| Abstract: |
The location of the excavation area was informed by the results of the archaeological evaluation was was divided into three areas- Area A (0.16ha), Area B (0.04ha), and Area C (0.14ha).
Fieldwork commenced with the removal, under close archaeological supervision, of topsoil and subsoil from the excavation area by mechanical excavator with a toothless grading bucket.
The archaeological features thus exposed were hand-excavated to the bottom of archaeological stratigraphy, and in accordance with specifications for sample investigation.
Deposits were assessed for their environmental potential, and nine features which were considered to have potential for characterising the principal phases of activity were sampled. Excavation Areas A, B and C covered a total area of 0.34ha, which represented 7.5% of the development area. Following surface stripping, Areas B and C were found to contain no archaeological features, and were not investigated further.
Excavation in Area A, within the south of the development area identified two phases of activity. Features included ditches, a single posthole and a metalled surface. A length of ditch of sinuous plan was exposed within Area A, which bounded a number of features on its south side, and may have defined an enclosure. A large, well-preserved deposit of pottery was recovered from an excavated section of this ditch. This was closely dated to the ‘transitional’ Late Iron Age/Early Roman period of the first century AD, and displayed affinities with contemporary assemblages from Silchester, and the from the adjacent Warren Croft site at Spencers Wood. Activity with Area A appeared to be short-lived, although the nature of this activity was difficult to characterise. Palaeoenvironmental evidence suggested that this activity may have been industrial or economic in nature, rather than domestic. Other finds included fired clay fragments, including remains of loom weights, and small quantities of ironworking residues. A single post-medieval drainage ditch was also present within Area A. |
