Settlements on Hill-tops: Seven Prehistoric Sites in Suffolk

78 Pages·1993·12.109 MB·English

by  Edward Martin

SETTLEMENTS ON
HILL-TOPS: Seven
Prehistoric Sites in Suffolk
East Anglian Archaeology
Suffolk County Planning Department, 1993

EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Settlements on
Hill-tops:
Seven Prehistoric
Sites in Suffolk
by Edward Martin
with contributions by
Christopher Balkwill, Bernard Denston,
Joan Flemming, Peter Murphy, Judith
Plouviez and Patricia Stevens
Illustrations by
Rebecca Archer, Linden Elmhirst,
Edward Martin and Donna Sullivan
East Anglian Archaeology
Report No.65, 1993
Suffolk County Planning Department
EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY
REPORT NO. 65
Published by
Suffolk County Planning Department,
Suffolk County Council,
St Edmund House,
Rope Walk,
Ipswich,
Suffolk
in conjunction with
The Scole Archaeological Committee
Editor: Stanley West
EAA Managing Editor: Jenny Glazebrook
Scole Editorial Sub-Committee:
David Buckley, County Archaeologist, Essex Planning Department
Keith Wade, County Archaeological Officer, Suffolk Planning Department
Peter Wade-Martins, County Field Archaeologist, Norfolk Museums Service
Stanley West
Typeset in Times Roman by Joan Daniells using® Ventura Publisher
Printed by Witley Press Ltd., Hunstanton, Norfolk.
©SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL 1992
ISBN 086 055 2144
For details of East Anglian Archaeology, see last page
This volume is published with the aid of a grant from
the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England
Cover Illustration
Barnham: aerial view of the enclosure. Photo R.D.Carr
Contents
List of Contents V VI. The Artefacts 31
Iron object 31
The pottery, BRHOI5 31
List of Plates VI
The pottery, 1968 quarry finds 33
The pottery, 1976 quarry finds 33
List of Figures vi The pottery, 1984 quarry finds 33
ihe pottery, BRI-!01/ 33
List of Tables vi U1scusS10n ot pottery 38
Fired clay objects, BRH017 40
The worked nint, BRH015 40
Contributors vii The worked flint, 1984 quarry finds 40
The worked nint, BRHO 17 40
General notes vii vn. The Zoological evidence 40
The animal bones, BRH015 40
The animal bones, BRHO 17 40
Chapter 1. The Iron Age Enclosure at
VIII. General discussion 40
Barn ham
I. Acknowledgements I
Chapter 3. Three prehistoric hill-top settle-
IT. Summary I
Ill. Introduction 3 ments in south-east Suffolk 41
IV. The Enclosure 3 I. Acknowledgements 41
V. The Excavation 3 11. Summary 41
The outer ditch 5 Ill. Introduction 41
The inter-ditch berm 5 IV. The Great Bealings site 42
The inner ditch 6 The Neolithic features 42
The inner berm 8 The Iron Age features 44
The chalk and flint fringe 8 V. The artefacts 44
The interior 8 The pottery 44
The surface scatters 10 Neolithic Grooved Ware 44
VI. Interpretation 10 Iron Age pottery 44
The defences 10 Iron Age loom weights 46
The features on the inner berm 10 The worked flint 46
The features in the interior 12 VI. The Martlesham site 49
VII. The Artefacts 15 Yll. The artefacts 51
Copper alloy objects 15 The pottery 51
Iron objects 15 Neolithic Grooved ware 51
Neolithic pottery 15 Beaker pottery 51
Bronze Age pottery 15 Iron Age pottery 51
Iron Age pottery 15 Fire clay objects 51
Roman pottery 16 The worked 11int 51
Fired clay objects 16 Stone objects 51
The worked l1i11t 16
VIII. The Little Beatings site 51
Stone object 16
IX. The artefacts 51
VIII. Zoological and botanical evidence 16
AHnumimaanl bboonneess,, bwyi tCh .aB .nDoeten sbtyo nP .M.Stcvcns 1166 NDeeaokliethr ipco pttoetrtye ry :5'i1l
Land molluscs, by P.Murphy 16 Iron Age pottery 52
Botanical remains, by P.Murphy 18 Roman pottery, by Judith Plouviez 54
The worked 11int 54
IX. Radiocarbon determination 21
X. General Discussion 56
X. General Discussion 21
Chapter 4. An Early Iron Age hill-top site at
Chapter 2. Two first millennium B.C. settle
Framlingham, by Joan Flemming 59
ment sites at Bat-ham 23
I. Acknowledgements 59
I. Acknowledgements 23
11. Summary 59
II. Summary 23
Ill. Introduction 59
Ill. Introduction 23
IV. Excavations 59
IV. The Excavation of BRH015, by
V. The artefacts 60
Christopher Balkwill and Edward Martin 23
The pottery 60
Pits I and 2 23 Fired clay objects 62
The house 26
VI. General Discussion 62
Other features 27
The 1984 pit.s 29
V. The Excavation ofBRH017, by
Judith Plouviez 29 Bibliography 63
The post Iron Age features 29 Index 65
The prehistoric features 31
V
List of Plates
Pl.l Barn ham: aerial view of the enclo- PI. VI Barnham: Feature 0062, the clay-
sure, July 1979 lined trough 13
PI. I! Barnham: aerial view of the 1978 PI. VII Barham: view towards the N.W.,
excavations 5 showing the area of the house 29
PI. Ill Barnham: the outer ditch, 0033 7 PI. VIII Barham: the large Late Bronze Age
PI. IV Barnham: The inner ditch, 0016 7 vessel from Pit I 33
PI. V Barnham: Feature 0065, showing
the human leg 12
List of Figures
Fig. 1 Map of sites in this volume VIII Fig. 23 Barham: the pottery and flint ob-
Fig. 2 Iron Age sites in the Barnham and jects 39
Thetford area 2 Fig. 24 Great Bealings, Little Bealings and
Fig. 3 Barnham: plan of the crop mark en- Martlesham: location of sites 41
closure and location of the 1978 Fig. 25 Great Bealings and Martlesham:
excavation 3 location of sites BEG010 and
Fig. 4 Barnham: plan of the excavation 4 MRM030 42
Fig. 5 Barnham: sections of the inner and Fig. 26 Great Bealings: plan and sections 43
outer ditches 6 Fig. 27 Great Bealings: the pottery 45
Fig. 6 Barnham: plan of features on the Fig. 28 Great Bealings: the pottery 46
inner berm angle 8 Fig. 29 Great Bealings: the pottery 47
Fig. 7 Barnham: sections of features and Fig. 30 Great Bealings: the flint objects 48
layers 9 Fig. 31 Martlesham: plan and sections 49
Fig. 8 Barnham: distribution plots of Fig. 32 Martlesham: the pottery and flint
struck flint, burnt flint and animal objects 50
bone 11 Fig. 33 Little Bealings: location of site
Fig. 9 Barnham: the metal objects 13 BELOI8 52
Fig. 10 Barnham: the pottery 14 Fig. 34 Little Bealings: plan of the excava-
Fig. 11 Barnham: the flint objects 17 tions 53
Fig. 12 Barham: site location 24 Fig. 35 Little Bealings: sections of features 54
Fig. 13 Barham: plan of site BRH015 25 Fig. 36 Little Bealings: the pottery 55
Fig. 14 Barham: plan and section of Pit I 26 Fig. 37 Little Bealings: the pottery and
Fig. 15 Barham: plan of the house 27 flint object 56
Fig. 16 Barham: sections of pits and post- Fig. 38 Iron Age sites in the Fynn and
holes 28 Deben valleys 57
Fig. 17 Barham: plan of site BRH017 30 Fig. 39 Hill-top locations of prehistoric
Fig. 18 Barham : iron object and the pottery 32 sites in Suffolk 57
Fig. 19 Barham : the pottery 34 Fig. 40 Framlingham: site location 59
Fig. 20 Barham : the pottery 35 Fig. 41 Framlingham: plan and sections 60
Fig. 21 Barham : the pottery 36 Fig. 42 Framlingham: the pottery 61
Fig. 22 Barham : the pottery 37 Fig. 43 Framlingham: the pottery and a
spindle whorl 62
List of Tables
Table I Barnham : Land molluscs from the Table 2 Barnham: Land molluscs from the
inner ditch 19 outer ditch 20
Table 3 Barnham: cereals and hazel-nut 21
vi
Contributors
Christopher Balkwill, B.A. Peter Murphy, B.Sc., M.Phil.
Formerly Assistant Keeper of Archaeology, Ipswich Environmental Archaeologist, Centre of East Anglian
Museum Studies, University of East Anglia
C.B.Denston, M.A. Judith Plouviez, B.A.
Formerly of the Department of Physical Anthropology, Archaeological Officer, Planning Department,
University of Cambridge Suffolk County Council
Joan Flemming, Patricia M.Stevens
Amateur archaeologist, Framlingham Animal Bone Specialist, Ancient Monuments
Laboratory, H.B.M.C., 23 Savile Row, London
Edward Martin, B.A., F.S.A., M.I.F.A.
Archaeological Officer, Planning Department,
Suffolk County Council
General Notes
The finds from all the excavations in this volume are held Unless otherwise indicated, all the reports in this vol
by the Suffolk Archaeological Unit, Shire Hall, Bury St ume are by E.Martin.
Edmunds IP33 2AR (tel. Bury St Edmunds 763141).
VII
Figure I Map of sites in this volume.
viii