Early post-conquest Roman ditch, Maldon Landfill Site (EHER 8901)

A watching brief and salvage excavation recorded a number of features which contained Late Iron age/Roman pottery. In particular was a ditch which produced a rim fragment from a collared flagon of the mid 1st century AD, grog-tempered pottery including a probable pre-conquest platter copy, Romanising and other wares, and a burnt bodysherd from an imported White Fine North Gaulish lagena. An early post-conquest date has been suggested for the ditch

May 1990. Watching brief and salvage excavation. A number of features contained Late Iron age/Roman pottery. Ditch F43 produced pottery of this period including a rim fragment from a collared flagon of the mid 1st century AD, grog-tempered pottery including a probable pre-conquest platter copy, Romanising and other wares, and a burnt bodysherd from an imported White Fine North Gaulish lagena. A sherd of large coarse ware storage jar was re-fired or over-fired, possibly indicating nearby pottery production. Other finds consisted of a Colchester brooch of copper alloy (Hull's Type 90), a type which generally dates to the first three-quarters of the 1st century AD, bone, tile, and iron including blades and nails. An early post-conquest date has been suggested for the ditch F43. <1> See photo <2>.