Archaeology Big Dig 2004 : Part 1
The second archaeology dig continues, with some new trenches being opened up, some old ones backfilled and others where work carries on from the initial web report.
The dig was led by Oxford Archaeology.
Trench 14
Work continues on this trench, with excavation of the buried topsoil below the midden, where there is evidence of Late Bronze Age pottery. Environmental sampling of the soils has also been undertaken.
Trench 15
The skeletal remains of the adult male and child were removed following the press's interest - the dig was televised on both local news programmes (Central News and BBC South), articles were written for all local papers and an interview with Ian Rowland-Hill was aired on BBC's Radio Oxford. Continued excavation of this trench has shown activity from both Early and Middle Iron Age periods, with the pits providing a useful collection of charred remains.
Trench 19
This trench, which is situated south of Hill Farm and to the east of Trench 15, was opened up in the middle of August. It has revealed a series of roundhouse gullies of both Early and Middle Iron Age periods.
Clifton Meadow
Work on these two trenches will be completed today (31/08/04). Roman trackway ditches, together with earlier ditches, have been found in one trench and a Bronze Age field boundary was found in the other. No finds have been discovered, but further geophysical surveys will be carried out north of the trackway ditches.
Read more on the Oxford Archaeology website.
