INVESTIGATION OF THE WHITESHEET DOWN ENVIRONS 1989-90 189 
Such variety of fabric groups is not unusual. A 
similar range was recognised in the Danebury 
(Cunliffe 1984, 308) and Old Down Farm (Davies 
1981, 88-93) assemblages, Hampshire, as well as in 
the Early Iron Age pottery from All Cannings Cross 
(Cunnington 1923, 29-31), the Late Bronze-Early 
Iron Age sequence recovered from Potterne (Morris 
1991; 2001) and the Late Bronze Age pottery from 
Norton Bavant Borrow Pit, Warminster (Mepham 
and Morris 1992), Wiltshire, which lie in similar 
geological zones to Whitesheet Hill. The two sherds 
of fabric Q7, for example, are extremely similar to 
material from Potterne and Norton Bavant. 
This small collection includes seven different 
diagnostic vessel forms. Six jar types (R21-5) are 
represented including a large, slightly shouldered 
jar in fabric C4 (R21; Figure 17, 1), a barrel-shaped 
or ovoid form (fabric $3) with a bevel-edged rim 
(R22; Figure 17, 2) and a small ‘proto-saucepan pot’ 
in fabric $4 (R26; Figure 17, 4). One rim (R24) in 
fabric Q5 has finger-tip impressions on the exterior 
rim edge but the remainder are undecorated. The 
forms are all of Early to Middle Iron Age date with 
close parallels at sites such as All Cannings Cross 
(Cunnington 1923), Boscombe Down West 
(Richardson 1951) and Swallowcliffe Down (Clay 
1925). 
A slack-profile, necked bowl with curled over 
and rounded rim in fabric C4 (R30; Figure 17, 3) is 
irregularly fired and pitted on the interior surface 
below the rim. The type is well-known at, for 
instance, Danebury (Cunliffe 1984, type BC1.1, cp. 
4-7, fig. 6.61), Little Somborne (Neal 1980, fig. 
13,4), Little Woodbury (Brailsford 1948, fig. 4,1pp; 
fig. 5,10u) and Swallowcliffe Down (Clay 1925, pl. 
5,4) in Middle Iron Age contexts of the 5th-lst 
centuries BC. 
In addition, there is an undiagnostic rim (R99), 
an undecorated, sharply angled or carinated 
shoulder from a bowl in fabric Q6 (A20; Figure 17, 6; 
cf. Danebury (Cunliffe 1984, type BA2, cp.3-4, fig. 
6.55) and two decorated sherds: one with incised 
lines (Figure 17, 11) in fabric Q6 and one fragment of 
a furrowed bowl in Q4. Fragments of two flat bases, 
one with a flaring edge (Figure 17, 8 and 10) were 
_also identified in fabrics C4 and Gl respectively. 
A few sherds (c. 15%) displayed evidence of 
surface treatment: an applied red slip to the exterior 
surface of the sharply angled bowl sherd (Figure 17, 
6), on both surfaces of the furrowed bowl sherd and 
possibly on another sandy fabric example, and ten 
examples of burnishing on the bowls (Figure 17, 3 
and 6) and on several sherds from unoxidised, 
straight-walled vessels. The latter indicates that 
these particular sherds belong to the Middle Iron 
Age tradition of surface treatment, while the red- 
slip technique is usually an Early Iron Age 
tradition (Cunliffe 1984, 248). 
Pitting, which occurs when an acidic liquid is in 
contact with a calcareous fabric, was observed on 
the interior of nine calcareous fabric sherds, 
including one jar and one burnished bowl (Figure 
17, 1 and 3), as well as a large vessel of indeter- 
minate form and three other burnished sherds. 
Single examples of carbonised food and sooting 
were noted on unburnished sherds in fabric SS. 
Illustrated sherds (Figure 17) 
1: (C4, slack-shouldered jar R21, buried soil layer. 
2: §3, ovoid jar with bevel edged rim R22, buried soil 
layer. 
3 C4, slack-profile necked bow! R30, buried soil layer. 
4 $4, proto-saucepan pot jar R26, buried soil layer. 
5:  Q5, vertical rim jar R24, buried soil layer. 
6: Q6, carinated bowl A20, buried soil layer. 
7: C4, small slack-profiled jar R23, pit 1211. 
8 C4, splayed base B1, pit 1211. 
9: Q4, everted rim R25, pit 1211. 
10: G1, base B2, pit 1211. 
11: Q6, decorated sherd D1, clearance 1271. 
Discussion 
The variety of jar and bowl forms identified 
amongst this small collection of handmade pottery 
is typical of the Early Iron Age tradition and the 
beginning of the Middle Iron Age ceramic phases. 
The finger-tip decorated rim, the furrowed bowl 
sherd and the carinated bowl sherd, both of which 
are red-slipped, and possibly the incised sherd, are 
all typical of the decorated Early Iron Age period 
(Cunliffe 1978, 1984). 
Red-slip surface treatment, formerly known as 
‘haematite-coating’ (Middleton 1987), disappeared 
in Wiltshire and Hampshire by the end of the 5th 
century BC (Cunliffe 1978). Slightly shouldered, 
ovoid and slack-shouldered jars were common in 
the 5th century BC and later (Cunliffe 1984, 248), as 
at Boscombe Down West, Danebury and Little 
Woodbury. A pit at All Cannings Cross contained a 
slightly shouldered jar and an _ ovoid jar 
(Cunnington 1923, pl. 29,9 and pl. 46,1). The proto- 
saucepan pot form is best dated to the 4th century 
BC and later (Cunliffe 1984, 248, figs 6.18-19). The 
undecorated bowl was current in the Sth to 4th 
centuries BC. 
