An Iron Age Settlement outside Battlesbury Hillfort, Warminster and Sites along the Southern Range Road By Chris Ellis and Andrew B. Powell An Iron Age Settlement outside Battlesbury Hillfort, Warminster, and Sites along the Southern Range Road by Chris Ellis and Andrew B. Powell with John Hawkes An Iron Age Settlement outside Battlesbury Hillfort, Warminster, and Sites along the Southern Range Road by Chris Ellis and Andrew B. Powell with John Hawkes with contributions by Michael J. Allen, Phil Andrews, Alistair Barclay, Wendy Carruthers, Alan J. Clapham, John Crowther, Rachel Every, A.P. Fitzpatrick, Rowena Gale, Jessica M. Grimm, Ellen Hambleton, Phil Harding, Claire Ingrem, Moira Laidlaw, Stephen Legg, Matt Leivers, Richard I. Macphail, Jacqueline I. McKinley, Marco Madella, Mark Maltby, Lorraine Mepham, Pippa Smith, and Chris J. Stevens and illustrations by S.E. James Wessex Archaeology Report 22 Wessex Archaeology and Defence Estates 2008 Published 2008 by Wessex Archaeology Ltd Portway House, Old Sarum Park, Salisbury, SP4 6EB http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/ Copyright © Wessex Archaeology Ltd 2008 All rights reserved British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Edited by Philippa Bradley Produced by Julie Gardiner Cover design by Karen Nichols ISBN 978-1-874350-47-7 Printed by Henry Ling (Dorset Press) Ltd, Dorchester Cover photographs Front: Battlesbury Hill and Battlesbury Bowl excavation site from the south-east Back: Battlesbury Bowl excavation site from the north-east Wessex Archaeology Limited is a Registered Charity No. 287786 Contents List of Figures . .vii CHAPTER 5: HUMAN REMAINS, List of Plates . .viii by Jacqueline I. McKinley List of Tables . .viii Methods . .71 Acknowledgements . .x Results . .71 Location of the archive . .xi Taphonomy . .71 Abstracts . .xii Demographic data . .76 Skeletal indices . .77 CHAPTER 1: BATTLESBURY BOWL AND Pathological lesions . .77 THE SOUTHERN RANGE ROAD Morphological variations . .81 Background to the project . .1 Discussion . .81 Location, topography, and geology of the SRR route . .2 CHAPTER 6: THE ENIVIRONMENTAL General archaeological background . .2 EVIDENCE The history of investigation on the DTE SP . .2 Faunal remains, by Ellen Hambleton and The archaeological background of the Mark Maltby . .84 SRR route . .4 Charred plant remains, by Alan J. Clapham Aims and objectives . .4 with Chris J. Stevens . .93 Mineralised plant remains, PART A: BATTLESBURY BOWL by Wendy J. Carruthers . .102 Phytoliths, by Marco Madella . .114 CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION Charcoal, by Rowena Gale . .116 Site location, topography, and geology . .9 Land snails, by Michael J. Allen . .119 Previous investigations . .9 Soil micromorphology and chemistry, Methodology . .10 by Richard I. Macphail and John Crowther . .125 Evaluation . .10 Excavation and recording methods . .10 CHAPTER 7: THE BATTLESBURY Summary of analysis of ‘structured SETTLEMENT: LOCATION, deposition’ . .13 ORGANISATION AND DEVELOPMENT Environmental sampling strategy . .13 The setting and layout of the Battlesbury Chronology and phasing . .14 Bowl settlement . .133 Food procurement, production, and processing .134 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS Status and society . .135 Early prehistoric finds . .17 Crafts . .136 Late Bronze Age/Iron Age features . .17 Regional and local context . .136 Ditches . .20 Post-holes and post-built structures . .25 PART B: THE SOUTHERN RANGE ROAD Pits. .31 CHAPTER 8: INTRODUCTION . .139 CHAPTER 4: THE FINDS Copper alloy objects, by Stephen Legg CHAPTER 9: BATTLESBURY AND with a contribution by A.P Fitzpatrick . .43 BATTLESBURY BOWL Iron objects, by Stephen Legg Boreham Farm Bungalow excavation (SRR 95), with a contribution by A.P.Fitzpatrick . .44 and Battlesbury Spur watching brief (west) Slag, by Lorraine Mepham and Phil Andrews . .44 (AC 1009), with a contribution Flint, by Phil Harding . .45 by Michael J. Allen . .141 Burnt flint, by Lorraine Mepham . .45 South-East of Battlesbury Wood excavation Worked stone, by Stephen Legg . .46 (SRR 93) and Battlesbury Spur watching Coral bead, by Stephen Legg . .50 brief (east) (AC 1009), with contributions Shale, by Lorraine Mepham . .50 by Phil Harding and Michael J. Allen . .144 Pottery, by Rachel Every and Lorraine Mepham . .50 East of Battlesbury Bowl earthwork survey Fired clay, by Stephen Legg . .65 (SRR 12) . .147 Worked bone and antler, by Stephen Legg . .66 East of Battlesbury Hill strip-and-record (SRR 20) . .147 v East of Field Barn Watching Brief (AC 1004), Breakheart Hill watching brief (AC 1000), with contributions by Nicholas Cooke, Breakheart Hill (SRR 80/1), and Moira Laidlaw, Lorraine Mepham, and Breakheart Bottom strip-and-record Claire Ingrem . .147 (SRR 80/2-4) . .174 North-West of Middle Barn Farm strip-and- CHAPTER 10: WEST HILL TO KNOOK record (SRR 80/5, 087), with contributions DOWN by Jacqueline I. McKinley, Nicholas Cooke, North of West Hill Farm earthwork survey Moira Laidlaw and Lorraine Mepham . .175 (SRR 23) and watching brief (AC 1001 Vedette Post Four strip-and-record (SRR 89), and 1002) . .152 and Tilshead Down excavation (SRR East of East Hill Cottages Watching Brief 90), earthwork survey (SRR 120) and (AC 1003) . .152 strip-and-record (SRR 116 and 120) . .182 South of Old Ditch strip-and-record (SRR 76) .153 Willis’s Field Barn excavation (SRR 96), CHAPTER 12: IMBER VALLEY TO Knook Spur watching brief (AC 1006 and TILSHEAD 1007), and North of Bevin’s Barn strip-and- Horse Down excavation (SRR 124), and record (SRR 97), with contributions by West and North-West of Golf Crossing Phil Harding, Rachel Every, Alan J. Clapham, strip-and-record (SRR 123 and 125/127), Rowena Gale, Michael J. Allen, and with contributions by Lorraine Mepham Pippa Smith . .154 and Moira Laidlaw . .184 West of Knook Castle watching brief South of Foxtrot Crossing excavation (SRR 128) (AC 1005) . .163 and strip-and-record (SRR 125/127), with contributions by Lorraine Mepham, CHAPTER 11: KNOOK CASTLE TO IMBER Matt Leivers, Moira Laidlaw, and VALLEY Claire Ingrem . .188 East of Knook Castle excavation (SRR 86) and South and East of Knook Castle CHAPTER 13: DISCUSSION strip-and-record (SRR 41), with contributions Early prehistory . .192 by Matt Leivers and Moira Laidlaw . .165 Later prehistory . .193 East of Quebec Barn excavation (SRR 85) Romano-British and later . .194 and North-East of Knook Castle strip-and- Conclusion . .195 record (SRR048, 048/2), with contributions by Phil Harding, Rachel Every, Alistair Barclay, Bibliography . .196 and Alan J. Clapham . .167 Appendix: Pottery fabric types . .207 Index . .211 vi List of Figures Chapter 1 Chapter 7 Figure 1.1 Battlesbury and the Southern Range Figure 7.1 Selected later prehistoric sites referred Road to in text Chapter 2 Chapter 8 Figure 2.1 The location of the Battlesbury Bowl Figure 8.1 Stages 1 and 2 mitigation sites along excavation site the Southern Range Road Chapter 3 Figure 3.1 The site, showing feature groups Chapter 9 Figure 3.2 Feature group 1 Figure 9.1 Boreham Farm Bungalow (SRR 95) Figure 3.3 Feature group 2 Figure 9.2 South-east of Battlesbury Wood Figure 3.4 Feature group 3 (SRR 93) Figure 3.5 Feature group 4 Figure 9.3 East of Field Barn (AC 1004) Figure 3.6 Sections 4019 and 4105 of phase 1/2 ditch 4043 Chapter 10 Figure 3.7 Roundhouse 6159 Figure 10.1 Willis’s Field Barn (SRR 96/AC 1006) Figure 3.8 Hearth pits in roundhouse 6159 Figure 10.2 Willis’s Field Barn pottery (SRR 96) Figure 3.9 Finds distributions in roundhouse 6159 Figure 3.10 Square and sub-rectangular structures 4041 and 4013 Chapter 11 Figure 3.11 Phase 1/2 pit 4612, 4704, and 4993 Figure 11.1 South and East of Knook Castle Figure 3.12 Phase 3 pit 4223 with inhumation (SRR 41) pottery burials Figure 11.2 East of Quebec Barn (SRR 85) and Figure 3.13 Phase 3 pit 4332 with inhumation sections of pit 12001 and ditch 6007 burial Figure 11.3 North-east of Knook Castle (SRR SRR Figure 3.14 Phase 3 rectangular pit 4196 48) section through upper part of shaft Figure 3.15 Phase 3 pits 5358 and 4598 48007 Figure 3.16 Phase 4 pit 4320 with inhumation Figure 11.4 East of Quebec Barn (SRR 85) pottery burial Figure 11.5 North-east of Knook Castle (SRR 48) Fengate Ware jar Chapter 4 Figure 11.6 North-west of Middle Barn Farm (SRR Figure 4.1 Copper alloy objects 80/5) plan and section of ring ditch Figure 4.2 Iron objects 80126, showing position of grave 80042 Figure 4.3 Stone objects (1–11) Figure 11.7 Burials in grave 80042 and 80113 Figure 4.4 Stone objects (12–17), coral bead (18), Figure 11.8 North-west of Middle Barn Farm (SRR and shale armlet fragment (19) 80/5) pottery Figure 4.5 Pottery (1–23) Figure 11.9 North-west of Middle Barn Farm (SRR Figure 4.6 Pottery (24–43) 80/5) worked bone and antler objects Figure 4.7 Pottery (44–58) Figure 4.8 Fired clay objects Chapter 12 Figure 4.9 Worked bone and antler objects Figure 12.1 Horse Down (SRR 125/127) site plan Figure 12.2 North-west of Golf Crossing (SRR 124, Chapter 6 125/127) detail of skeleton 12578 in Figure 6.1 Mandible wear stages for ditch 12621 and section through ditch sheep/goat, cattle and pig 12621 Figure 12.3 Horse Down (SRR 125/127) pottery vii List of Plates Chapter 2 Chapter 4 Plate 2.1 Battlesbury Hill and Battlesbury Bowl Plate 4.1 Selection of worked bone and antler excavation site from the south-west objects Plate 2.2 Early stage of cleaning the northern part of Chapter 5 the site Plate 5.1 Fragment of parietal vault showing puncture marks from canid gnawing Chapter 3 Plate 5.2 Worn, crenulated ends