Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During the East Kent Access Route excavations (2009-2011) a substantial series of Romano-British enclosures, pits and ditches were found that replaced a late iron age enclosure. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DITCH (Roman - 43 AD to 199 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• PIT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• SLAG (Unknown date)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• SPUR (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)

Full description

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During the East Kent Access Route excavations (2009-2011) a substantial series of Romano-British enclosures, pits and ditches were found that replaced a late iron age enclosure. The Roman features were much more substantial than the late iron age enclosure and dated from the whole of the Roman period. The earliest features contained early Roman pottery as well as glass and a copper alloy strip. These features were cut by larger ditches containing a middle Roman alloy strip and pottery dating from the iron age to the Saxon period. The ditched appear to have defined a sub rectangular enclosure measuring approximately 100m by 65m and aligned WNW-ESE like its Iron Age predecessor and a smaller complete enclosure. In the vicinity were 16 pits of probable Roman date. Few contained much dateable material although some iron slag, but they are dated on the basis of the limited finds and stratigraphy to the Roman period. The quantities of early Roman pottery recovered suggests domestic activity (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Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture, 2011, East Kent Access (Phase II), Thanet, Kent: Post-Excavation Assessment Volume 1 (Unpublished document).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