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EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY West Stow, Suffolk: The Prehistoric and Romano-British Occupations by Stanley West with contributions from Pam J. Crabtree, Brenda Dickinson, Julie Gardiner, Brian Hartley, Carole Keepax, Edward Martin Elizabeth Pieksma and Valery Rigby illustrations by Rebecca Archer, Sheila Fisher and Michael Green Produced by Ja ne Carr East Anglian Archaeology Report No. 48 Suffolk County Planning Department EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY EAST ANGLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY REPORT NO. 48 Published by Suffolk County Planning Dept Old Shire Hall Bury St EdmundsSuffolk in conjunction with The Scole Archaeological Committee Ltd. Editor: David Buckley EAA Managing Editor: Julie Gardiner Scole Editorial Sub-Committee: David Buckley, County Archaeologist, Essex Planning Department Peter Wade-Martins, County Field Archaeologist, Norfolk Museums Service Stanley West, County Archaeological Officer, Suffolk Planning Department Typeset in Plantin by Spire Origination, Norwich Printed by Derry, Nottingham © THE NORFOLK ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT 1989 ISSN 0307 2460 For details of East Anglian Archaeology, see last page This volume is published with the aid of a grant from the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England Cover lliustration Excavations 1967, general view looking west. Contents Contents V List of Plates Vl List of Figures Vl List of Tables vu Contributors Vlll Acknowledgements Vlll Part 1. Introduction The Iron Age and Romano-British I. Introduction brooches 68 II. Geology and Topography of the Lark Objects of bronze 71 Valley 1 Objects of iron 74 Ill. The Site 1 Objects of bone 74 Object of silver 74 Part 2. The Excavation Objects of stone 74 I. Excavation Method 5 Romano-British objects published in II. The Mesolithic 5 Part I (West 1985) 74 Ill. The Neolithic 8 The Romano-British pottery, with The ring-ditch 8 contributions by Valerie Rigby, Brian Cremations 8 Hartley and Brenda Dickinson 76 IV. The Iron Age Settlement 9 Kiln bricks 93 Introduction 9 Querns 93 Phase 1: 3rd-1st century BC 9 IV. Medieval Objects and Pottery from the Phase II: 1st century BC-early 1st Ploughsoil 96 century AD 15 Phase Ill: Early to middle 1st century Part 4. The Human Bone, by Carole A. AD 22 Keepax 'Fire pits' of uncertain date 27 I. Introduction 98 V. Romano-British 29 II. The Cremations 98 Introduction 29 Parl 5. Faunal Remains, by Pam J. The Romano-British pottery industry: earlier discoveries 29 Crab tree The 1965-72 excavations 33 I. The Iron Age Fauna 101 VI. The Medieval Field System 40 Quantification 101 Measurements 103 Part 3. The Artefacts Ageing 103 I. The Prehistoric Flint Assemblage, by II. The Romano-British Fauna 104 Elizabeth Pieksma and Julie Gardiner 46 Quantification 104 II. Iron Age Small Finds 59 Measurements 105 Objects of bronze 59 Ageing 105 Objects of iron 59 Ill. Conclusions 105 Objects of shale 60 Object of glass 60 Part 6. Discussion Object of bone 60 I. The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern 106 Objects of fired clay 60 II. Romano-British Settlement in the Area 109 The Iron Age pottery, with a Ill. The Medieval Ploughland 111 contribution by Edward Martin 60 Bibliography 112 Ill. Romano-British Small Finds 68 Index Finds distribution 68 V List of Plates Pl. I Pit 330. Primary burial in Neolithic Pl. V Romano-British Kiln 5. Kiln ring ditch 8 bricks in situ 38 Pl. 11 Romano-British Kiln 3. Pierced Pl. VI Romano-British Building 1, pit clay plate and kiln bricks in situ 37 with fragment of quem 40 Pl. Ill Romano-British Kiln 4. Pierced Pl. VII Romano-British pottery: decorative central clay pedestal 37 schemes. Scale 1: 1 83 Pl.IV Romano-British Kiln 5. Filling of clay pedestal filling the kiln 38 List of Figures Key to Symbols and abbreviations used Fig. 27 Romano-British: Kiln 3, plan and on the figures 2 section, showing positions of fired clay Fig. 1 West Stow and Lark Valley: location and kiln bricks and perforated plates 36 geology 2 Fig. 28 Romano-British: Kiln 4, plan and section 38 Fig. 2 The Lark Valley showing topography, Fig. 29 Romano-British: Kiln 5, plan and section 39 the Icknield Way, Roman Roads and the Fig. 30 Romano-British: pit proftles 42 Black Ditches 3 Fig. 31 Romano-British: plan of Building 1 42 Fig. 3 (a) The location of the excavation in the Fig. 32 Romano-British: plan of Building 2 and Lark valley in relation to other sites; (b) post-hole sections 43 West S~w Heath in detail 4 Fig. 33 Medieval cultivation: traces of rig and Fig. 4 West Stow excavation: all periods, Iron furrow 44 Age in black 7 Fig. 34 Medieval cultivation: section of rig and Fig. 5 Mesolithic: density of worked flints 6 furrow 45 Fig. 6 Neolithic: plan and section of the ring Fig. 35 Flint: rnicroliths 49 ditch with cremations 8 Fig. 36 Pebble macehead 49 Fig. 7 Neolithic: plan and section of central Pit Fig. 37 Flint: axes 50 330 with silhouette of crouched burial Fig. 38 Flint: arrowheads 52 and position of bead 9 Fig. 39 Flint: arrowheads 53 Fig. 8 Neolithic: cremation proftles, Nos 1-22 10 Fig. 40 Flint: arrowheads 54 Fig. 9 Neolithic: cremation profiles, Nos 23-49 11 Fig. 41 Other flints 55 Fig. 10 Iron Age: Phases I, 11 and Ill, plan l3 Fig. 42 Flints and stone bead from Pit 330 56 Fig. 11 Iron Age: Phases I and 11, plan 14 Fig. 43 Flint: Mesolithic flint concentrations and Fig. 12 Iron Age: Phase I, pit sections 16 tools 57 Fig. 13 Iron Age: plans of enclosures of Phases I, Fig. 44 Flint: distribution ofNeolithic 11 and Ill 17 implements 58 Fig. 14 Iron Age: enclosures of Phases I, 11 and Fig. 45 Iron Age small fmds: objects of bronze, Ill, ditch proftles 18 iron, shale, glass, bone, fired clay 61 Fig. 15 Iron Age: Phase 11, plan of Hut 1 and Fig. 46 Iron Age Phase I pottery 62 post-hole sections 19 Fig. 47 Iron Age Phase 11 pottery 64 Fig. 16 Iron Age: Phase 11, pit sections 20 Fig. 48 Iron Age Phase 11 pottery 65 Fig. 17 Iron Age: Phase Ill, plan 21 Fig. 49 Iron Age Phase Ill pottery 66 Fig. 18 Iron Age: Phase Ill, plan of Hut 2 and Fig. 50 Iron Age Phase Ill pottery (wheel- post-hole sections 24 thrown) 67 Fig. 19 Iron Age: Phase Ill, plan of Hut 3 and Fig. 51 Iron Age loomweights 69 post-hole sections 25 Fig. 52 Iron Age and Romano-British brooches 70 Fig. 20 Iron Age: Phase Ill, pit sections 26 Fig. 53 Romano-British brooches 70 Fig. 21 Iron Age: Phase Ill, ditch proftles 28 Fig. 54 Romano-British objects of bronze 72 Fig. 22 'Fire-pits' of uncertain date 30 Fig. 55 Romano-British objects of silver, iron Fig. 23 Romano-British: plan 31 and bone 73 Fig. 24 Romano-British: finds distribution 32 Fig. 56 Romano-British objects of stone 75 Fig. 25 Romano-British: Prigg Kilns 1 and 2 and Fig. 57 Romano-British pottery: Type 1 77 West Kilns 1-500 34 Fig. 58 Romano-British pottery: Types 2-4, 6 79 Fig. 26 Romano-British: Kilns 1 and 2 and Fig. 59 Romano-British pottery: Types 4.7-11.1 81 Fig. 60 Romano-British pottery: Types 12-26 section of smother pit (1949) 35 and miscellaneous 84 VI Fig. 61 Romano-British: Gallo-Belgic pottery Fig. 66 Romano-British: Quernstones 97 stamps 87 Fig. 67 Medieval objects of bronze and stone 97 Fig. 62 Romano-British features with 1st-and Fig. 68 Neolithic ring ditch: Age and sex 2nd-century finds 90 distribution among the cremations 107 Fig. 63 Romano-British: Kiln bricks, Kiln 3 94 Fig. 69 Unassigned post-holes.with possible Iron Fig. 64 Romano-British: Kiln bricks, Kiln 3 95 Age structures indicated 110 Fig .. 65 Romano-British: Kiln bricks, Kiln 5 96 List of Tables Table 1 Mesolithic: concentrations of worked Table24 Romano-British pottery: painted ware 85 flints 5 Table 25 Romano-British pottery: Gallo-Belgic Table 2 Neolithic: distribution of cremations 8 pottery stamps 86 Table 3 Iron Age pits: analysis by shape for all Table26 Romano-British pottery: samian sherds three phases 12 from Romano-British pits and Kilns 4 Table4 Iron Age: Phase I pottery and published and5 92 sherds from illustrated pits 12 Table27 Romano-British pottery: Roman features Table 5 Iron Age: Phase 11 pottery and published with samian 92 sherds from illustrated pits 15 Table28 Roman pottery: occurrence of forms with Table 6 Iron Age: Phase Ill pottery and Kilns 3, 4 and 5 92 published items from illustrated pits 23 Table 29 Medieval pottery recovered from the Table 7 Romano-British: Kiln 3, brick sizes 37 plough soil 96 Table 8 Romano-British: comparisons of pit Table 30 Human bone: numbers of certain bones shapes 41 present 98 Table 9 Romano-British: analysis of pits by Table 31 Age and sex of cremations 98 shape, plan 41 Table 32 Average weights of cremations 99 Table 10 Romano-British: analysis of pits by Table33 Percentage weights of cremated and shape, section 41 uncremated bone 99 Table 11 Romano-British: analysis of pits by size Table34 Cremations: age and sex 100 maximum width/length 41 Table 35 Fauna! remains: species represented in Table 12 Composition of the flint assemblage 46 Iron Age features 101 Table 13 Flint: classification of cores 47 Table 36 Faunal remains: species/anatomy Table 14 Flint: classification of microliths 47 distribution for Iron Age features 102 Table 15 West Stow flint flakes: length, breadths Table37 Faunal remains: comparison of MNI and and length/breadth ratio 48 fragment count methods 102 Table 16 West Stow flint flakes: length, breadths Table 38 Fauna! remains: anatomical groupings and length/breadth ratio (cont.) 48 for Iron Age pits and ditches 102 Table 17 Romano-British pottery: analysis of types 76 Table 39 Fauna! remains: specific proportions for TablelR Romano-British pottery: Type 1 flagons, Iron Age pits and ditches 103 numbers and % within group 77 Table40 Fauna! remains: withers height estimates Table 19 Romano-British pottery: Type 2 jars, for Iron Age cattle 103 numbers and % within group 78 Table 41 Fauna! remains: kill pattern tor Iron Age Table20 Romano-British pottery: Type 4 bowls cattle 104 and dishes, % within group 80 Table42 Faunal remains: distribution of pig Table21 Romano-British pottery: Type 5, analysis mandibles 104 of decorative features (compass rings and Table43 Fauna! remains: kill pattern for Iron Age combed lines) 82 sheep and goats 104 Table 22 Romano-British pottery: Type 5 features, Table44 Fauna! remains: species present in vertical combed lines 82 Romano-British features 104 Table 23 Romano-British pottery: size and Table45 Fauna! remains: specific proportions for incidence of ring stamps 84 Romano-British features 105 Vll Contributors Pamela Crabtree, M.A., Ph.D. Edward Martin, B.A., Department of Anthropology, Princeton University. Field Officer, Suffolk Archaeological Unit, Suffolk County Planning Department. Brenda Dickinson, B.A., Research Assistant, Department of Archaeology, Valery Rigby, B.A., University of Leeds. Prehistoric and Romano-British Department, British Museum. Julie Gardiner, B.A., Ph.D., M.I.F.A., Managing Editor, Council for British Archaeology Stanley West, M.A., Ph.D., F.S.A., Principal Archaeological Officer, Suffolk Archaeological Brian Hartley, M.A., F.S.A. Unit, Suffolk County Planning Department. Department of Archaeology, University of Leeds. Carole Keepax, B.Sc., Formerly of the Ancient Monuments Laboratory, Department of the Environment. Acknowledgements The excavation was funded throughout by the Department thanks are due to Jenny Coy of Southampton University of the Environment (now Historic Buildings and and to Roger Jones ofthe Department of the Environment Monuments Commission for England), who also for their labours with the fauna! material, to other members undertook the conservation and some drawing of the small of the Laboratory, especially John Price and other finds. Special thanks are extended to John Hurst for his Conservation Section staff. J ane Carr was responsible for support over the years and to the Laboratory and the co-ordinating, and the production, of this report. Thanks Drawing Office of the Department of the Environment. also go to all the members of the Suffolk Archaeological Over two hundred people assisted in the excavations Unit for helpful discussions and forbearance, and to Mrs over the eight seasons, often in adverse conditions: their B.Colson for typing the report. efforts are gratefully acknowledged here. The site assistants deserve special mention, particularly Geoffrey Moss who was my deputy for seven of the eight seasons as well as Summary Tania Dickinson (nee Briscoe), Hugo Blake, John Cherry, This volume constitutes the second part of the report on Christine Gordon, Catherine Hills, Edward Martin, Jan the excavations at West Stow, carried out by the author Roberts, Stephen Taylor and Jan Walker. The between 1965 and 1972. encouragement of Dr M. Bird and the kindness and Extensive earlier occupations of the site were revealed consideration shown to the excavation team by Mr and Mrs by that excavation and form the subject matter of this Jeffrys of Wideham Cottages is not forgotten. report; the Mesolithic industry; the Late Neolithic The post-excavation analysis of the material was cemetery; the Iron Age settlement and the Romano-British advanced by the efforts of Rosemary Luff, Joan Shaw and pottery industry; being important to local studies, each in Ja n Walker. Thanks are due in particular to Elizabeth their own right. After the Anglo-Saxon settlement (West Pieksma for her analysis of the large quantity of flints. 1985) decayed, in the 7th century, the site remained Much of the pottery was drawn by Sheila Fisher and unoccupied until it was ploughed for a time in the 13th Rebecca Archer also illustrated some of the small finds. century. Following a sand-blow the area reverted to Michael Green provided valued assistance in the drawing heathland and remained undisturbed until the 19th of plans and preparing illustrations for publication. Special century. viii