Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During the East Kent Access Route excavations (2009-2011) two Roman sunken-feature buildings and a number of pits were found in zone 13, both inside and outside the middle iron age trapezoidal enclosure. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• GRUBENHAUS (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 199 AD)
• OVEN? (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 199 AD)
• POST HOLE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 199 AD)
• RAMP (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 409 AD)
• STAKE HOLE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 199 AD?)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 199 AD?)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Undated)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Undated)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Late Iron Age to Roman - 100 BC to 409 AD)
• BROOCH (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SICKLE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• TONGS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WORKED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

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During the East Kent Access Route excavations (2009-2011) two sunken-feature buildings and a number of pits were found in zone 13, both inside and outside the middle iron age trapezoidal enclosure.

In Zone 13 several groups of features have been dated to the early Roman period, these include two sunken featured buildings which formed the focus for this activity. These lay around the former Iron age trapezoidal enclosure. One building was immediately outside the entrance to the enclosure and had an internal entrance ramp and internal oven and hearth. It was 4.6m long x 4.2m wide and had an entrance structure. Other post- or stake-holes were placed along the eastern wall. In the south-west corner was a clay-built oven. Beneath the oven were the remains of an older structure defined by 19 stakeholes. Close to the oven was a pit containing burnt material, probably from the over. Pottery, animal bone, fired clay and shell were found. After its abandonment the building filled with a sequence of layers containing pottery, animal bone, fired clay, worked stone, shell, ceramic building material, a copper alloy brooch, iron sickle, strip, knife and nails, mostly dating from the early Roman period. The second building lay inside the enclosure. It was 4.7m x 2.7m and had three postholes along the centre line. It contained animal bone, tile, fired clay, a pair of iron tongs and late iron age to early Roman pottery. Between the sunken-feature buildings a number of pits and intercutting groups were probably contemporary. (information summarised from sources) (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