Well, well, well. What have we found at Barham Quarry?
- DATE WRITTEN:
- READING TIME: 3 minutes
- AUTHORS: Grace Griffith (Publications Officer)
In spring 2023, our Suffolk field team undertook an excavation at Barham Quarry, Suffolk, funded by Brett Aggregates Ltd. CA have been conducting fieldwork at the quarry since 2004 (that’s twenty years of fieldwork!), and this phase of work was located within the middle of previous phases of work, which happened both to the north and south of the site.
So far, the earliest activity identified at the site is Neolithic to Bronze Age in date. This is mostly in the form of a small number of pits, but also, some worked flints recovered in later features. This is what we call “residual finds”, meaning that the flints would have been on the surface for many years before becoming trapped in the archaeological layers. This evidence suggests a background level of activity, probably relating to transient or seasonal use of the landscape.
A series of ditches and pits of Iron Age date were recorded during this phase of fieldwork. Some of the ditches formed a parallel arrangement with a broadly north-east/south-west orientation, which potentially formed a trackway extending for over 400m. The double ditch alignment had also been identified during two phases of previous fieldwork, with this excavation allowing the trackway to be mapped across all three excavation areas – we love it when an (archaeological) plan comes together!
Lots of Roman activity was found across the site, particularly at the northern end. Here two rectangular beamslot structures were identified which likely represent the remains of buildings; the function of these buildings is currently unclear, though further post-excavation analysis may provide more details. Four cremation burials were also identified in the northern excavation which have been tentatively dated to the Roman period. Interestingly, these burials were spatially and functionally separated from the majority of the other Roman features which were located further to the east and predominantly served agricultural purposes. A further five undated cremations were also identified in the southern excavation, which were more isolated than those in the north; it is hoped that post-excavation work may be able to provide a date for these burials as well.
Of particular note was a burnt mound feature with an associated well-preserved wooden trough or well, which was discovered in the south-western corner of the southern excavation area. The feature has also been tentatively dated as Roman, based on a small assemblage of pottery and the Roman woodworking techniques evident on some of the timbers lining the trough/well.
The well/trough is a basic oak box frame, which has been reinforced on an ad-hoc basis by driving vertical stakes down and adding further horizontal slats. This style and material choice is consistent with Roman well linings. Additionally, an unusually high proportion of the assemblage shows traces of woodworking, with the trimming of the ends of the material with an axe being the most common evidence of this. These ends tend to be trimmed to a point to have a square cross-section, which is a trait commonly associated with Roman and later assemblages.
Michael Bamforth, an Archaeological wood specialist, believes that “The [majority of the] woodworking has been carried out by a competent but non-specialised woodworker, using one or more axes, which are evidenced by several recordable stop marks.”
Two additional post-built structures (one circular and one square) were situated in the northern excavation; though neither of the features produced any dateable material and are currently unphased, their close proximity to other Roman activity means the features may also be Roman. Once more, further analysis during the post-excavation phase of the project may help to give us some answers to our questions.
Additional phases of fieldwork are planned for the future, meaning the story isn’t over just yet. This excavation definitely left us with more questions than answers, but we’ve left it in the capable hands of our post-excavation and publications teams who we know are up to the task! Keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the story…
