Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A focus of Early Roman activity was discovered across zone 6 of the excavations associated with the construction of the east Kent Access routeway in Thanet. The features overlay an area of earlier activity and many may have continued in use. Largely the activity is represented by a series of enclosures, trackways and pits with little structural evidence. The earliest roman activity here is characterised as a minor nucleated settlement. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DITCH (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• GRAVE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD?)
• GRUBENHAUS? (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC? to 100 AD?)
• PIT (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• POST BUILT STRUCTURE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• POST HOLE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• TRACKWAY (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)
• WELL (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)

Associated Finds

• ASSEMBLAGE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 100 AD)

Full description

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Zone 6 saw activity of varying levels of intensity throughout the Roman period.In the early Roman period, activity is represented by features that contained pottery with a fairly certain post (Claudian) conquest date, and although many of the ditches of the earlier phase were superseded, some, especially towards the northern end of the zone, may have continued in use. During this period the earlier defensive ditch was re cut on a larger scale and the north south orientated trackway within the centre of this area (which also had it inception in the Iron Age) was redefined. A series of fairly long lived enclosures (10 in total) were accessed from either side of the trackway during this phase of activity. These contained large pits, a single sunken featured building, a well, a waterhole and a four post structure. Evidence for other types of buildings was absent, though these could have been present but constructed using techniques that rendered them archaeological invisible.

In detail: enclosure 1 was located on the western side of the central trackway, it was represented by a curvilinear ditch orientated NE-SW turning to the south east at both ends and forming the western side of a roughly trapezoidal enclosure. The eastern side of the enclosure was formed by a short length of north south aligned ditch. The enclosed area measured approximately 20m by between 20 and 25m. Towards the eastern side of the enclosure was a sub circular well. Pottery dating to the middle roman period came from its upper fills. A large pit was also discovered within this enclosure and a total of five burials. The western side enclosure 2 was formed by a ditch cut the enclosure 1 ditch at its southern end and extended in a NNE-SSW direction curving to the east at its northern end and to the west at its southern end. Further ditches were identified on the western, northern and southern side which defined an enclosure that measured 35m by 30m with a narrow entrance in the south western corner. A small area appears ton have been separated off in to north west corner of the enclosure, within which was a possible sunken featured building and a large pit. The southern boundary of enclosure two also formed the northern boundary of enclosure 3, located to the south west. This was smaller and enclosed an area of approximately 20m by 15m. in the north western part of the enclosure was a steep sided rubbish pit with cattle and sheep bone, burnt flint and pottery. Enclosure 4 was a D shaped enclosure again on the western side of the trackway. The northern and western edges were defined by a curving ditch with and entrance on the west side indicated by a 3m gap between this and the southern boundary which was formed by a linear ditch/track. The enclosure was partially sub divided by a series of small ditches which extended in a WNW-ESE direction and a series of intercutting pits were uncovered, likely rubbish pits. Enclosure 5 was located to the east of enclosure 4 and on the eastern side of the track. it was represented by a sinuous length of ditch on its northern side, the eastern edge of the track to the west and a short narrow North south gully to the east. This was replaced and/or added to by a sequence of further ditches to the south (forming enclosure 6) that appeared to mirror the D shaped enclosures (enclosure 4) to the west. To the south of the two D shaped enclosures (4 and 6) the north south trackway split into two separate branches running to the south west and south east. South of the western D shaped enclosure, on the western side of the track, was enclosure 7 which was a rectangular enclosure. This extended to the west of the excavation area but the southern limit was unclear. Within this enclosure a group of intercutting pits covered an area of approximately 7.75m by 4.3m and contained a small amount of animal bone and pottery. Enclosure 8 was represented by a ditch that ran for approximately 20m in a NE-SW direction along the west side of the south-west branch of the trackway. It curved to the west at both ends, before terminating, and defined the eastern edge of a further probable enclosure. Only three dispersed pits were present within the enclosed area. Enclosure 9 was not clearly defined but a ditch on the east side of the south-east branch of the trackway also formed the western and northern edges of a possibly rectangular enclosure, with the east and south sides beyond the limits of excavation. Again, this enclosure contained a group of intercutting pits with occasional pottery and animal bones. Enclosure 10 was situated between the south-west and southeast branches of the trackway. It was sub rectangular and measured approximately 30m by 15m though there were large gaps in the projected boundary to the north. The ditch fill contained part of a human skull which may have been associated with a small iron penannular object. Ditches within the enclosure may relate to the penning of livestock and postholes within the enclosure may relate to a fence-line. An inhumation was also seen cutting the ditch, this was dated to the Late Iron Age/Early Roman period, but the dating is not secure.

Overall, the settlement in this area can be broadly characterised as a minor nucleated settlement, with a series of domestic settlement units mostly located within enclosures of irregular plan and defined by ditches of varying size based around minor trackways. It is likely that some enclosures did not contain domestic structures and were just yards, paddocks or animal enclosures. In this early Roman period, the relative lack of structural evidence is strange, and it is unclear if this absence a particular type of mainly non domestic use or if it suggests a use of a alternative structural type. (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