WIXLIB

A British f a r munder the Romans2 0 0 1 saw t h e f i n a l season o f e x c a v a t i o n a t t h e A b b o t s t o n ec r o p m a r k site, w h i c h is q u i t e close to C o l c h e s t e r Z o o .W h a t w a s t h e n a t u r e o f t h e site?W a s it a R o m a n f a r m , a n d how is it c o n n e c t e d w i t hCamulodunum?Where was Camulodunum?' N o m a n is an island', a n d neither isany a r c h a e o l o g i c a l site. T h e A b b o t s t o n esite is part of a wider archaeologicallandscape of international i m p o r t a n c e .O t h e r archaeological sites in the vicinityare: t h e Stanway burial site ( 1 4 0 0 meast); Grymes Dyke ( 1 6 0 0 m east); a n dt h e late Iron A g e a n d R o m a n site atGosbecks, with its classical R o m a nt e m p l e a n d t h e a t r e (east of GrymesDyke). C a m u l o d u n u m had t w o centresof activity: Gosbecks, w h i c h was probably t h e site of king Cunobelin's f a r m stead, a n d Sheepen (near the presentday Colchester Institute), w h i c h wasp r e d o m i n a n t l y concerned with t r a d e a n dmanufacturing.C a m u l o d u n u m was d e f e n d e d by asystem of earthworks or dykes (see plan).T h e burial site at Stanway was actuallyoutside t h e defences o f C a m u l o d u n u m ,t h o u g h it was unquestionably linked to itsocially (and chronologically). Like Stanway, t h e A b b o t s t o n e site is also outsidet h e d e f e n d e d parts of C a m u l o d u n u m .T h e question t h e n is, to w h a t extent wast h e A b b o t s t o n e site actually part ofC a m u l o d u n u m ? A n o t h e r question is thed y n a m i c between native a n d R o m a nsettlement. Stanway was a native burialsite, a n d Gosbecks was a native sitew h i c h b e c a m e R o m a n i s e d . H o w doesthe A b b o t s t o n e site fit into this picture?Was it a native f a r m s t e a d w h i c h coexisted with Gosbecks a n d t h e n o u t lived it, or was it t a k e n over by R o m a nsettlers?4

Previous excavationsLike Stanway a n d Gosbecks, A b b o t s t o n ehas been k n o w n for s o m e t i m e as ac r o p m a r k site. Fieldwalking surveys (surface collections of objects) by t h e Trustin 1997 a n d 1 9 9 8 scanned areasbeyond the c r o p m a r k s , to check for previously u n k n o w n archaeological remains.We identified t h i n spreads of prehistoricflints a n d R o m a n brick a n d tile, with at h i n c o n c e n t r a t i o n of R o m a n brick a n dtile directly north of t h e c r o p m a r k site.Surprisingly there was no surface material over the c r o p m a r k itself. T h e Trustundertook a geophysical survey overthe cropmarks in 1998 w h i c h failed toestablish the location of a r c h a e o l o g i c a lfeatures below the ploughsoil, possiblybecause t h e g r o u n d was t o o wet. T h ec r o p m a r k site was extensively trialtrenched by t h e Trust in early 1 9 9 9 . Thisat last pinpointed t h e surviving subsoilfeatures, thereby identifying t h e areaswhere full-scale archaeological excavation should be carried out.The Trust's excavation in 1 9 9 9 showedt h a t t h e earliest activity here is represented by a few worked flints of probablelate Neolithic or Bronze A g e date. T h eearliest i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e was a ditchdefining a roughly circular enclosure - apotential prehistoric house site. Therewas no sign of t h e post-holes w h i c hm i g h t show the position of a roundhouse, but the excavation of t h e ditchproduced M i d d l e Iron A g e pottery w h i c hconfirmed its prehistoric d a t e (see m a g azine no 1 3).The Trust excavation t e a m returned toexcavate the rest of the site late in 2 0 0 0 ,but the very wet ground conditions prevented m u c h digging, and the season hadto be c a n c e l l e d .2 0 0 1 excavationThis year's task was to c o m p l e t e t h eexcavation of t h e r e m a i n d e r of t h e largeR o m a n enclosure. This was no m e a ntask - standing water had to be p u m p e do u t of all the features, a n d the site had tobe scraped clean by m a c h i n e to removet h e silts w h i c h had washed o n t o t h e siteover t h e winter. T h e m a i n results havebeen the discovery of m a n y m o r e ditchlines t h a n were visible on t h e airp h o t o g r a p h s or were expected after theprevious season of d i g g i n g . A h u m a nskull was f o u n d , with s o m e brokenpottery, in a Late Iron A g e d i t c h near t h eM i d d l e Iron A g e enclosure (see picture).T h e lower jaw was missing, suggestingt h a t t h e skull had been placed herew h e n already d e c o m p o s e d . T h e skullm a y be t h e remains of a burial orperhaps a ritual deposit.FarmingIt w o u l d appear t h a t there was a g a p inactivity on the site until the late Iron A g e ,w h e n ditches were cut to define a largeenclosure. In f a c t the majority of thefeatures on the site were ditches definingthree large enclosures - first the IronA g e o n e m e n t i o n e d above, a n d thent w o separate R o m a n enclosures (northa n d south). T h e joint life-time of theenclosures spanned the later Iron Age tot h e m i d 3rd century A D . The north (andlarger) R o m a n enclosure had smallerditches or gullies splitting it into smallerpaddocks or fields, a n d other parallelditches m a r k i n g o u t road lines whichwere originally m e t a l l e d . There wereseveral c r e m a t i o n burials, o n e of t h e man interesting post-burial (where ac r e m a t i o n had been placed in a deeppost-hole w h i c h presumably held a largepost to m a r k t h e spot). W h a t was mostintriguing a b o u t t h e first season's workwas t h e c o m p l e t e absence of buildings.T h e r e m a i n i n g part of the ditch a r o u n dt h e house site was excavated, a n d(gratifyingly) a ring of post-holes wasdiscovered. These define t h e site of aprehistoric structure (presumably a house)on this spot. T h e internal d i a m e t e r of t h epost-hole ring was a p p r o x i m a t e l y 1 0 m ,so w i t h a c o n v e n t i o n a l t h a t c h e d roofo v e r - h a n g i n g this post-hole ring, t h estructure m i g h t have been closer toa p p r o x i m a t e l y 1 4 m external d i a m e t e r by no m e a n s a small building (seepictures).A b o v e : Ben Holloway uncoveringthe h u m a n skull.Left: plan of C a m u l o d u n u m .Opposite page T o p : sketch of a M i d d l e Iron A g eround-house.B o t t o m : the t e a m m a r k i n g thepositions of the eleven post-holesof t h e M i d d l e Iron A g e roundhouse.5

There was a short stretch of possiblebeam-slot associated with the postburial, but no other structural features ata l l . T h e southern (and smaller) R o m a nenclosure was equally i n t r i g u i n g . It hadopposed entrances, t h e northern o n ehaving a pair of gate-posts set back f r o mt h e d i t c h line, w h i c h w o u l d imply theexistence of an internal bank with t h eg a t e between t h e ends of t h e bank.Still describing t h e site as a series ofenclosures, it is now possible to suggesta sequence of d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e earliestenclosure seems to have developed o u tof t h e circular Iron A g e house site, a n dto have been a d d e d to progressively,until the enclosure was regularised bybeing recut in t h e R o m a n period as o u rnorth enclosure. T h e south enclosurewas a d d e d later o n , also in t h e R o m a nperiod. Some of t h e ditch lines areboundaries f r o m a n a d j a c e n t fieldsystem w h i c h join up with the enclosureditches, a n d r e m i n d us t h a t the site waspart of a wider f a r m e d landscape.Above: lines were paint-sprayed on t h eg r o u n d t o outline t h e archaeologicalfeatures as they were uncovered bym a c h i n e . Parts of t h e features were t h e nh a n d - d u g so t h a t we could d a t e t h e m ,explore their physical characteristics,a n d recover environmental m a t e r i a l .Given t h a t t h e site was o c c u p i e d f r o mthe late Iron A g e to the mid 3rd century,the question of t h e location of the livingareas t h e n arises. T h e Iron A g e r o u n d house is an obvious focus for o c c u p a t i o n a t t h a t t i m e , but w h a t a b o u t theR o m a n period? It seems clear f r o m t h equantitiesofpotterydebris a n d occasionalcremation burials, t h echeese presses a n d t h elarge n u m b e r o f f r a g ments of querns (usedfor g r i n d i n g cereals intoflour), t h a t there was agreat deal of activityhere in R o m a n times,mostly agricultural activity. But where were t h ebuildings? W i t h smallAbove: Sam Deeprose hard at work.Right: a n excavation t h r o u g h t w o intercuttingditches, with Philip Lomas in the b a c k g r o u n d .6quantities of R o m a n w i n d o w glass,roof-tile f r a g m e n t s a n d even flue-tiles(normally associated with hypocaustsystems) c o m i n g f r o m this site, there isan obvious m i s - m a t c h between the findsevidence a n d the site evidence. Perhapst h e R o m a n structures were surface-builtw i t h o u t rubble f o u n d a t i o n s , a n d haveleft no trace. Perhaps these finds occurhere as d u m p e d rubbish, having beentransported f r o m somewhere else.A b b o t s t o n e is a" site where we c a n n o tc o m e up with all the answers. However,t h e enclosures are part of a late Iron A g ea n d mainly R o m a n rural site concernedprincipally with f a r m i n g . If R o m a n buildings were erected here, they have notsurvived.W h a t a b o u t t h e inhabitants? It is difficultto see a radical c h a n g e between the IronA g e enclosure a n d t h e R o m a n enclosures, so there is no basis for a r g u i n g forR o m a n settlers c o m i n g in to live on anIron A g e site (there is a lack of highstatus finds like coins a n d evidence ofbuildings). In fact, t h e lack of rich findsa n d the a l m o s t total absence of metalfinds m i g h t indicate t h a t it c o n t i n u e das a native (British) site w h i c h neverb e c a m e a R o m a n villa, a n d was neverlived in by well-to-do Romano-Britons.To take a different a n g l e , perhaps thelack of buildings is a reflection of the factt h a t the people w h o f a r m e d here did notnecessarily live here. Perhaps t h e sitewas o w n e d by absentee landlords, w h oused a t e a m of locals to w o r k t h e landhere, a n d perhaps even those workerslived off site.The excavations at Abbotstone werefunded by T a r m a c Quarry ProductsLtd.

Salt of the earth!Salt is o n e of life's necessities. Before thediscovery of the inland sources of salt inCheshire a n d Warwickshire w h i c h stillsupply us today, salt was producedmainly by distillation of sea water atcoastal sites. There is evidence for prehistoric salt-production at M u c k i n g a n dFenn Creek ( W o o d h a m Ferrers) in Essex,but the best evidence is f r o m t h e lateIron A g e a n d R o m a n period w h e n over3 0 0 salt-making sites are k n o w n f r o mEssex alone. These sites are called 'redhills', because they survive to this day aslow red m o u n d s at approximately highwater mark.These curious sites have attracteda n t i q u a r i a n a n d archaeological interestfor some t i m e . In days g o n e by, theywere t h o u g h t to be Saxon or Danishpotteries, R o m a n brickyards, or c a m p sites used by q u e e n Boudica or Alfredthe Great w h e n he was hiding f r o m theDanes. Organised research dates backto 1 8 7 9 , but t o o k on fresh impetus in1906 with t h e f o r m a t i o n of t h e Red HillsExploration C o m m i t t e e w h i c h d u g a tvarious red hill sites in L a n g e n h o e a n dHullbridge. In recent years, Kay deBrisay was t h e m a i n motivating force inred hill research, d i g g i n g sites in M a l d o nand Peldon.W h e n the Essex Wildlife Trust applied forconsent to create a wildlife sanctuaryby breaking t h e sea wall at GreatW i g b o r o u g h t o allow m a n a g e d retreatof the coastline by t h e sea, this affectedseveral red hill sites. T h e Trust wasGreat Wigboroughcontracted by the Wildlife Trust to fieldwalk the site a n d then test-trench anyconcentrations of material. The fieldwalk revealed several surface c o n c e n t rations (see chart) of R o m a n pottery a n d' b r i q u e t a g e ' , t h e debris f r o m salt m a n u facture. W h e r e briquetage survives inidentifiable f r a g m e n t s , it appears to beof large vessels in w h i c h salt was driedo u t or various pieces of clay rods, propsa n d bars w h i c h m i g h t have supportedthe clay vessels over the fire. O n e suchf r a g m e n t f r o m W i g b o r o u g h was t h e 'firebar' illustrated above.Several test-trenches were t h e n cut overt h e area of surface finds (see picture).T h e removal of t h e ploughsoil revealedthe tell-tale red-coloured earth of t w oseparate red hills, a n d t h e o u t l i n e ofw h a t m a y have been clay-lined 'settlingt a n k s ' o n c e used in t h e salt-makingprocess. A geophysical survey by A l i n ea n d David Black for t h e Trust locateddistinct a r c h a e o l o g i c a l ' h o t spots' overt h e area of o n e of t h e red hills. Fired claystructures like hearths are particularlysusceptible to detection by m a g n e t ometry, a n d it m a y be t h a t t h e g e o physical survey has located a n u m b e r ofsalt-drying hearths on this particular redhill. W h e n the sea wall is b r e a c h e d , thesite will be f l o o d e d , as it was f r o mR o m a n times until t h e construction ofthe sea w a l l .Key R o m a n potteryR o m a n tilebriquetageT h e fieldwalkingwas d o n e withthe help of theStoke-byNayland WEAFieldwalkingGroup.T h e work at Abbotts Hall Farm wasfunded by the Essex Wildlife Trust.T o p left: briquetage f r a g m e n t a n d reconstruction.T o p right: fieldwalking chart.A b o v e : t r e n c h i n g in field.Left: the water feature - elsewhere at Abbotts H a l l ,excavations for a freshwater lake uncovered wooden postsstretching across an infilled c h a n n e l w h i c h o n c e d r a i n e dtowards t h e estuary. The posts are oak, with sharpened points.Almost a h u n d r e d were finally exposed, f o r m i n g t w o parallellines about three metres apart. M o s t were left in place a n dcovered with a protective layer of clay to help preserve t h e mw h e n t h e lake is filled. T h e few finds suggest t h a t t h e structure- perhaps a jetty or small bridge across the creek - m i g h t beR o m a n , but as this is not certain, we are eagerly a w a i t i n g t h eresults of tree-ring analysis w h i c h will be carried o u t by t h eD e n d r o c h r o n o l o g y D e p a r t m e n t at Sheffield University.7

New light onColchesterCastleT h e installation of newfloodlights for the Castlem e a n t t h a t over 2 0 0 metres oftrenches had to be dug for theunderground cabling. Being animportant archaeological site,the trenches needed to be dugby archaeologists and theloose soil checked with ametal detector.A surprising discovery was t h e largea m o u n t of rubble a n d broken tile inm a n y of t h e trenches. T h e material mustlargely relate to t h e late 17th centuryw h e n John Wheeley was knocking d o w nm u c h of t h e Castle. It conjures up apicture of a ruined a n d half-demolishedCastle surrounded by great heaps ofrubble.A n o t h e r striking feature of t h e w o r k wasthe large n u m b e r of clay-pipe f r a g m e n t sf o u n d in the trenches. T h e shaft for t h elift d u g inside t h e Castle in 1 9 9 2 was justthe s a m e , a n d produced large n u m b e r sof bits of broken clay t o b a c c o pipes.Clearly there must have been a lotof smoking in a n d a r o u n d the castlei n t h e past. T h e m e n working o n thed e m o l i t i o n of t h e castle must havesmoked incessantly as they broke up thewalls a n d cleaned t h e stone a n d brick forreuse by c h i p p i n g off the old mortar.However, the most useful o u t c o m e ofthe excavation was t h e realisation t h a tthe f a c i n g stones on t h e batter at t h ebase of t h e keep wall were removed inthe late 17th century as part of t h ed e m o l i t i o n works for t h e castle. We c a ntell this because we f o u n d t h a t they arestill intact below t h e ground-level ofT o p : t h e castleceremony.atthefloodlightingLeft: view of t w o parts of the site, f r o mt h e t o p o f t h e castle a n d o n t h e g r o u n d .Right: excavators w o r k i n g by t h e castlewall.8circa 1 7 0 0 . This s a m e level correspondst o t h e t o p o f t h e f o u n d a t i o n s o f thechapel a n d other buildings on the southside of t h e castle, showing t h a t thesemust have been d e m o l i s h e d to g r o u n d level at t h e s a m e t i m e . N o n e of this canbe c l a i m e d to be especially interesting,but it all helps us to understand how thecastle c a m e to be in the state t h a t it istoday, a n d thus w h a t it m i g h t havelooked like originally.PCT h e excavation was commissioned byColchester Museums.

RomanColchester'swestern suburbT h e planned redevelopment of theSt Mary's hospital site presents achance to explore part of a largeRoman suburb outside the BalkerneG a t e . T h e nature of the archaeologicalremains can be predicted to a degree,because of the major excavation of the1 9 7 0 s on the Balkerne Lane siteimmediately to the south. And there isan old, undocumented plan showingw h a t appears to be the remains of aRoman temple on the St Mary'shospital site itself.Like t h e m o d e r n t o w n , the R o m a n t o w nof Colchester had suburbs outside t h et o w n wall. A large part of the westernsuburbs were excavated by t h e Trust inthe 1970s before t h e construction ofSt Mary's multi-storey car park onBalkerne Hill. As a result, it was possibleto trace the d e v e l o p m e n t of the areaimmediately south of t h e site of t h eformer St Mary's hospital f r o m t h e mid1st century o n w a r d s .The g r o w t h of t h e suburb reflects t h eg r o w t h of the R o m a n fortress a n d t o w nlying to the west. W i t h i n a few years ofthe R o m a n conquest o f A D 4 3 , a g r o u pof flimsy buildings, perhaps workshops,had been erected outside t h e westgate of the R o m a n fort. By the t i m e ofthe Boudican revolt o f A D 6 0 / 1 , m o r esturdy-looking buildings had t a k e n theirplace, lining each side of the L o n d o nroad w h i c h now passed t h r o u g h t h e freestanding t r i u m p h a l arch (on the site ofBalkerne Gate). These were presumablyshops a n d workshops providing serviceindustries to the t o w n . After the revolt, inthe period A D 8 0 - 1 0 0 , the inhabitantsand shop-keepers in the western suburbmust have felt they d i d n ' t fit in in t h equite the same way as before, becausethe R o m a n t o w n wall had now beenerected - a physical barrier between t h esuburbs a n d t h e t o w n , w h i c h incorporated the previous free-standing archwayand converted it into t h e west g a t e of thet o w n . A Romano-Celtic t e m p l e was alsobuilt

With thanks to all the contributors to this issue of the magazine - Pat Brown of Colchester Young Archaeologists' Club . Britain's first town wall Roman public buildings recycled 19 (with reconstruction by Scout Design) 20 . which is quite close to Colchester Zoo. What was the nature of t