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A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Improvement Scheme: Digital Archive for Archaeological Works

MOLA Headland Infrastructure, 2020. (updated 2025) https://doi.org/10.5284/1081262.

Context 53850

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Context Information

Context number	53850
Parent context number	53852
Child context number(s)	None
Group number	159 (Ditch)
Land use interpretation	Linear boundary (LB2)
Settlement ?	Alconbury 1
General Period of Feature	Middle-Late Iron Age
A14 Area	Alconbury (TEA05)
Associated digital archive	MOLA Headland Infrastructure (2025) A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme: Digital Archive for Archaeological Works at Alconbury Landscape Block, 2016-2018 [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1081249

Context Sheet(s)

Original context sheets from A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire; Alconbury Landscape Block, TEA05, Contexts 053800-053895
Filename	A14-TEA05-CN053800-053895.pdf (27 MB)	PDF	Info Download
Description	Scanned original context sheets for Alconbury, TEA05, Contexts 053800-053895	PDF	Info Download

Pottery

Pottery Identification Number	Form	Fabric (Fabric Code)	Period	Vessel Information
28003	JA1-B (identification uncertain)	Shelly fabric, coarse (SHC-B)	Iron Age	view Vessel information for pot no. 28003 Vessel identification number: 45469 Number of fragments recovered: 6 Weight (in g): 54 Estimated vessel equivalents represented by this material: 0 Rim diameter (in mm): 0 Does pottery contain a residue?: Y Is pottery worn?: UNWORN Is pottery abraided?: MODERATE Broad forming method, i.e. wheelmade or hand-built. Designed for use with Iron Age and Roman Pottery only: HAND-BUILT Count of sherds collected from sample: 0 Comments: BODYSHERDS INCLUDING RIM (TOO SMALL TO MEASURE), DARK SURFACED, COMBED DECORATION, RESIDUE ON THE INTERIOR, VERY CRUDELY BUILT Decoration information for vessel no. 45469 Decoration type: Barbotine Scale Decoration Location of decoration on vessel: BODY (UNCERTAIN)

Human Remains

Disarticulated human bone

Preservation	Age group	Sex estimate	Comments
Good	Adult	Undetermined	view WELL PRESERVED FEMORAL & TIBIAL MID-SHAFTS FROM TOP FILL OF POSSIBLE BOUNDARY DITCH [53852]

Disarticulated bones

Bone number	Bone type	Bone segments	Bone pathology
B67	Femur R	view Bone segment 1: 0 Bone segment 2: Bone segment 3: 0 Bone segment 4: 0 Bone segment 5: 0 Bone segment 6: 0 Bone segment 7: 0 Bone segment 8: 0 Long bone segment note: When an entry is made into the L1 table – in the example entries for a left and right femur – the application validates the entry made. In this case a three character binary array is expected indicating the presence or absence of the proximal, shaft and distal thirds of the bone, e.g. 101, 111, 010, 110, 011.
B71	Tibia R	view Bone segment 1: 0 Bone segment 2: Bone segment 3: 0 Bone segment 4: 0 Bone segment 5: 0 Bone segment 6: 0 Bone segment 7: 0 Bone segment 8: 0 Long bone segment note: When an entry is made into the L1 table – in the example entries for a left and right femur – the application validates the entry made. In this case a three character binary array is expected indicating the presence or absence of the proximal, shaft and distal thirds of the bone, e.g. 101, 111, 010, 110, 011.
B72	Tibia L	view Bone segment 1: 0 Bone segment 2: Bone segment 3: 0 Bone segment 4: 0 Bone segment 5: 0 Bone segment 6: 0 Bone segment 7: 0 Bone segment 8: 0 Long bone segment note: When an entry is made into the L1 table – in the example entries for a left and right femur – the application validates the entry made. In this case a three character binary array is expected indicating the presence or absence of the proximal, shaft and distal thirds of the bone, e.g. 101, 111, 010, 110, 011.

Animal Remains Data

Animal Remains Summary

Sample number	0
State of preservation	MODERATE
Weight	0.2g
Animal remains type(s) present	Horse Human
Number of bones large mammals	1
Number of identifiable epiphyses	1

Animal bones

Bone Species	Quantity of Bone for Species	Bone Type and Part(s)	More information
Horse	1	Tibia (1 Distal)	view More Information on Horse Bones in Context 53850 Bone number 3 Unique number assigned to bone: 3 Type of species: HORSE Type of bone: TIBIA part of bone present: DISTAL Proportion of the animal present in a range of 1-5 : 4 Number of fragments recovered: 1 Weight (in g): 223 Side of the animal from which the bone came from (l or r): R State of fusion at the distal end of the bone [codes: F = fused. U = unfused. VO = fused but fuse line open. VC = fused but fuse line closed]: F Bone area(s) These are numbers assigned to areas of a bone that are identifiable to species, skeletal element and body-side even when the bone is heavily fragmented. The allocation of zones to specific bones varies; this system was devised by James Rackham and provides a useful brief description of what part of a bone is present. Contact MOLA specialists for more information: Z4 Z5 Z6 Z7 Zoological comment on zones: PHOTO TAKEN; EXTRACTED FOR C14

Radiocarbon Dating

Sample material	BONE
Material type	ANIMAL BONE: HORSE
Context description	COOKING EVENT IN USEFUL STRATIGRAPHIC POSITION IN ENCLOSURE 5.9. SHOULD CORRELATE WITH ROUNDHOUSE 5.4 BOUNDARY DITCH 5.1. IT'S EARLY - HOW EARLY? (BRONZE AGE)?
General comments	SAMPLE ID: 53850
Laboratory name	SUERC
Laboratory sample code	921681 (GU54235)
Uncalibrated date - Conventional radiocarbon age	2168
Conventional radiocarbon age error range	24
Delta 13C (δ13C stable isotope)	-21.8
Delta 15N (δ15N stable isotope)	6.7
Primary early calibrated date range	-358
Primary late calibrated date range	-120
Primary calibrated date range confidence	95.4%