Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Excavation in trench 1 during an evaluation undertaken by Oxford Archaeological Unit in Dover town centre in 1988-91 revealed Roman dump layers containing coins and pottery (location accurate to the nearest 5m based on available information).

Monument Types

• RUBBISH PIT (Roman - 330 AD? to 409 AD?)

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Roman to Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 250 AD? to 425 AD?)
• COIN (Roman - 260 AD? to 402 AD?)

Full description

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A 1.5m deep sequence of silts and clay loams was recorded in section, lenses of darker silt and charcoal occurred frequently, as did shell fragments, pottery and coins. In general these deposits would seem to have been formed by the dumping of rubbish, and by the excavation of pits for further rubbish, this may be confirmed by the number of pottery sherd recovered (48 in the section cleaning alone). The depth of the deposit accumulating over the rampart is of interest, particularly as the coin evidence suggests that this did not begin, at least at this part of the fort, until the late fourth century. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine how long this process continued, as none of the coins or pot sherds is definitely later than A.D 402. and there is a high degree of residuality as might be expected when rubbish deposits are being frequently dug over and re-deposited. To add to the difficulty, no finds were recovered from contexts above layer 16 and we can therefore only say with confidence, allowing time for the coins to circulate, that deposition continued at least into the first quarter of the fifth century. (1)

<1> Wilkinson, D. R. P., 1995, Archaeologia Cantiana, Excavations on the White Cliffs Experience site, Dover, 1988-91. Vol. 114 (Article in serial). SKE31729.

Sources and further reading

Related records