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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 67 SW 310
Type of record:Monument
Name:Group of Bronze Age Pits , Springhead

Summary

A group of seven Bronze Age pits just to the north of earlier barrows and covered by later Roman activity.

Location accurate to 2m based on available information


Grid Reference:TQ 6168 7408
Map Sheet:TQ67SW
Parish:GRAVESEND, GRAVESHAM, KENT

Monument Types

  • PIT (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC? to 701 BC?)

Full description

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A group of bronze age pits just to the north of earlier barrows (TQ 67 SW 309) and covered by later Roman activity. (1)

A cluster of seven pits (Group 16634) were located on the Chalk Spur (Zone 7) beneath the Northfleet Villa Complex. The pits (15822, 15904, 15818, 15819, 15898, 15837 and 15814) varied in shape between sub-circular or oval to very irregular, the latter probably representing natural subsoil hollows rather than cut features. The depth of the features varied between 0.16m to 0.20m.and all contained similar fills comprising very dark brownish grey silty clay loam. Three of the features were substantially truncated by a north-south Roman ditch. Apart from abundant burnt flint, comprising between 10% and 60% of the fills, all of these features were devoid of artefactual material. However, Pomoideae charcoal from the fill of pit 15818 was radiocarbon dated to the latter part of the early Bronze Age at 3404±30 BP (NZA-28400, 1770-1620 cal. BC,). (2)

Location accurate to 2m based on available information.


<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2003, Channel Tunel Rail Link Archaeological works at Springhead Roman Town (ARC SPH00): interim fieldwork report (Unpublished document). SKE31600.

<2> Wenban-Smith FF, et al.,, 2012, Prehistoric Ebbsfleet: Excavations and Research in Advance of High Speed 1 and STDR 4. (Monograph). SKE32262.

<3> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2020, Prehistoric Ebbslfeet (Monograph). SKE54979.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 2003. Channel Tunel Rail Link Archaeological works at Springhead Roman Town (ARC SPH00): interim fieldwork report.
<2>Monograph: Wenban-Smith FF, et al.,. 2012. Prehistoric Ebbsfleet: Excavations and Research in Advance of High Speed 1 and STDR 4..
<3>Monograph: Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture. 2020. Prehistoric Ebbslfeet.