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Brancaster Roman Fort, (Branodunum), Norfolk Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results

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Brancaster Roman Fort, (Branodunum), Norfolk Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results making sense of heritage Brancaster Roman Fort, (Branodunum), Norfolk Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Ref: 85209.01 September 2014 BRANCASTER ROMAN FORT (BRANODUNUM), NORFOLK Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Prepared for: Videotext Communications Ltd 11 St Andrews Crescent CARDIFF CF10 3DB by Wessex Archaeology Portway House Old Sarum Park SALISBURY Wiltshire SP4 6EB Report reference: 82509.01 Scheduled Ancient Monument number (old county style) NF 208 (The National Heritage List for England entry 1003983) September 2014 © Wessex Archaeology Limited 2014 all rights reserved Registered Charity in England and Wales, No. 287786. In Scotland, Scottish Charity No. SC042630 Brancaster Roman Fort, Norfolk Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results DISCLAIMER THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT WAS DESIGNED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF A REPORT TO AN INDIVIDUAL CLIENT AND WAS PREPARED SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THAT CLIENT. THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT DOES NOT NECESSARILY STAND ON ITS OWN AND IS NOT INTENDED TO NOR SHOULD IT BE RELIED UPON BY ANY THIRD PARTY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY WILL NOT BE LIABLE BY REASON OF BREACH OF CONTRACT NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE (WHETHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL) OCCASIONED TO ANY PERSON ACTING OR OMITTING TO ACT OR REFRAINING FROM ACTING IN RELIANCE UPON THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ARISING FROM OR CONNECTED WITH ANY ERROR OR OMISSION IN THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THE REPORT. LOSS OR DAMAGE AS REFERRED TO ABOVE SHALL BE DEEMED TO INCLUDE, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS DAMAGE TO REPUTATION OR GOODWILL LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED BUSINESS DAMAGES COSTS EXPENSES INCURRED OR PAYABLE TO ANY THIRD PARTY (IN ALL CASES WHETHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL) OR ANY OTHER DIRECT INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGE QUALITY ASSURANCE SITE CODE 85209 ACCESSION CODE 2012.240 CLIENT CODE PLANNING APPLICATION REF. - NGR 578209, 344020 VERSION STATUS* PREPARED APPROVED APPROVER’S DATE FILE BY BY SIGNATURE 1 I NB LNM 02/09/14 X:\PROJECTS\85209\POST EX\REPORT\85209_BRANCASTER ROMAN FORT_REPORT V1.DOC * I= Internal Draft E= External Draft F= Final WA Project No. 85209 ii Brancaster Roman Fort, Norfolk Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results BRANCASTER ROMAN FORT (BRANODUNUM), NORFOLK Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results Contents Summary ............................................................................................................ vi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ vii 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Background .....................................................................................1 1.2 The Site, location and geology ....................................................................1 1.3 Archaeological Background and Previous Archaeological Work ................. 2 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................3 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................3 3.1 Geophysical Survey.....................................................................................3 3.2 Evaluation Trenches ....................................................................................4 3.3 Copyright .....................................................................................................4 4 RESULTS ............................................................................................................5 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................5 4.2 Geophysical Results ....................................................................................5 4.3 Conclusions .................................................................................................8 4.4 Evaluation Trenches ....................................................................................8 5 FINDS ................................................................................................................14 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................14 5.2 Pottery .......................................................................................................15 5.3 Ceramic Building Material ..........................................................................20 5.4 Mortar, opus signinum and wall plaster .....................................................21 5.5 Stone and Worked Flint .............................................................................22 5.6 Glass .........................................................................................................22 5.7 Metalworking debris ...................................................................................22 5.8 Coins .........................................................................................................22 5.9 Metalwork ..................................................................................................24 5.10 Worked Bone .............................................................................................26 5.11 Human Bone..............................................................................................26 5.12 Animal Bone ..............................................................................................27 5.13 Marine Shell...............................................................................................29 6 PALAEO-ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMARY ........................................................30 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................30 6.2 Charred and mineralised plant remains .....................................................31 6.3 Wood Charcoal ..........................................................................................32 6.4 Land and aquatic molluscs and marine shells ...........................................32 6.5 Small animal and fish bones......................................................................33 6.6 Foraminifera ..............................................................................................33 7 DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................33 7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................33 7.2 Evidence for an earlier fort (Trench 5 and Trench 3) .................................34 7.3 The eastern vicus (Trench 3) .....................................................................34 7.4 The main fort .............................................................................................35 WA Project No. 85209 iii Brancaster Roman Fort, Norfolk Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results 8 POTENTIAL AND FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS .....................................37 8.1 Potential.....................................................................................................37 8.2 Proposals...................................................................................................39 9 ARCHIVE ...........................................................................................................39 10 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................41 10.1 Bibliography ...............................................................................................41 10.2 Online resources .......................................................................................46 APPENDIX 1: TRENCH SUMMARIES .......................................................................47 APPENDIX 2: SUPPLEMENTARY FINDS INFORMATION ......................................54 Table 1: Finds totals by material type and by trench (number / weight in grammes) ..................................................................................................54 Table 2: Pottery assemblage by trench .............................................................55 Table 3: Pottery quantification by fabric type .....................................................56 Table 4: Pottery fabric concordance for greywares ...........................................56 Table 5: Pottery vessel forms by fabric ..............................................................58 Table 6: Trench 1 pottery fabrics .......................................................................59 Table 7: Trench 1 pottery forms by fabric ..........................................................60 Table 8: Trench 2 pottery fabrics .......................................................................61 Table 9: Trench 2 pottery forms by fabric ..........................................................61 Table 10: Trench 3 pottery fabrics .....................................................................62 Table 11: Trench 3 pottery forms by fabric ........................................................62 Table 12: Trench 4 pottery fabrics .....................................................................63 Table 12: Trench 4 pottery forms by fabric ........................................................63
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