Love love love Time Team. Classics and new. Miss Mick, Victor, but all the rest are still there. And new people as well! Thank you all for making sure the episodes will live on through the internet.

I enjoy Phil Harding so much ! He's represents an accomplished modern archaeologist and yet with his grasp on prehistoric lore could fit in easily with those times !

When I started watching this show on YT years ago, I was doing it because it fed my brain's yen for archaeology. Classic Studies BA! But I also discovered it worked like a tranquilizer on my insomnia. Thank God. Bless them all.

lol Maizie, of Phil: “… A tough act to follow“! omg I love Victor's sketch around 37:00! The dog pulling on the footwear strap 😁💕

Phil is the man. I like the fact that he digs in dirt professionally, looks it AND pulls it off handsomely. Who could dislike Phil ever? Although, in some episodes, I've wondered if people whom he was near were leaning away from him b/c they were trying to steer clear of his hair... Phil is half the show! Although I love the teams' bantering - their chemistry

Brigid is like a Norse warrior princess ! A formidable woman ! Yowsaaaaa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The look on Phil's face when Maisie said "well there is cider" was almost as scary as comical.

The last minutes of this programme are hypnotic.

Ahhh - I do SO enjoy these videos! Thank you, Time Team!!!!

I have always liked Time Team and the specials. I am from the USA

So, not being an archaeologist myself, I cant help but wonder if the people making these double ring enclosures didn't do it as a kind of farm enclosure for the animals they used as food. If you put an animal inside an area with interwoven ditches around them, more than likely (unless they are scared) they will not try to cross them. Sort of like a modern day cattle grate at the entrance to a field. The animal would see the ditch maybe move to a "Causeway" but there is another ditch in front of it, so it doesn't try to leave the field. If it does manage to get past the first ring, there is another set of rings to try keeping the animals penned in.

Francis utters the word "ritual" at 2:48; he got it in before the five minute mark; everyone finish your glass.

I always get a little exasperated about the whole ritual vs. domestic argument. Why can't it be both? Think about it, even today when a building is put up quite often there is a small ceremony and a deposit in a cornerstone that is then sealed up and then pretty much ignored until the building comes down again. Which sounds, to me, suspiciously similar to the "ritual deposit". A second thought that occurs to me is that the whole area was fen land (swamp), now drained, that those segmented ditches that are quite deep would help keep the center dry by draining water away from the center. Would make it difficult for anyone to sneak in at night and steal your cattle while not restricting access to your people who are intimately familiar with the layout. And ask anyone who has lived in one place for years you can navigate it with your eyes closed and half asleep if necessary while an intruder if an alarm was raised would be at a disadvantage in unfamiliar territory and possibly have their night vision ruined by torches or fires with the inhabitants having light at their back and not shining in their eyes.

Bring back Time Team.

Hilarious. I live in Peterborough (Ontario, Canada) and just north west of us is... Fenelon Falls.

I can't believe they failed to mention that Maisie Taylor (the ancient wood specialist) is Francis Pryor's wife!

I knew Phil liked finding flint tools. What I didn't know is that he's an expert flint knapper. Well done Phil!

Phil and his short, cut off jean shorts 😂 What a legend!

"you don't bring your cows into church." *stares in Ancient Egypt*

Actually in this case it makes more sense that it was ritualistic as Francis argued rather than a farm or a place to put natural resources as the other guy was trying to argue. Those ditches were hardly any good as a form of defense. Nor are they a sensible form keeping cattle penned inside, considering the cattle could either get out on all those causeways or hurt themselves in all those small ditches. Nor does his argument that people then wouldn't want cattle "pooping in a church" stand since it presumes that neolithic people thought the same way about these things as we do. Instead I would assume by the evidence of their size and layout that the ditches have no practical function, but are instead ritual in function, and the finds in them seem to bear that out. It becomes more of a question just what that ritual was. Further it would seem that feasting was part of it. By the huge amount of bones found, and the evidence that the animals were likely slaughtered on site and cooked over an open fire. Over a long period of time the soil would show a high level phosphorous from all the animals, including those who weren't slaughtered but might just have been there as draft animals taking the family back and forth.

The circle is visible as huge crop marks centered around this point: 52.662008°N 0.291830°W It's hard to be exactly certain given Stewart's vague "about 11 kilometers southwest" description but this is about there and there are numerous circular crop marks to the east and west: 52.521846, -0.552557

One thing I don't understand, if the phosphate showed up clearly enough to show evidence of the path animals used in towards the center of the ringditch, one would think it would show up over the general area even more so if they were actually kept there for any length of time as farm animals. The fact that the phosphate evidence only shows the trackway they used for herding animals towards the site, would seem to indicate that they weren't being kept there but actually may have been regularly used as part of doing rituals even if only the later feast.

Lol, the ad in the end. "Free hat!"

*in slim shady voice* two parallel ditches, round the outside, round the outside

It’s been a long time since I stopped watching. Now I have time to watch again. I missed Phil and his short shorts! Lol.

I am so glad they had the bone expert,who explained and could back up his theories with evidence in stark contrast to Francis 's unsupported ramblings about ancestors and offerings of burnt grain.

I just love the theme song. So unique.

Ty for sharing I really appreciate it

People, especially farmers, have had rites and ceremonies to bless their lands and houses, so any rituals could be small ones to bless the facility. When I first saw the crop circle I thought it was an enclosure was to hold stock inside it. Thus it would make sense the people are living close on the outside of the enclosure with a refuse ditch behind their residence, whatever it is. Most likely the stock was brought in for winter.

Good show.

I like how they used older Victor drawings. I know I saw several of those in earlier episodes in the series (years before season 12).

if you got Frances to excavate the remains of a baked bean factory he would still say "Neolithic ritual site"

4:31 it looks like the geophysical grid got rotated 90deg then it would match expected.

26:42 I just can't watch this kind of thing anymore without having David Mitchell playing in the background of my mind. "And it was here, in these skies, that the luftwaffe was defeated"

Francis, knows more than a lot of you who complain about him! Good show it makes you think, than go read study and see if you are so smart. Years of learning to get where he is😁 Phil he is great!! Every one I see on show Old It Is Now 2018..VERY SMART PEOPLE ,(Thank you for showing the show)

Phil is awesome as he is

I would love to pitch a pint with phil and answer his 64k questions!!

Throughout the series they repeat that the ditch end on either side of the entrance to an enclosure is where people deposited items ritually. But at the end of this episode, Francis claims that the auroch bone smack dab in the middle of a ditch - away from the ends - proves that it was deliberately deposited there. Can't have it both ways. But he tries anyway. I see no reason why that bone could't have been thrown over someone's shoulder into that ditch randomly. Francis is a good story-teller, and a bad scientist.

I was here in September 26 2019 at 3:09 pm

reminds me of susan coopers the dark is rising books

On the other hand, maybe their cows did poop in church!

What if it was a major sacrificial area, like a temple? You would have animals for sacrifice brought to the site and stored there before being sacrificed.

there are so many crop marks in england, visible by google earth. i wish, i could see so many in germany

I am surprised that no one suggested defense purpose. After that agriculture had been introduced, the population grew 20-50 times within a hundred years or so, and sooner or later conflicts between groups were bound to happen. Enclosures could be with defense purpose and/or to keep cattle and/or sheep under control.

Not as good an episode as one would wish, but they did a good job trying to make it as interesting as possible. I'm glad they added common-sense Ben Robinson to balance Dr. Pryor, who (as others have said) can be annoying with his fanciful interpretations. When he calms down, Francis makes a lot more sense - his little lecture from 30:56-32:24 however, was Dr. P at his best. When Tony says at 32:55 that "we know the inner ditch was earlier" there is no evidence presented for that statement - after all, there was Bronze Age beaker ware in that ditch.

Does anyone know the title of that piece of banjo music? Thanks.

i am wondering about those broken ditches... if these enclosures were situated on/near wetlands, couldn't these broken ditches have been dug to drain water into for evaporative drying of the land? this would then have the effect of creating a firmer foundation for structures and perhaps allow for some different types of "crops" such as grasses, berries, etc for feeding livestock or the people living there. i don't have any hard evidence to back this up. it's merely a bit of speculation on my part.

"On this side... dammit"

30:40 and so far, Tony hasn't said that he is "frustrated"!

Just a few points. 1. The circle is very unlikely to be an animal pen, because people who have learned to value domestic animals are not going to gather and protect them behind a barrier that is full of gaps. I also doubt it would be possible to walk into an enclosure full of animals with a short history of domestication, and start butchering some of them without the rest of the animals panicking, and either injuring or killing the people. And there is no evidence in the circle for pens to separate the animals. Also, there is no evidence of storage for food or fresh water in the circle. 2. The circle is not a trap for hunting wild animals, because the animals' bones that show signs of being butchered and eaten are domesticated. There is ONE wild auroch bone, which was "placed", not tossed, in a ditch. 3. The circle is not a fortification, because again, no one is going to depend for their defense on a barrier full of gaps. 4.The circle is not a place of residence, because there is no evidence of any kind of shelter on the site, and again, there is no sign of storage for food or fresh water. 5. This circle, and the other circles, might have been used for different groups to meet, a kind of neutral ground where conflicts could be temporarily be set aside. Maybe they were trading, or conducting marriages between groups. But there seems to be no evidence for trade goods. Maybe they drove in one auroch to take on warriors in a pre-historical bullfight? But that sounds a bit ritual. 6. The fact that the "poop evidence" is concentrated more on the paths leading in, and not in the circle, seems to indicate that animals were not kept in the circle in large numbers; but that some were driven in and butchered (sure sounds like ritual feasting to me). The proof is in the poop! 7. Whatever the circle is, there are at least two items which were "placed", not "tossed" in ditches, exactly as was predicted based on examination of other circles. One was an auroch bone, from a large and dangerous wild animal; and the other was a badly made pot full of burnt grain, which was "placed" in a ditch, not "chucked in the trash" as one commenter said below. Both of these items were identified as ritual, because of their context, because of experience from other sites, and because of education and training. None of the archaeologists who preferred to see the circle as an animal pen disputed that the items were ritual. None of the other scientists involved disputed that the items were ritual. Not even Tony, in his role as Devil's advocate, disputed that the items were ritual.

I would have loved to have bought Phil and Mick a pint. With Mick having passed I can't do it but I would have loved to hear the conversation

Phil looks like he's ready for a swim in his shorts next to the river level in his ditch.

Yeah, that's right ... if in doubt, it's ritualistic/ religious.

Thanks so much for posting

So much ritual it is a wonder they had time to survive.

"Clever old Matt". At my age I would have said "Clever young Matt"!

In Britain is there no separation of eras into pre-pottery and pottery neolithic as elsewhere ?

We see the groundwater here. Generally groundwater was higher in the past. Would all of the pits been filled with water?

Phil and Phil jr (aka Matt)

Did it rain or did they strike water?

I was here. 3/10/2020

Now maybe I missed a few details but, what about this possibility... What if they made this double-ring of ditches as an animal trap? During the dry months, they could have stampeded wild cattle into the middle of it, and since it's surrounded by muddy, mucky, gravelly ditches, some of them would have gotten bogged down and stuck, then they could just run up and spear them, shott them with arrows, etc. Then, during the wet months, the water levels rise enough for sturgeon (and maybe other fish) to swim up in there to spawn, then they could have trapped the fishes and speared / caught them as well. As for the people buried around it's borders, that could be the poor bloke who went up to a wild auroch, trapped in the mire, to club it in the head, but got gored by it's horns. Maybe? I dunno, just a crazy thought I had. It's probably as full of holes as Swiss cheese, but it would be easier to let the food come to you, rather than the other way round. I mean, they did find some cattle bones in there, and signs nearby of pretty big fires (like from a massive barbecue).

Gur! Bur! Me make chisel! Chisel! - Phil Harding-Flintstone

I wish telly was this intelligent now... hmm ... hmm ... and they still charge the license fee?

Do they compensate the farmer?

First aired January 30, 2005.

Bridgid😍

It’s just a place to keep cattle.Of course if it was they would’ve found high concentrations of P in the center of the circle they didn’t really answer that question

A marriage made in heaven - Phil and Maisie would be lovely together.

They have no idea if the place of the ancestors exist or not.

I'm from Texas. Our history sucks! But i love English history. You guys are lucky to be able to see it in a whatever hour drive. God bless mother land England

Always nice to see Ritual Pryor :)

Neolithic cattle ranch. Inner rings were water source for cattle and used as fences. Rituals because they were all about rituals. Probably prayers to their Gods to get through the winter. Not sure why it has to be 1 or the other. They took their 'churches' with them.

Did anyone esle think "Two trailer park ditches go round the outside, round the outside."

💚

Where’s Nigel Rome???

Alien Genetic upgrade period.

Cooking pits for individual families at a great meeting on the border of territories?

francis suggested that the world of the ancestors "obviously" doesn't exist.. but that it did in the minds of the ancients... perhaps they were right.. what is his evidence that the other side of this life "obviously" doesn't exist??

Brigid is hot! AND - no trees were hurt in the making of this video.........

Lolol....Phil @ 9:20

I lost the best job I ever had because they closed the bookstore I had worked at 14 years. This find almost made up for it. Anyone else think Phil is awesome? What's with those long nails though? At first I thought he might play guitar or banjo, but I think both hands have the long nails? Lol

Why are people cracking on poor Francis? He has more empathy and understanding of Neolithic folks than ninety percent of us. We don’t have the right to feel superior to our ancestors. After all, don’t we attend churches and ask for answers and offer financial support (sacrifice) to our own gods? We live in an age where eclipses and dire illnesses are explained. Can you imagine their terror during a solar eclipse? Or a hurricane? Hell yeah, we’d be sacrificing a cow or two to appease the deity that sent those things. Some have pointed out that Neos spent most of their time securing food and just surviving. I agree. It means they had to be much more in touch with their surroundings, unlike today’s people who go to work, come home and shut the door. They looked for explanations, created rituals, and we still do today. They built henges, we build mega-churches.

240p? really?

Looks like early stone henge.

I know next to nothing about archaeology & don't presume to have any knowledge that these expert's don't, but aren't these earthworks very similar to the anti-cavalry ditches employed for centuries? Couldn't it be that these rings allowed them to build safe enclosures away from herds of stampeding aurochs? Just a possible correlation I hadn't seen mentioned...

Maybe the paleolithic people incorporated ritual in their farming, so there are elements of both.

#timeteaminthe2020s

Francis is the man his enthusiasm for archaeology is always great to see. Yes he always predicts to the moon but hey I can’t blame him aim high.

The student surpasses his master. Dr. Pryor plays the foil in this story of an archeological dig team who advance the scientific understanding of neolithic settlements.

In other words, and quite simply, what they found was a working 'temple' site. Why they have to think of it in terms of a 'church' or a 'farm' is beyond me. Blood, guts, bones, utensils, feasting, herds, humans, commerce, meetings, rites, rituals, ritualists, burials, business, both daily and on special occasions. A going concern, then, for more than one family - and nothing like Periclean Athens or Solomonic Jerusalem but every bit as much 'set aside' to mark-out or convey a sense of worth transcending one man's lifetime aka: wor(th)ship .. ;o)

Rituals open the site for practical use. Not much different than christening of a ship.

240p but some ambient music added...meh

Did they have a language back then ? Could they talk to each other ? or was it all grunts and gestures

Why are they assuming the cultural/practical is separate from the religious? Religion as something separate is a modern idea and practice. Both are wrong and obviously don't understand pre-modern religion.

Those things look like bull rings. Maybe they played with their food ? Imagine the betting when Smelly Steve says that he will take on an Auroch ... There were many bull cults in the ancient world. Spain holds one of the remnants. The first thing I thought when I saw the crop mark was a bull ring.

Everything is ritual/religious with Francis, it gets tired after a while. He just can't fathom that Ancient Peoples did things for practical reasons alone.

Francis’ obsession with religion and ritual unfortunately colours his perception and challenges his credibility. Fortunately, he seems usually capable of (however reluctantly) of acknowledging lack of evidence.

Can't make up a written language, but can create deities for spiritual reasons.....hmmm Two million years? Not really Fish ponds. We have back fill. No shit, it's level now.

Neolithic people made pottery by firing the pots on a campfire rather than a kiln. A half fired pot getting damaged would be expected to happen every now and again. Then burnt grain found at a campfire? Not unexpected to put the burnt grain into the half fired pot and chuck it into the ditch as pure trash.