Britain After the Ice Age: Star Carr

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

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Summary

Over 13,000 years ago, Britain emerged from the ravages of the Ice Age as a changed land. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers who had adapted to cold climates were presented with new opportunities by the retreating glaciers that could transform the way they lived. But what do we actually know about these people? What can the archeology tell us about Britain after the Ice Age?

In this episode of The Ancients Tristan Hughes is joined by archeologists Dr Nick Overton and Dr Barry Taylor to talk about the discovery of Mesolithic artefacts at Star Carr - the site of a prehistoric lake settlement in North Yorkshire - and what they can tell us about how some of Britain’s oldest inhabitants might have lived.

This episode was produced by Joseph Knight and edited by Peter Dennis

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's the entrance onants on History Hit.
0:13.2	I'm Tristan Hughes, your host.
0:15.8	And in today's episode while we're talking about the end of the Ice Age in Britain and
0:20.2	what happened next.
0:22.4	Now roughly 12 to 11,000 years ago,
0:25.0	Britain entered a period known as the Mesolithic or middle stone age.
0:29.0	It's commonly referred to as a time of hunter-gatherer communities that roamed across Britain.
0:34.8	And this period lasted for several thousand years before the introduction of farming and the
0:39.3	start of the following Neolithic in around 4,300 BC. But what do we know about Mesolithic
0:47.7	Britain and its people? Well the surviving archaeology is quite sparse but there is one site that has revealed an incredible amount.
0:56.3	It's called Star-car, dating to roughly 9,000 BC. Situated in North Yorkshire in the Vale of Pickering, Star-Kars waterlogged soils have allowed
1:06.1	organic mesolithic artifacts to survive. There's evidence of wood-caving, of antler cutlets,
1:12.3	and so much more. This was a mesolithic lake side settlement.
1:17.0	To explain all our guests today are the archaeologists Dr Nick Overton and Dr Barry Taylor
1:22.0	who have both conducted extensive research
1:25.1	not just on Star Car but also nearby mesolithic sites in the Vale of Pickering
1:29.7	such as No Name Hill. I really do hope you enjoy. He is Nick and he is Barry.
1:36.3	Nick Barry, it is wonderful to have you both on the podcast today.
1:40.3	Hello, nice to be here.
1:41.6	Yeah, lovely to be here. Now, Mesolithic Britain just opposed to Ice Age Britain, this is a really exciting topic. I'm being so happy that we've got both of you on to talk about this because Star Car this is an exciting site that gives us an amazing insight into life in Britain immediately after the Ice Age.
2:01.0	Yeah, I mean it is incredible and it's hold this really pivotal place in the study of the Mesolithic in Britain really as well.
2:07.4	It's the first site that was discovered where not only did you have stone tools but you had really large assemblages of animal bone, of objects made of bone and antler, and a material that also preserves evidence for the environment.
	...

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