SEDGEFORD HISTORICAL  AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT

Weblog Week 6 (13th August to 18th August 2006)

Naomi Payne

We have finished the original open area trench which the project commenced in 1996. The earliest phase of burials within the Old Trench, as it became known by accident, have now been excavated, recorded and lifted and in the remaining area there were no Iron Age deposits, presumably having been truncated away by the Anglo-Saxon burials. The Norfolk flint specialist Peter Robins has looked at our flint collection this week and he believes the assemblage which appears to have become residually incorporated into the lowest levels on Old Trench is late Mesolithic to early Neolithic in date. Our entire flint assemblage is due to be examined and written up before the end of next season.

On New Trench this week we’ve excavated three slots through the eastern extent of the Roman ditch. This feature is sterile and seems to have a single fill. There’s not much more of this ditch to examine as so much of it has been truncated by Anglo-Saxon activity on the site. The probable oven which was discovered in week 5 has been investigated further this week. We have found that it appears to consist of the burnt linings of other hearths which have been broken up and reused. They were placed in a shallow pit and more clay was put on top of this. Over the feature is a layer of chalk and daub which appears to represent the collapse of the superstructure of this feature. There is also a layer of charcoal. An Ipswich rim sherd dates the oven to the Middle Saxon period. It is close to the post holes and footing trench enclosure although there is no direct stratigraphic relationship with these features. However, they are all sealed by the same layer.

Up on the hill the Roman Project team have been doing lots of paperwork and finishing the excavation of the grain dryer’s fire pit. Matt also discovered a large prehistoric pit which doesn’t contain any useful dating evidence itself but is cut by an Iron Age ditch. During the lifting of the semi-articulated human body a discrete area of animal bone was noted, some of which also appeared to be in articulation. Directly under the human remains there was a thin layer of burnt grain. The trench is to be machine backfilled during shut-down week and next year we are planning to open a new area to the north-east, in order to investigate the possible aisled barn.

Thanks are due to all our volunteers and the team for all their hard work and enthusiasm over the season. We hope to see you all for SH07!