age curvilinear enclosure ditch (783, 
Figure 3) were also examined. 
Methodology 
Completeness of skeletal remains was scored using 
four categories: poor (0 - 25%), fair (26-50%), good 
(51-75%), excellent (76-100%). The inventory of each 
skeleton was recorded by shading in the present 
skeletal elements on a pictorial representation. In 
addition, the skeletal components of each individual 
were recorded in tabular form as present or absent. 
Dental inventory was recorded following the 
Zsigmondy system (Buikstra and Ubelaker 1994). 
Dental notation was recorded using universally 
accepted recording standards and terminology (after 
Brothwell 1981). Eight cranial features were used for 
sexing, chosen from Standards (Buikstra and 
Ubelaker 1994) and Workshop (1980). Each 
observable feature on the cranium was scored on a 
five point scale (probable female, female, probable 
male, male and unknown). The overall score from 
the observed features provided the basis for the 
assigned sex. Due to the fragmentary nature of the 
remains, the only methods which could be applied 
for the assessment of age were the pattern of suture 
closure (Meindl and Lovejoy 1985) and dental 
attrition (Miles 1962). The remains were examined 
for abnormalities of shape and surface texture. When 
observed, pathological conditions were fully 
described and_ recorded following accepted 
standards. 
Articulated Skeleton 651 
Preservation and completeness: the bones present 
were well preserved with no degradation of outer 
cortical surfaces of the bones. Multiple post- 
mortem breaks on the long bones and cranium 
were, however, present. The lower arms, left tibia 
and parts of the other surviving long bones were 
also badly fragmented. The cranium had ancient 
post-mortem breaks caused by soil pressure. 
The completeness of the skeleton was poor. All 
smaller bones apart from six metacarpals and five 
phalanges were completely degraded and only 
fragments from the pelves and scapulae were 
present. Of the long bones, only the shafts were 
present. None of the joint surfaces or spinal 
