Late Iron Age to Roman activity at land north-east of Witham (EHER 80372)

The late Iron Age to Roman occupation period on site appeared less intensive than the early to middle Iron Age.

June to November 2018. Excavation. Given that the second enclosure is superseded by the imposition of a field system in the middle Iron Age, the vast majority of its enclosure ditch is presumed to have become infilled by the late Iron Age to early Roman period, through either natural weathering, intentional backfill events or cultivation. However, the uppermost fills of the latest second enclosure recuts contained pottery dated to this period, indicating that final disuse/levelling of the enclosure probably occurred during the first half of the 1st century AD. It is also assumed that, by this period, the middle Iron Age field boundary ditches have passed out of use. It appears that this vicinity in the landscape was no longer actively cultivated or managed and was not subsequently brought back into demonstrative cultivation until the post-medieval period. Given the relatively intense land use of the preceding period, the late Iron Age to early Roman period activity is sparse, though does appear to continue to specifically reference elements of the earlier landscape – the entranceway of the former second enclosure. A 1st-3rd century abraded Roman coin recovered by metal-detecting of topsoil and is assumed to be a casual loss. <1> June 2018. Trial trenching Two phases of Roman activity were identified on pottery evidence; the earlier broadly dating to the 1st to 2nd century and a later phase more firmly dated to the 3rd century or later. The remains of 1st to 2nd-century date consisted of three ditches and two pits. In the Phase 1 investigations, there was slight evidence that the early to middle Iron Age settlement area was re-used in the late Iron Age to early Roman period and it is likely that the activity identified is therefore contemporary. However, given the distance (250m+) from the main settlement area and the clustered geographical position of the Phase 2 remains, it is perhaps more likely that they are associated with another area of land use activity located beyond the confines of the site. The 3rd century or later feature, either a ditch or elongated pit, was located at the east end and over 200m from the main settlement area in Phase 1. Given this, it was somewhat isolated in place and time with no contemporary remains of this date identified elsewhere in the Phase 1 or Phase 2 areas. It does, however, limited evidence of continued use of the landscape in the later Roman period. <2>