Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During excavation in advance of new housing a series of late bronze age enclosures were found. The central enclosure was probably constructed after the northern enclosure. The outer ditch was c. 38m in diameter and enclosed a smaller inner enclosure. A number of internal pits contained pottery, animal bone and burnt flint.

Monument Types

• DITCH (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)
• ENCLOSURE (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)
• PIT (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)

Associated Finds

• HAMMERSTONE (Undated)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)
• ARMLET (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)
• BURNT FLINT (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)
• INGOT (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Late Bronze Age - 1000 BC to 800 BC)

Full description

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During excavation in advance of new housing in 2004/5 a series of late bronze age enclosures were found. The 'central' enclosure was probably constructed after the northern enclosure which it seemed to respect. The outer ditch was c. 38m in diameter and enclosed a smaller inner enclosure. Nine copper alloy ingots and fragments and a shale armlet was found in the ditches and burnt flint, bone and pottery (one sherd dated to c.1030-895 BC by radiocarbon dating) was also found. On the basis of the finds evidence the enclosure probably dated to the first half to the 10th century BC. A second phase begain in c. 9th century and saw the ditch recut.

A number of internal pits and postholes contained pottery from a range of vessels, animal bone, hammerstones and burnt and struck flint.(3)

<1> Wessex Archaeology, 2005, Cliffs End Farm, Ramsgate, Kent: Archaeological Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SKE13692.

<2> Jacqueline I. McKinley, Jörn Schuster and Andrew Millard, 2013, Dead-sea connections: A Bronze Age and Iron Age ritual site on the Isle of Thanet (Bibliographic reference). SKE24068.

<3> Wessex Archaeology, 2014, Cliffs End Farm, Isle of Thanet, Kent: a mortuary and ritual site of the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon period (Bibliographic reference). SKE30562.

Sources and further reading