Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Excavation in 2000-2002 found four areas of brickearth quarrying with an early Roman date. These lay close to one another within an area of approximately 40m by 30m. They were positioned on a steeply sloping part of the hillside, close to the south-eastern end of the late Iron Age ‘processional way’. Another possible ‘brickearth’ quarry was located approximately 30 m to the south-east, this measured 8 m by 6 m and was approximately 1 m deep. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• QUARRY (Roman - 75 AD? to 150 AD?)

Full description

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Excavation in 2000-2002 found four areas of brickearth quarrying with an early Roman date. These lay close to one another within an area of approximately 40m by 30m.they were positioned on a steeply sloping part of the hillside, close to the south-eastern end of the late Iron Age ‘processional way’. The largest of the quarries measured approximately 18 m by 11 m and was up to 1.5 m deep with a fairly level bottom. A small assemblage of pottery recovered was from this which comprised largely early Roman material with some mid-Roman pottery from the upper fills. The brickearth quarries seem largely to have become infilled as a result of natural silting rather than through deliberate infilling. Another rather irregular feature on the slope approximately 30 m to the south-east may also have been ‘brickearth’ quarry. This measured 8 m by 6 m and was approximately 1 m deep. It produced a relatively large assemblage of pottery, most of mid–late 1st century date with some, from the upper fill, continuing into the 2nd century. (1)

<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2010, Settling the Ebbsfleet Valley. CTRL Excavations at Springhead and Northfleet, Kent. The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape (Unpublished document). SKE31245.

Sources and further reading