Mesolithic worked flint excavated from the Stainton gravel beds.

This piece of Mesolithic black worked flint was excavated recently from the tightly packed Stainton gravel beds at Stainton Beck, along with minerals and preserved mammal rib bone fragments, and much older Jurassic Fossils.

 1 The Stainton gravel beds are outlined in red.

 2 The Alluvium is outlined in orange.

3 The flint piece was excavated to the bottom right hand side of the spade, along with mammal rib bone fragments.

 4 The gravel beds again average 300 mm thick.

 

 5 - The advice Ive been given so far points to there being little doubt, that this piece is a finely worked flint tool.

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 8 - This image shows what must surly be a worked edge.

 9 I have recently been informed by Peter Row of Tees Archaeology that this piece was probably a scraper, the link below was supplied by Peter.

http://www.teesarchaeology.com/downloads/documents/Roman_Booklet.pdf

 

 

Horse metatarsal excavated from the Stainton gravel beds 

 

Vein Quartz excavated from the Stainton gravel beds

  1- I have now been reliably informed by members of the Mindat forum that this piece is Vein Quartz with Quartz crystals.

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Septarian concretions excavated from the Stainton gravel beds

 1 - I have now been advised by members of the Mindat forum that this and other pieces that I excavated from the Stainton gravel beds recently are Septarian concretions. 

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Prehistoric bone and artifacts to date. ( Stainsby Beck south west Cleveland )

 This is the full assemblage to date of excavated bone and artefacts, including a preserved leather shoe sole, pottery, and utilised bone and wood, from the grey lake bed deposits at Stainsby beck Thornaby on Tees Cleveland. Tees Archaeology have been informed of all finds. The Human tibia shaft excavated from this deposit is not shown but can be viewed by clicking the link below.

http://historyofabeck.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/ancient-human-tibia-shaft-excavated.html

The links below show more pieces from these deposits.

Human and animal fossil bones found so far at ... - history of a beck

Another femur and bos skull found in the same area ... - history of a beck

http://historyofabeck.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/more-of-huge-prehistoric-cervus-elephus.html 

Stainsby beck Prehistoric Mineralised wood excavated from Iron Age deposits.

  1 - This piece of mineralised wood was excavated from the ancient lake bed deposits at Stainsby beck.

 2 - It was excavated very close to the latest bone and pottery finds.

 3 - The mineralised wood like most stone and bone found in the south west area of Cleveland is magnetic, this phenomena has been reported many times to Geologists by myself. 

 4 - The thicker veins seem to be totally mineralised, calcite maybe. I believe this wood was utilised, before it ended up with the bones and artefact's also found.

( Stainsby beck) Prehistoric excavation

1 - All excavated bone including one piece of pottery.

                                                                       
                                                               

 2 - Equus scapula piece before being fully excavated.

 2a - Excavation

3 - Another utilised bone

 4 - 8  Pottery rim piece hopefully I will get the dating from Tees Archaeology using this piece.

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 8 - All of the pottery pieces found strongly attract a rare earth magnet, as with most minerals and bone found in this area, it must contain some kind of magnetite. 

 9 - 10  Capra Ovis horn.

 10 - This horn seems large for iron age early or late.

Please use the link below to view more on this excavation.

Viking Cleveland

                                                                
                                         Ancient  Cleveland   

                                                       

The area of north east England, named Cleveland was originally named by Viking raiders, the exact date of naming is not  known.  But most likely it was named during the earliest Viking visits to the north east shores of England. 

The first  raids by the Vikings on the north east coast are recorded in the  Anglo-Saxon Chronicle  as being 793 AD at Lindisfarne, the circumstances surrounding this early raid have in all probability been stretched far beyond the truth.
 In my mind  similar to the way the Wolf earned its bad reputation i.e.  it was only ever guilty of being what it was a wolf ! .  

My reason for mentioning the earliest recorded raid at Lindisfarne, is to show that the raid was long before the Vikings inhabited what we now know as York.  The Vikings occupied York   Jorvik  in 865 AD, after a large Danish Viking army had landed in East Anglia.

 Vikings were acquainted with the North East coast of England, and the land beyond ( Cleveland ) long before York was named after 865 AD , and almost certainly gave Cleveland its name during there earliest raids . 

   Cleveland as far as I can make out either translates land of rolling hills or Cliff land, I personally opt for the latter, but this is another jigsaw that needs solving.  Regardless of which translation is correct, it seems the Viking named area of ancient Cleveland,  must be far older than the English named area called Yorkshire .  Therefore making Cleveland possibly the oldest surviving Viking named area in England.

This map shows no reference to the North Riding of Yorkshire, but does title the ancient Cleveland area . 
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https://historyofabeck.blogspot.com/2018/03/cleveland-ohios-links-to-ancient.html





                   

Rhizocretion and Aragonite crystals

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These images show another Rhizocretion excavated from the blue grey deposits at Stainsby beck .

 2 The long crystal is about 5mm long 0.5mm mm wide .

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HISTORY OF A BECK

 

 

Leven bank .

  1 These pieces were picked from a beck near the river Leven , near Yarm in Cleveland .

 2 Note the fossil content of the Septerean nodule.  

 3 The radius with ulna still attached is in very good condition with no signs of butchery, or attention from scavengers.

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Richard White, International Wildlife Museum, vertebrate paleontologist , in the warm hole to the rear !

The man to the rear has  advised  me for two years or more , I believe without this mans continued support I may have given up my research long ago cheers Rich !  note the bison skull to the right of Rich .

The International Wildlife Museum