Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Excavation in 2000-2002 carried out as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link found a 4.5m deep shaft. It contained a structures sequence of deposits and it seems certain that these various deposits should be attributed to some form of ritual activity associated with the use of the Sanctuary complex. Is position at the entrance to the area around the Sanctuary complex is also significant. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• SHAFT (Roman - 150 AD? to 225 AD?)
• ANIMAL BURIAL (Roman - 175 AD? to 250 AD?)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 175 AD? to 250 AD?)
• CHAIN (Roman - 175 AD? to 250 AD?)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 175 AD? to 250 AD?)
• SHERD (Roman - 175 AD? to 250 AD?)

Full description

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Excavation in 2000-2002 carried out as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link found a 4.5m deep shaft. It contained a structures sequence of deposits and it seems certain that these various deposits should be attributed to some form of ritual activity associated with the use of the Sanctuary complex. Is position at the entrance to the area around the Sanctuary complex is also significant.

The shaft was cut through chalk, and its shape in plan varied with depth, from sub-circular to sub-oval and, in places, sub rectangular. The base which was flat contained a calf skeleton. Above this the layers contained at least 20 dog burials, some of which had chains, and the remains of domestic fowl, pigs and cows. In some cases just the skulls appear to have been deliberately placed in the shaft, for example one layer contained two cow skulls and a pig skull had been placed in the same layer at the edges of the shaft. Alongside these animal burials there were small quantities of redeposited human bone including a human skull and mandible of an adult male. The absence of any cervical vertebrae has been taken to suggest that they were deposited as dry bone. The pottery from these layers suggest that this shaft was being filled from the late 2nd century and a capping layer contained pottery of a mid 3rd century date. (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 The Late Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Medieval Landscape (Unpublished document).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

Related records