Monument record ETN 023 - Land at Easton Primary School, Easton.

Please read our .

Summary

Archaeological excavation identified Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Agricultural and settlement activity on the site. The settlement shifted away from the site by the Middle Bronze Age however a roundhouse was present in the corner of the site. Activity continued and expanded during the Romano British period although still on the periphery of a settlement there is evidence for an industrial area and a cremation burial. The settlement seems to have declined or shifted by the early 4th century AD.

Location

Grid reference Centred TM 2872 5844 (121m by 112m)
Map sheet TM25NE
Civil Parish EASTON, SUFFOLK COASTAL, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (21)

Full Description

A large assemblage of residual Mesolithic-Early Neolithic struck flint was found in features/deposits across the site. It included high proportions of primary working and core reduction waste, indicating that the glacial deposits on and around the site were intensively and repeatedly exploited as a source of good-quality knapping flint. The earliest dateable feature was an Early Bronze age pit which contained a placed deposit of beaker pottery. In the Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age, the landscape was subdivided into a field system, occupation was evident from large quantities of pottery in some deposits and from a possible roundhouse. Activity shifted away from the site by the Middle Iron Age but there was still a settlement somewhere in the vicinity and a circular structure, probably a roundhouse, was constructed in the corner of the site in the late 1st century BC/early 1st century AD. Activity continued and expanded during the Romano-British period, when the site seems to have been on the periphery of a settlement located further up the hill to the north-west. A set of boundary ditches divided this settlement area for a downslope 'industrial' area containing quarry pits and an oven or kiln. A particularly notable feature from the early Roman period was an un-urned cremation burial containing beads, metal fittings and other debris apparently collected from the pyre, which allow the funerary rite to be reconstructed in some detail. Two areas of finds-rich buried soil indicate dumping of domestic rubbish at the edges of the Roman settlement. The settlement seems to have declined or shifted away by the early 4th century AD (S1).

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <S1> Unpublished document: Slater, M-A.. 2017. Post-Excavation Assessment Report: Land adjacent to Easton primary School, The Street, Easton.

Finds (32)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (2)

Record last edited

Feb 5 2020 10:53AM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.