Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Iron Age activity across Zones 9, 10 and 11 of the excavations associated with the construction of the East Kent Access route in Thanet largely comprised a series of ditches and enclosures. Many of these related to a field system but at least one (substantial) ditch may have been defensive and enclosed a settlement which was situated beyond the limits of the excavation to the west. Post holes representing structures were also present, as well as a possible drip gully for a round house, numerous pits and some cremation burials. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DEFENDED ENCLOSURE? (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• DITCH (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• FIELD SYSTEM (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• PIT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• POST BUILT STRUCTURE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• BURIAL (Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age - 360 BC to 50 BC) + Sci.Date

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)

Full description

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The evidence for activity in the early iron age through Zones 9, 10 and 11 is fairly sparse. A series of ditches enclosed an area in the south western part of zone 10 in this period. One of these may have been defensive in function based on its large size. Two curving ditches or gullies were discovered in trenches to the east of this, these have been interpreted as possible drip gullies around round houses. In the north eastern portion of Zone 9 was a sub oval pit with a charcoal rich fill that also contained sherds of early Iron Age pottery. A field boundary was discovered in Zone 11, this contained 182 sherds of Early or Middle Iron Age pottery in a cluster, likely representing the fragmentary remains of two vessels. To the east of this ditch were two further parallel ditches, 2.7m apart, which were traced for 70m in a WNW-ESE direction, these appear to represent the a trackway of possible early-middle iron age date (though this is not certain). A second track way was situated 120m to the west aligned ENE-WSW. Other ditches located within this zone which have not been securely dated may have been field boundaries and form part of the Early-middle Iron age activity in this area. In the northern part of Zone 10 a sequence of curvilinear ditches which enclosed an area to the west and largely beyond the limit of excavation is likely to have originated in the early Iron Age and was continually re cut throughout the Iron Age and into the Roman period.

Activity in this area appears to have increased slightly in the middle-late Iron Age. In zone 10 this activity comprised a series of enclosures containing occasional pits. A possible structure was identified through the presence of a beam slot and associated double row of post holes. Some of the enclosures set out in the early iron age appeared to have continued in use, this is the case in the south west corner of Zone 10 where the ditches were re cut and the enclosure expanded to the west. This area was clearly a site of some importance and possibly the location of a settlement. Field boundaries and a group of associated pits with domestic rubbish were discovered on the northern side of this enclosure ditch. This field system continued on the same alignment to the east and north east, with at least one four post structure. A major boundary ditch was located at the northern end of this zone and may have marked the northern end of the field system. In the north east of Zone 11 two isolated four post structures were revealed alongside some cremated human bone and pyre debris. This was dated to 360-50 BC placing it in the Middle to Late Iron Age. A series of ditches were also present in the northern arm of Zone 11, it is unclear how they fit into the pattern of activity for this phase in this area, they may represent field boundaries but this is not certain. (information summarised from source) (1-2)

<1> Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2011, East Kent Access (Phase II), Thanet, Kent: Post-Excavation Assessment Volume 1 (Unpublished document). SKE29279.

<2> 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