Iron Age to Roman field boundaries at Station Road, Ardleigh (EHER 80570)

The majority of the features recorded have been dated to the Late Iron Age-Roman transition period (1st century BC to 1st century AD) and the density of pottery recovered from the site would suggest settlement in the immediate vicinity.

Unknown date. Evaluation and excavation. Evidence for activity during the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Early to Middle Iron Age was limited to occasional residual finds and no Bronze Age, or later, burials, for which Ardleigh is renowned, were discovered. The fieldwork did reveal a pattern of ditches forming field boundaries and a possible trackway not dissimilar to those recorded within the adjacent Scheduled Monument to the east. There is a clear correlation in the alignments of features within both areas, which would suggest a similar pattern of land use extending across both areas. The majority of the features recorded have been dated to the Late Iron Age-Roman transition period (1st century BC to 1st century AD) and the density of pottery recovered from the site would suggest settlement in the immediate vicinity. The presence of such trackways is thought to be associated with the transportation of livestock between grazing areas, indicating a pastoral economy, although mixed farming was also clearly being practised, as wheat, barley and possibly rye grains were recorded in samples taken from a possible ‘oven’ type feature. Evidence for the processing of such grains was also recovered. Very little later Roman activity has been identified suggesting the local settlement activity moved elsewhere, although agricultural use of the land presumably continued. <1>