| Title: |
Vicar's Farm, Cambridge. Post Excavation Assessment Report. Volume I: Main Text (Report No.425) |
| Number of Pages: |
138 |
| Biblio Note |
Please note that this is a bibliographic record only, as originally entered into the BIAB database.
The ADS have no files for download, and unfortunately cannot advise further on where to access hard copy or digital versions.
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| Publication Type: |
Report
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| Abstract: |
Large scale excavation was undertaken in advance of the construction of a Computing Science Block development. Activity on the site was identified from four main periods: the Mesolithic/Neolithic, the Iron Age, Roman and medieval/post-medieval. The Mesolithic/Neolithic phase consisted exclusively of a scatter of flint tools while the Roman Age material comprised a number of shallow pits associated with handmade pottery lying at the southern and northern parts of the site. Dominating the archaeology on the site however as the Roman settlement, consisting of a regularly lain, rectilinear system of ditched enclosures and semi-open fields. The core of this system lay in the middle of the site, where the main enclosures, an aisled building, timber post circle and a number of quarry pits and wells were located. At the settlement fringes were two cemeteries, an inhumation cemetery to the south (c.30 burials with 1 cremation) and a cremation cemetery to the north (7 cremations with 2 infant inhumations), along with a further five isolated burials. A droveway/trackway ran down from the northern limit of excavation with a metalled path leading off it into the settlement core, while on both the northern and southern edges of this core were areas of extensive metalling, probably as yard surfaces. The settlement lasted over 350 years from which was recovered a very substantial assemblage of pottery and animal bones, a diverse range of small finds including spearheads, brooches, pins and over 350 coins as well as a fine small bust of the Roman deity Minerva. Overall, the size and nature of the site and its assemblage, along with the manner in which it had been investigated, placed in among the most important in the region for this period. After the abandonment of the site in the 5th century AD, there was no visible activity until the later medieval period when the land was ploughed leaving ridge and furrow. The medieval dyke known as Willowes Ditch ran through the northern part of the site, but was almost completely truncated by a later sewer pipe which was placed along its course. Finally, at the turn of the 19th century, Vicars Farm was established and remained more or less unchanged until its demolition in 2000. [Au] |
| Author: |
G Lucas
P Whittaker
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| Publisher: |
Cambridge Archaeological Unit
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| Year of Publication: |
2001
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| Locations: |
| Location - Auto Detected: |
Vicars Farm |
| Location - Auto Detected: |
Vicars Farm Cambridge |
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| Subjects / Periods: |
| 5th Century Ad (Auto Detected Temporal) |
| 2000 Au (Auto Detected Temporal) |
| Medieval (Auto Detected Temporal) |
| Roman Age (Auto Detected Temporal) |
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ROMAN
(Historic England Periods)
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|
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IRON AGE
(Historic England Periods)
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|
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ROMAN
(Historic England Periods)
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|
| 19th Century (Auto Detected Temporal) |
|
| Note: |
Date Of Issue From:
2001
Date Of Coverage From:
01
Date Of Coverage To:
01
Editorial Expansion:
Site name: VICAR'S FARM, CAMBRIDGE
Study area: 6ha
Investigation type: Post-determination/Research
District: Cambridge
Monument: PIT. Late Iron Age, PIT. Iron Age, [finds]. Mesolithic, WELL. Roman (AD43-410), [finds]. Late Bronze Age, [finds]. Late Neolithic, TRACKWAY. Roman (AD43-410), CEMETERY. Roman (AD43-410), DITCH. Roman (AD43-410), CREMATION. Roman (AD43-410), [finds]. Late
Ngr: TL43205890
Parish:
Postcode: CB3 0FF
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| Source: |
BIAB
(Archaeological Investigations Project (AIP))
|
| Created Date: |
19 Jan 2009 |
