Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During excavations associated with the construction of the East Kent Access route in Thanet (Zone 12) a large hollow way of Iron Age date was discovered. It appeared to be long lived, and in use from the middle Iron Age through to the Roman period and perhaps later. It was associated with a series of enclosures also of an Iron Age date (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DITCH (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC to 42 AD)
• HOLLOW WAY (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 400 BC to 42 AD)

Full description

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Just west of the centre and in the lowest part of Zone 12 was a hollow way which was certainly in use during the middle to Late Iron Age and continued in use at least into the early Roman period. It ran across zone 12 on a north south alignment with sequences of flanking ditches on either side, the ditches being approximately 15m apart. The hollow way was between 4 and 5m wide and approximately 0.65m deep with a thin metalled surface that consisted of a layer of flint gravel. The ditches on each side were re cut on several occasions and appeared to form boundaries to the contemporary sequences of enclosures on the west and east sides. (information summarised from source) (1)

<1> Andrews et al, 2015, Digging The Gateway: Archaeological Landscapes of South Thanet. The Archaeology of East Kent Access (Phase III) Vol 1: The sites (Monograph). SKE55517.

Sources and further reading

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