012AD00508

Compacted Pebble Surface

Phasing

Although the remaining surface itself was not excavated (merely cleaned for recording), the material sealing the surface contained one Roman sherd, one Anglian sherd and Niedermendig lava fragments. A single Roman sherd was embedded in the surface itself, which sealed a quarry pit (012AD00970). The surface was subsequently cut by ditch 012AD00272.

Stratigraphic Matrix Diagram

    012AD00272         
             
    012AD00282         
             
        012AD00507    
             
      012AD00508       
             
             
             
        012AD00283     
             
        012AD00968     
             
    012AD00969         
             
    012AD00970         
             
             

Discussion

A number of pebble surfaces were encountered during the excavation season in 1995, generally cut by enclosure ditches (and thus only visible in the sides of the ditch), although some, like this one, were partly intact. In all but one case (012AD01005), the surfaces appear to be Roman in date, as the material sealing them tends to contain relatively large numbers of exclusively Roman sherds (although that is not the case with this layer). This material is a hillwash, a sandy clay loam with between 10% chalk inclusions (Munsell colour 10YR 4/2). It is probably related to the small area of pebble surface exposed just to the west and south (012AD00701 and 012AD00780)

The surfaces were not deliberately created, rather they formed by compaction due to constant use. Although they were only found sporadically, the pattern indicates that the path was from the spring area in the south up the dry valley side towards the late Roman structure (012AF07215) in the south.

All Contexts and Associated Finds Totals

TYPE  FILL VOLUME OBJECTS AN BONE DENSITY
SEALING LAYER 012AD00282   4 17  
SEALING LAYER 012AD00507   1 4  
SURFACE 012AD00508   1 4  

012AD00282 Animal Bone Totals by Speciesl

KEY_ID SPECIES No
012AD00282 Cattle
6
  Domestic fowl
1
  Horse
1
  Pig
2
  Sheep
3
  Sheep/Goat
4

Context Details


 
KEY_ID TYPE SHAPE L B D PROFILE NOTES
012AD00282 LAYER COMPLEX
178
146
19
 FLAT LAYER ABOVE SURFACE 508 WHICH LIES ABOVE QUARRY PIT. < 10% CHALK INCLUSIONS <5CMS. BONE AD POTTERY FOUND. VERY LITTLE DAUB AND CHARCOAL FLECKING.
012AD00507 LAYER COMPLEX
96
85
15
 FLAT LAYER ABOVE SURFACE 508 WHICH LIES ABOVE QUARRY PIT. BONE FOUND. V LITTLE DAUB AND CHARCOAL FLECKING. <5% CHALK INCLUSIONS < 5CMS.
012AD00508 COBBLE SURFACE OVATE
244
197
5
 FLAT WORN COBBLE LAYER. EXPOSED WHEN EXCAVATING FILLS 507 AND 282. COBBLES 3-10CMS. BECOMES ROUGHER AND HAS MORE TUMBLED APPEARANCE AT N SIDE BENEATH 507.

Objects

KEY_ID OB PERIOD MATERIAL TYPE SUB_TYPE CLASS No
012AD00282 AC   IRON IRON NAIL    
1
012AD00282 AB ANGLIAN POTTERY SHERD   ANGLIAN GTW
1
012AD00282 AA   STONE STONE    
1
012AD00282 AD ANGLIAN UTILISED STONE LAVA NIEDERMENDIG  
11
012AD00507 AA   STONE STONE NAT.PERFORATION SANDSTONE
1
012AD00508 AA 3-4C POTTERY SHERD JB ROMANO-BRITISH
1

Animal Bone

KEY_ID SPECIES ELEMENT QUANT CHEW BURN BUTCH FBRK
012AD00282 Cattle Femur fr 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Cattle N.Cuboid 1 1 0 1 0
012AD00282 Cattle Phalanx 2 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Cattle Phalanx 3 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Cattle Radius D 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Cattle Tibia D 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Domestic fowl Humerus P 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Horse Mand fr 2 0 0 0 1
012AD00282 Pig Humerus br 1 1 0 0 1
012AD00282 Pig Mand fr 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Sheep Phalanx 1 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Sheep Phalanx 1 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Sheep Tibia D 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Sheep/Goat Astragalus 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Sheep/Goat LM3 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Sheep/Goat LM3 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00282 Sheep/Goat M/T D 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00507 Cattle Horncore 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00507 Horse Mand fr 1 1 0 0 0
012AD00507 Pig Scapula 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00507 Sheep M/T P 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00508 Sheep Radius P 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00508 Sheep Tibia D 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00508 Sheep/Goat Femur D 1 0 0 0 0
012AD00508 Sheep/Goat Skull fr 1 0 0 0 0