Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

An excavation in carried out in advance of new housing in 2013 found Roman remains including a trackway, several pits that contained domestic material, a cremation and a pit with a chalk slab in the bottom.

Monument Types

• ANIMAL BURIAL (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• CREMATION BURIAL (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• DITCH (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• PIT (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• TRACKWAY (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)

Associated Finds

• COIN (Roman - 43 AD? to 200 AD?)
• (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• BEAD (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• BLADE (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• CEREAL GRAIN (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• Charcoal (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• CINERARY URN (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• DAUB (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• FILE (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• HUMAN REMAINS (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• LADLE (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• MOUNT (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• NAIL (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• PLANT REMAINS (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Roman - 150 AD? to 200 AD?)

Full description

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In January 2013 an excavation was carried out on land close to Hull Place, Sholden. The excavation was carried out in advance of new housing. Earlier stages of investigation including trial trenching (source 2) and monitoring of access roads led to the focusing of excavation in the south-east of the site. Here, a group of Roman features was found that included two parallel ditches interpreted as a trackway, several pits containing occupation material, a cremation burial and a pit with a chalk slab in the bottom whose function is unknown. The features are believed to be associated with the villa complex at Hull Place, Sholden or perhaps werer part of a separate settlement close by.

The (probable) trackway was defined by two parallel ditches, c. 33 m long and c. 8m apart. It led directly towards the villa to the north-east.

Five broadly circular pits of varying sizes were excavated. Some are likely to have been rubbish pits as they contained significant quantities of pottery that mixed utilitarian and high-status types, much of it from the Thames or Canterbury areas. Other finds included a 1st/2nd century coin, a stone bead, a bucket mount, a ladle, nails and a strap fragment. A cat was placed in one pit after death. There was also a suggestion of workshop activity, including a blade and residues from iron smithing.

The finds suggest a domestic context dating from the mid to late 2nd century.

An unusual feature was a shallow rectangular pit which contained a chalk slab in its base (2 m x 1.5 m). Finds from the pit included pottery, a file, six nails and some daub. The date was probably also of the later 2nd century. No function for the slab has been suggested.

A single urned cremation was also found. It contained human bone from an adult male and was accompanied by two pottery vessels. The bone suggested a range of illnesses associated with malnutrition and iron deficiency. A drumstick bone from a bird was also deposited.

Environmental evidence included cereal grain, plant, charcoal, oyster shell and animal bone(1)

<1> Emma Jeffrey, 2015, Evidence for Roman Domestic Activity in Sholden, probably related to the villa at Hill Place (Article in serial). SKE51681.

<2> RPS Clouston, 1993, Evaluation of proposed Safeways site at Sholden, Deal. (Unpublished document). SKE6791.

<3> Headland Archaeology (UK) Ltd, 2013, Land NW of Sholden, Deal, Kent, Updated Project Design and Assessment of Results (Unpublished document). SKE53125.

Sources and further reading