Today in Area G, recording is taking place of an oven or perhaps kiln. Although it is in the vicinity of the Roman building it is thought to be slightly later, around 350AD, at a time in which people started moving outside for industrial uses. The oven consists of a ring of scorced flint and limestone as well as a flue and it is thought that the material used could have been recycled from the Roman villa. It is currently being surveyed by first years Zoe Ward and Leah Harding, studying Archaeological, Anthropological and Forensic Science, and being supervised by second year Prehistoric and Roman student Adrian Jacklin.
The oven/kiln found in Area G
Adrian Jacklin and Zoe Ward surveying their feature using the Total Station
In Area H, a large pit that was half excavated last year and yielded 6 black-burnished ware pots and 5 perinatal inhumations has today uncovered some particularly interesting finds. Currently being excavated by myself and Jack Martin-Jones, a first year student studying Prehistory and Roman archaeology, the pit has also revealed a lovely piece of worked Red deer antler, confirmed by animal bone expert Mark Maltby. It is not necessarily the animals that are present that is important, but how people used them that make their presence on site important. Since the beginning of the dig, small animal remains have been found at the bottom of pits including frog and mouse bones and it has been debated whether or not these were placed as offerings or have inhabited the pit after it was cut. At the bottom of our pit in Area H, a frog has been found completely intact with skin still on and a burrow hole was also in one of our contexts and included nesting material such as hay and straw. This shows how it is very plausible for animals to be entering the pits after the deposits have been made. Other animals that have been found on the site so far include two complete cow skulls and a complete dog skull as well as the upper leg and scapula (shoulder blade) of a sheep.
South-east of the site in Area F, an inhumation of a child thought to be aged at around 3-5 years old is continuously being exposed. Sara Gwynne, a first year student studying Archaeological, Anthropological and Forensic Science has been exposing the bones along with A-Level student Naomi Flack. Naomi is currently studying Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Geography and hopes to study Archaeology and Anthropology at university.
Sara Gwynne and Naomi Flack excavating the inhumation burial