A summary of the faunal remains from a bone assemblage found at Screech Hole, Ham Woods, near Croscombe, Somerset (UBSS Proceedings v.28(2))

Abstract: An assemblage containing human and faunal remains was recovered from the base of a scree slope in Ham Woods, Croscombe in 2016 by the activities of local cave diggers trying to locate sites of speleological, rather than archaeological, potential. However, the bone assemblage was not recovered by systematic or controlled excavation methods; therefore, no contextual or stratigraphical information is available regarding these remains. The human bone assemblage recovered from the site has been analysed and a report published. The human remains are suggested to represent three articulated inhumation burials – an infant, a seven/eight-year old child and a mature adult. The fact that three individuals have been recovered suggests that this site might contain multiple human burials. A suitable bone sample was submitted for radiocarbon dating and the result gives an Early Iron Age date for the human remains (Simmonds and Brayne, 2019). A summary of the faunal remains from the bone assemblage collected from Screech Hole in Ham Woods is presented here. The faunal assemblage contains both wild and domesticated species. Generally, the bone has fair to good preservation, although there is some damage, including that caused by post-depositional and extractive processes. The faunal assemblage, in conjunction with the human remains, gives an indication of the potential resource that might be contained within the scree slope and/or possible cave site.