Middens and Nettles

Living at All Cannings Cross with midden material scattered in the fields around me and having been involved in several excavations of the local middens I was fascinated by this discussion of growing nettles on them.

When I have been asked about the Pewsey Vale middens this is the best explanation that I can think of for them. I thought the enriched soil and the stone tools as well as the value of long nettle fibres supported it.

My theory has usually just been humoured but not taken seriously so imagine my surprise at this:

 

From: Ben Chan,

Settling the argument: The contribution of use-wear studies to understanding artefact scatters in Neolithic Britain,

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports,  Volume 57, 2024, 104686,

ISSN 2352-409X,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104686.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X24003146)