Monument record FLN 061 - Flixton Park Quarry, New Phase 11 and a small part of New Phase 12 (prehistoric) (Preh)

Palaeolithic: A single unstratified handaxe.
Isolated pits of Early Neolithic and Late Neolithic date, the latter including significant quantities of Late Neolithic Grooved Ware and worked flint (including scrapers), represented the earliest activity recorded in the stripped area. The form and general character of these features was similar to many others excavated at Flixton which suggest a repeated formal deposition process which is not clearly understood, but does not seem to represent domestic activity.

The double ring-ditch was large, with an external diameter of 40 metres for the outer ditch and 27 metres for the inner component. The outer ditch was c.2 metres wide, with a depth of c.1 metre and a V-shaped profile, while the inner ditch was 5 metres wide, with a bottom that sloped gently towards the internal edge, and had a maximum depth of c.0.8 metres. The fill included a relatively large quantity of abraded pottery which included sherds of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age and later Bronze Age date. One feature was recorded in the area confined by the inner ring-ditch. While located relatively centrally and exhibiting a shape and size that would be consistent with it being a grave there were no artefacts and no evidence for a body.

The second ring-ditch was located c.70 metres to the east of the first close to the most concentrated area of the Early Anglo Saxon settlement. The ditch was penannular, with opposed butt-ends to the north-east, with an external diameter of c.10 metres, a maximum width of c.1 metre and a maximum depth of only 0.2 metres and exhibiting a gently rounded bottom. No finds were recovered from the ditch fill, or from the rectangular feature confined by the ditch. While there was no evidence for a body, the internal feature was clearly regular in shape and it seems likely that it did represent an associated burial. However, dating the ditch and possible burial is problematic as it exhibited elements that could place it in either the Early Bronze Age period, forming part of the dispersed group known to exist at Flixton, or the Early Anglo Saxon period, although its juxta-position with the settlement makes the latter less likely.

Two pits of Late Bronze Age date were recorded, one of which included a single large sherd of pottery placed towards its base and was cut into the side of the internal component of the double ring-ditch (S1-S2).

Specialist report summarising the results of the assessment analysis of the prehistoric pottery from six sites excavated within Flixton Park. The pottery form the six sites represents a large and chronologically diverse assemblage including Earlier Neolithic and later Neolithic Early Bronze Age assemblages (S3).

Report on the Petological Analysis of Grooved Ware and other Later Neolithic and Earlier Bronze Age Pottery from Flixton Park (S4).

Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2001 (S5).