This morning marked the penultimate site briefing; the project directors gathered everyone for an update on the progress of the excavation and outlined current interpretations. Thus far it is thought that the Iron Age material emerging from the two trenches reflect a first century B.C date for the occupation. It has been tentatively suggested that the round house structures and Iron Age pits excavated in Trench B may be earlier in date than those in Trench A. The excavation of gully sections from many of the round house features has been completed; the anticipated post holes, which would have provided the round houses with structural support, are notable by their relative absence. Two interpretations have arisen regarding the function of the circular gullies; they could be supporting dry walls or function as a water drainage system. The absence of floor levels is problematic in characterising the interior functions of the round houses, particularly in ascribing function to specific areas in a roundhouse and inferring social and cultural practices. As of yet, it cannot be certain whether one round house reflects a functionally discrete unit, or whether a collection of roundhouses with varying domestic functions contribute to an extended family unit. A number of sub-circular, shallow bowl shaped cuts into the chalk have been excavated in Trench B, there appears to be little hint as to their function, very similar features have been excavated on other Iron Age sites in Dorset, those at Gussage All Saints have been recorded as working hollows; covering a very broad range of possible activities such as threshing.
Once the site briefing had finished, the excavation continued, in Trench A, the articulated remains of the pigs were photographically recorded and excavated. In Trench B, the pits in the central round house feature were discovered to contain a quantity of domestic refuse. As of yet, there has been little in the way of diagnostic finds that could indicate whether the central pits were contemporaneous with the round houses.