Trans. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 130 (2012), 31–61 Two Prehistoric Enclosures at The Beeches Playing Field, London Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire By DONNA E.Y. YOUNg and JONAtHAN G.P. ErSKINe1 With contributions by ElAINe MOrrIS, Peter MAKey, ANdrew ClArKe and KAtH HUNter Publication drawings were prepared by Lynn Hume from originals by Davina Ware and Vicky Patrick INtrOdUctION The excavation at The Beeches, carried out in the summer of 1999 in advance of residential development by Bryant Homes (South West) Limited, followed a staged programme of geophysical survey, desk-based study and trial excavation (Erskine 1995b and 1997). The site covers a former playing field on the outskirts of Cirencester, c. 1 km to the east of the city centre (Fig. 1), now Pheasant Way and North Home Way. The project was designed to record fully archaeological deposits previously located, centred at SP 037022, indicating a significant multi-period prehistoric site with episodes of occupation during the Middle Bronze-Age and Early Iron-Age periods and provided secure dating evidence for crop marks first investigated in the 1970s (Reece 1990). Evidence of three periods (six phases) of archaeological activity, from the prehistoric to the modern era, was identified. Four phases in Period I related to prehistoric activity. Throughout the site, the features had been truncated by subsequent ploughing and modern levelling (Fig. 2). The Prehistoric Activity: Period I Phase I.1: Mesolithic [c. 10000–4000 BC] A small, but significant assemblage of Mesolithic flints, including scrapers, retouched flakes, a bladelet and an obliquely blunted point, comprising c. 12% of the total flint assemblage (The Flints, below), was recovered, largely from Area A (Fig. 1). 1. The authors acknowledge the generous assistance and advice of Andrew Young and Charles Parry in the preparation of this report. 031-062 - Erskine and Young.indd 31 19/02/2013 11:16 031-062 -Erskine and Young.indd 32 32 SP 037 London Road DONNA E.Y. YOUN DONNA E.Y. Cirencester • Area A SP 022 The Site • g AN Area B d JONA Ordnance Survey © Crown copyright 2004 Licence Number AL 100005802 t HAN G.P. E HAN G.P. N r The Beeches Playing SKIN Field, Cirencester Boundary of Excavation Areas e Excavated Features Aerial Photographic Features 0 100m Fig.1 General Site Location Plans. Based on Ordnance Survey Sheets by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. 19/02/2013 11:16 Crown Copyright Reserved. Licence Number AL 100005802. twO preHIStOrIc eNclOSUreS At THe BeecHeS PlAyINg FIeld 33 Fig. 2 Area A, general view with plough furrows: looking S. Cow burial between Ditches A and B (foreground). Phase I.2: Late Neolithic/Early Bronze-Age [c. 2000–1600 BC] Late Neolithic/Early Bronze-Age activity was indicated by finds from Area A, including one decorated sherd of Beaker pottery and eight sherds in a grog-tempered fabric from Phase I.3 ditch fills (The Prehistoric Pottery, below). Associated artefacts included a significant proportion of the total flint assemblage, dated to the Later Neolithic period on stylistic grounds. Although the small, limited, range of tools was less than expected from an occupation site, the presence of debitage, cores and core rejuvenation flakes indicated some knapping had been carried out and, collectively, the ceramics and lithics indicated settlement in the vicinity (The Flints, below). Phase I.3: Middle Bronze-Age [1400–1000 BC] A third phase of prehistoric occupation was represented by the construction of a rectilinear enclosure, the north-eastern corner of which was defined by ditches A and B in Area A (Figs. 1 and 2). An animal burial (Figs. 3 and 7) was located inside the enclosure, immediately adjacent to a gap or entranceway between the ditches. Several undated features, including a stone-filled pit and postholes, were attributed to this phase on the basis of stratigraphy. No contemporary activity was identified within Area B. Samples of bone from the ditches and from the associated burial were submitted for AMS radiocarbon dating, which indicated a Middle Bronze-Age date (The Radiocarbon Dates, below), refining the ceramic dates. Ditch A Ditch A extended northwards into Area A for a distance of c. 65 m before ending at a squared terminal. The southern end of the ditch was not located. The ditch was investigated in 13 cuttings 031-062 - Erskine and Young.indd 33 19/02/2013 11:16 34 DONNA E.Y. YOUNg ANd JONAtHAN G.P. ErSKINe and B, as excavated. A , including Ditches A rea A Fig. 3 031-062 - Erskine and Young.indd 34 19/02/2013 11:16 twO preHIStOrIc eNclOSUreS At THe BeecHeS PlAyINg FIeld 35 1 E W C.7 2 W E C.10 3 W E C.14 4 N S C.20 Fig. 4 Ditch A Selected Sections, Cuttings 7, 10 and 14: Ditch B Cutting 20. Orientation as indicated. 031-062 - Erskine and Young.indd 35 19/02/2013 11:16 36 DONNA E.Y. YOUNg ANd JONAtHAN G.P. ErSKINe Fig. 5 Ditch A view towards N. during excavation: scale 1 m. Fig. 6 Ditch A Cutting 5 after excavation looking N.: scale 1 m 031-062 - Erskine and Young.indd 36 19/02/2013 11:16 twO preHIStOrIc eNclOSUreS At THe BeecHeS PlAyINg FIeld 37 Fig. 7 Area A Cow burial P2022 after removal of upper skeleton. Orientation as arrow: scale 1 m. each c. 1 m in width (Cuttings C1, 1b, 2, 4 to14 inclusive, from north to south respectively; Fig. 3), which indicated a uniform width throughout. The ditch did, however, exhibit a varying profile along its length (Fig. 4), changing from an irregular V at the northern end (C1-7) to a more rounded U at the centre, in C 8/9, 10 and 11. Thereafter, the profile sharpened to a V before finally becoming significantly shallower and more rectangular at the southern limit of excavation (C14). The ditch cut the clay and limestone substrate (2010) throughout its length and was filled with a sequence of deposits, the majority of which had accumulated through natural silting over time. Some small to medium limestone rubble was recorded in the primary and secondary fills in most cuttings, possibly indicating fairly rapid and deliberate redeposition of material back into the ditch, or reflecting the collapse or ploughing of an adjacent bank. Pottery sherds were recovered from the ditch, all but one of which dated to the Late Neolithic/ Early Bronze-Age transition. Contemporary pottery was restricted to a single, non-local sherd in a fine, flint-tempered fabric (Fig. 11.2) recovered from the tertiary fill of the northern ditch terminal (C1). This fabric is highly specialised and is particular to Globular Urns of Middle Bronze-Age date (The Prehistoric Pottery, below). Radiocarbon dating of a human skull fragment (The Human Remains, below), also from the ditch terminal, confirmed the Middle Bronze-Age dating for the ditch, providing a calibrated date of 1404 BC to 1121 BC at 2-sigma confidence interval (The Radiocarbon Dates, below: NZA 12280). Ditch B The northern side of the enclosure was defined by ditch B, partially recut, finally ending 4 m to the west of, and at a right-angle to, ditch A. The ditch was c. 27 m long in its entirety and was investigated in nine cuttings (C16/16 Ext; 16b; 17 to 23 inclusive from east to west, (Fig. 3), 031-062 - Erskine and Young.indd 37 19/02/2013 11:16 38 DONNA E.Y. YOUNg ANd JONAtHAN G.P. ErSKINe varying in depth and profile. The earlier ditch in C19-23 was narrower (width c. 1.2 m) than the later recut, and terminated some 13 m to the west of ditch A. Ditch B was later recut or cleaned out and extended to the east, narrowing the gap between the two ditches. The recut was identified in C16 to 23 and was shallower than the original feature. Its width also varied from c. 1.2 m at the western end to a maximum of 1.8 m in C20 at the centre of the ditch. A single sherd of grog-tempered Late Neolithic/Early Bronze-Age pottery was recovered from the tertiary deposit filling the eastern terminal of the ditch and the latest fill yielded one sherd of Middle Bronze-Age date. The majority of the ditch appeared to have silted up, but some rubble had been dumped at the eastern end. This material may have been deposited in order to construct a wider causeway between the ditches at this location, as, interestingly, it lay directly opposite an animal burial (P2022), located a short distance inside the enclosure (Figs. 3 and 7). The Middle Bronze-Age date for the ditches was confirmed by a calibrated date of 1515 BC to 1310 BC at 2-sigma confidence interval (The Radiocarbon Dates, below: NZA 12282) provided by a bovine long bone from the secondary fill of the truncated eastern terminal of the original, shorter, ditch (C19). The Animal Burial The animal burial (2034 in P2022) contained two articulated cattle skeletons, deposited one upon the other in a wide oval pit sited in the northeast corner of the enclosure (Figs. 3 and 7). The pit had been disturbed by later ploughing, truncating the feature and partly removing the upper skeleton. The cattle were both adult, one possibly female, and aged approximately five years. No dating evidence was recovered from the pit fills which showed signs of burning, but AMS radiocarbon dating of bone from the undisturbed (lower) skeleton provided a calibrated date range of 1395 BC to 1117 BC at 2-sigma confidence interval (The Radiocarbon Dates, below: NZA 12281).