The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca

• 116 • Colin Haselgrove
Figure 7.2 Different types of circular structures.
and many coastal sites depended on shellfish. During the first millennium BC, hulled barley
superseded naked barley, and spelt wheat replaced emmer as the main cereal crops, although the
timing of these transitions varied considerably. In north-east England, emmer remained the
principal wheat on upland sites, long after lower-lying farms had switched to spelt (Van der Veen
1992). In the Late Iron Age, bread wheat began to be grown regularly in regions including the
south Midlands, north-east England and south-west Scotland, a development almost certainly
linked to the colonization of heavy claylands. Other plant crops included beans, peas, and flax;
wild plants such as chess, or rye-brome, were also exploited.