People gathered for great meat feasts at end of British bronze age, study shows

"It turns out that at the end of the bronze age also a time of climatic and economic crisis the same sort of impulse gripped people. Experts have been examining animal bones excavated at middens (large prehistoric rubbish tips) in Wiltshire and the Thames Valley and found evidence suggesting that more than 2,000 years ago, people travelled from far and wide to congregate for great meat feasts."

"They have discovered evidence that bronze age people were habitually driving large numbers of pigs and cattle hundreds of miles to the same sites for decades. Collected feasting debris of pottery and bone. Photograph: Cardiff University/Richard Madgwick. Richard Madgwick, who is based at Cardiff University's school of history, archaeology and religion, said the findings pointed to an age of feasting. At a time of climatic and economic instability, people in southern Britain turned to feasting, he said."

"I'm pretty sure these gatherings would have had a really important role to play in creating some degree of community cohesion at a time of trouble. Just as modern festivals have different vibes and appeal to varied audiences, the discoveries at the middens suggest the feasting spots had individual characteristics. The largest that was examined, at Potterne, near Devizes in Wiltshire, is packed with feasting remains, including up to 15m bone fragments."

At the end of the Bronze Age, climatic and economic instability coincided with widespread communal feasting in southern Britain. Animal bones from middens in Wiltshire and the Thames Valley indicate people traveled from across Britain to gather for large meat feasts more than 2,000 years ago. Large numbers of pigs and cattle were driven hundreds of miles to particular sites repeatedly over decades, concentrating pottery and bone debris. Distinct middens show varied local character: Potterne near Devizes contains up to 15 million bone fragments and favored pork brought from Wales, Cornwall, Devon and northern regions. These gatherings likely reinforced social bonds and intercommunity relationships during times of trouble.

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