I was interested in what Maisie described as a wooden box (Phil’s boat), filled with water and brought to boiling by fire stones. I was also amused that she said she hoped it wasn’t as FP would say it was for ritual use! I was quite surprised that, if it was such a structure, no-one had any ideas as to what its purpose might be. In Northern USA there is a Buffalo drive where the indians stampeded bison over a cliff (the place is called ‘Head Smashed In’). Archaeologists discovered pits which, according to Indian stories, were lined with skins, filled with water and brought to the boil via fire stones. It was apparently used to boil the meat and bones, some of the meat being eaten fresh, whilst other meat was pulped and mixed with the fats skimmed off the water surface for drying and preservation (I don’t know what they did with the boiled bones – glue?). I would have thought a similar process at Lincoln would be quite possible following the butchering of pigs, sheep, cows or even red deer etc._________________
*Boudicca – Gets REALLY stroppy after a pint!*