Evidence of pedogenesis from a neolithic site at Rackham,Sussex

A rich assemblage of Neolithic flints and associated charcoal lies at a depth of 15–20 cm in what is now a strongly-leached podzol. The site was probably associated with butchery and the preparation of animal materials using flint implements manufactured on the site. The pollen profile suggests that the contemporary vegetation was mixed deciduous forest and that the artifacts were buried by earthworm action. Subsequent deforestation and the development of Calluna heath would have led to the extinction of the earthworms and the development of the present podzol.