Excavation Report Neolithic to Early Roman Archaeology at Dimmock's Cote, Wicken, Cambridgeshire Excavation Report July 2009 Client: Francis Flower OA East Report No: 1085 OASIS No: oxfordar3-53977 NGR: TL 5470 7240 Neolithic to Early Roman Archaeology at Dimmock's Cote, Wicken, Cambridgeshire Archaeological Excavation By Nick Gilmour MA PIFA With contributions by; Katie Anderson MA, Barry Bishop MA, Matt Brudenell MA, Nina Crummy BA FSA, Natasha Dodwell MA, Chris Faine MA Msc , Rachel Fosberry HNC AEA, Mark Knight BA, Rob Law Phd Editor: Richard Mortimer MIFA Illustrator: Gillian Greer Bsc MAAIS Report Date: July 2009 © Oxford Archaeology East Page 1 of 64 Report Number 1085 2 Table of Contents Summary......................................................................................................................................... 6 1 Introduction................................................................................................................................ 7 1.1 Location and scope of work......................................................................................... 7 1.2 Geology and topography............................................................................................. 7 1.3 Archaeological and historical background.................................................................. 7 1.4 Acknowledgements.................................................................................................... 11 2 Aims and Methodology........................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Aims........................................................................................................................... 12 2.2 Methodology.............................................................................................................. 12 3 Results...................................................................................................................................... 13 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Natural Features........................................................................................................ 13 3.3 Earlier Neolithic.........................................................................................................13 3.4 Early - Middle Bronze Age......................................................................................... 14 3.5 Middle - Later Bronze Age......................................................................................... 14 3.6 Middle – Later Iron Age............................................................................................. 15 3.7 Later Iron Age – Earlier Roman................................................................................. 15 3.8 Undated Cremations.................................................................................................. 17 3.9 Finds Summary.......................................................................................................... 18 3.10 Environmental Summary......................................................................................... 18 4 Discussion and Conclusions................................................................................................. 20 4.1 Earlier Neolithic Pits.................................................................................................. 20 4.2 Bronze Age Field System.......................................................................................... 20 4.3 Bronze Age Burial...................................................................................................... 21 4.4 Later Iron Age Crouch Burial..................................................................................... 21 4.5 Later Iron Age/ Early Roman Field System............................................................... 22 4.6 Later Iron Age/ Early Roman Structures or Enclosures............................................23 4.7 Medieval Agricultural System.................................................................................... 24 4.8 Site development....................................................................................................... 24 © Oxford Archaeology East Page 3 of 64 Report Number 1085 4.9 Conclusions...............................................................................................................25 Appendix A. Context Descriptions........................................................................................... 26 Appendix B. Finds Quantification............................................................................................. 30 Appendix C. Finds Reports....................................................................................................... 33 C.1 Metal finds.................................................................................................................. 33 C.2 The Lithic Assemblage............................................................................................... 34 C.3 Neolithic and Bronze Age Pottery.............................................................................. 39 C.4 The Collared Urn........................................................................................................ 42 C.5 The Later Middle Iron Age Bowl................................................................................. 44 C.6 Roman Pottery........................................................................................................... 45 Appendix D. Environmental Reports........................................................................................ 49 D.1 Human Bone.............................................................................................................. 49 D.2 Faunal Remains......................................................................................................... 51 D.3 Environmental samples.............................................................................................. 52 Appendix E. Radiocarbon Dating Certificates........................................................................ 55 Appendix F. Bibliography ......................................................................................................... 59 Appendix G. OASIS Report Form.............................................................................................. 63 © Oxford Archaeology East Page 4 of 64 Report Number 1085 List of Figures Fig. 1 Site location map Fig. 2 Site location showing previous archaeological excavations in the quarry Fig. 3 Site plan Fig. 4 Phased site Plan Fig. 5 Plan of enclosure 839 Fig. 6 Plan of Enclosure 937 Fig. 7 Plan of Mildenhall Pottery deposit in pit 936 and pit profile Fig. 8 Plan of burial 802 Fig. 9 Plan of burial 918 Fig. 10 Sections Fig. 11 Sketch reconstruction of the Collared Urn (1997 excavation) List of Plates Plate 1 Areal photograph of field to the west of the quarry (taken by Ben Robinson) Plate 2 Crouch Burial 802 (looking north) Plate 3 The Later Middle Iron Age bowl from grave 802 Plate 4 The Bronze Age Burial Plate 5 Enclosure 839 (looking north) Plate 6 Enclosure 937 (looking west) Plate 7 Barrow (looking west) (1997 excavation) Plate 8 The Collared Urn in-situ in base of barrow ditch (1997 excavation) List of Tables Table 1 Finds recovered from Neolithic Pits Table 2 Quantification of Lithic Material from the Site Table 3 Quantification of Struck Flint from the Early Neolithic Pits Table 4 Quantification of Retouched Pieces from the Neolithic Pit Clusters Table 5 Neolithic and Bronze Age pottery assemblage breakdown Table 6 The Collared Urn assemblage breakdown Table 7 All diagnostic Late Iron Age and Roman pottery by form Table 8 All Late Iron Age and Roman pottery by fabric Table 9 All Late Iron Age and Roman pottery by Context Table 10 Summary of human bone Table 11 Summary of environmental samples © Oxford Archaeology East Page 5 of 64 Report Number 1085 Summary Between 1st and 19th September 2008, an open area excavation was carried out by Oxford Archaeology East in advance of the extension of a lime quarry at Dimmock's Cote, Wicken. The excavation located several pits of Early Neolithic date, some containing pottery of Mildenhall type and struck flints including a single piece sickle. A Middle-Later Bronze Age pit, containing pottery of Deverel-Rimbury type, was also excavated. A tightly crouched burial radiocarbon dated to the Late Bronze Age was adjacent to, and slightly on top of, this pit. Another crouch burial, with a complete pottery vessel, was radiocarbon dated to the Later Iron Age. Two undated, unurned cremations were also deposited on the site. A Late Iron Age and Early Roman field system was recorded along with two small enclosures. Neither of these has an obvious function and it is possible that at least one of them relates in some way to mortuary practices. This work followed on from several previous phases of excavation in the quarry and taken together these excavations provide a picture of the changing use of the land on a limestone promontory in the Southern Cambridgeshire Fenlands. © Oxford Archaeology East Page 6 of 64 Report Number 1085 1 I NTRODUCTION 1.1 Location and scope of work 1.1.1 An archaeological excavation was carried out by Oxford Archaeology East (OA East) at Dimmock's Cote Quarry, Wicken, Cambridgeshire, between 1st and 19th September 2008. 1.1.2 This