During excavations of the Neolithic enclosure at Combe Hill by Dr Veronica Seton-Williams in 1962, three polished stone axes were uncovered at the end of the ditch nearest the mound you can see. These axes had been deliberately deposited in the ditch and were probably polished to make them stronger. It’s also possible that they were polished to make them ‘special’ and a treasured object or gift.
Earlier excavations of the enclosure by Mr Reginald Musson in 1949 uncovered a dump of 912 sherds of Neolithic pottery, ox and pig bones, a leaf shaped flint arrowhead and two sandstone rubbing stones. In the same area, a possible hearth was revealed containing charcoal from ash, hazel and hawthorn. The charcoal was dated to 3400BC and could suggest that the hearth and these finds were deposited around the time of scrub regeneration in the area. Evidence from environmental samples including an analysis of land snails suggests that the enclosure might have been constructed in shaded conditions or in an area of recently cleared woodland.
Excavation at Butts Brow. Photo credit Lee Roberts
