Archaeological Mitigation & Excavation, Dorset
As part of our on-going programme of works in Dorset, we undertook Archaeological Mitigation & Excavation in a phase measuring c. 13,660m². Three separate phases of activity were revealed with initial occupation seemingly occurring in the Early Neolithic.
In Brief
Key Points
- Multi-year programme of archaeological works
- Area of archaeological potential from Prehistoric & Romano-British to Post-medieval activity
- Individual phase of c.13,660m²
- Post-hole contained wood fragments radiocarbon dates to c.3770-3648 cal. BC
Summary
A programme of Strip, Map & Sample Excavation was undertaken in advance of gravel extraction within one phase at the quarry. Cognisant of the timescales by which the phase was needed, the team worked efficiently on-site and excavated features that seemed to represent three phases of activity across the site.
Results
The excavation revealed three separate phases of activity, with the initial occupation of the Site seemingly occurring in the Early Neolithic, as evidenced by a radiocarbon date from a single post-hole; this was followed by the construction of a probable Bronze Age ring-ditch, and finally two post-medieval boundaries, one of which is still extant in the surrounding landscape.
Based on the palaeoenvironmental evidence, it appears that burning was taking place in the vicinity of the features during context deposition; however, the insufficient quantities of carbonised cereal, carbonised and uncarbonised wild taxa and molluscan evidence precluded any further palaeoenvironmental interpretation.
