Ipswich UAD child record record IPS 1421 - 1st-2nd century Ditches and Gullies

Ditches
All of the ditches were located within the southern half of the site forming a complex immediately to the south of a contemporary trackway (3299) (Plate 1) and associated well (3218) (Plate 2). The ditches were clearly, not all contemporary, but inconclusive stratigraphic relationships and relatively undiagnostic artefactual evidence has led to the broad phasing presented at this stage of the project. Further analysis will almost certainly lead to the recognition of sub-phases within the Late Iron Age and Early Roman Period. However, the general trend exhibited by this period appeared to involve the formalisation of a somewhat irregular set of ditched enclosures/fields into a more organised rectilinear system orientated north-north-west to south-south-east and west-south-west to east-north-east.
The ditches varied in their dimensions and general character ranging from only 0.2 metres wide and 0.1 metre deep to c.1 metre wide and c.0.6 metres deep. A number of the ditches, particularly those orientated from north-north-west to south-south-east within the more formally arranged system, exhibited prominent re-cuts on the same or similar alignment.

Gullies/Slots
Three features described as gullies/slots, due to their size and near vertical sides, were recorded.
Two of these (0781/0926/2105/2197 & 2121/2206/2208) were orientated east-north-east to west-south-west and were located in an otherwise empty area towards the north-east corner of the site. These features were almost certainly contemporary and while divorced from the ditch concentration to the south, share the same general alignment. Both features had a maximum width of 0.3 and depth of 0.3 metres, usually steep sided with a rounded bottom and a brown silty sand fill. The function of these features was unclear.
The third gully/slot (3072/3216) was located towards the southern edge of the site and comprised two curving components with a maximum width of 0.3 metres and depth of 0.2 metres with a fill of brown silty sand. The function of this feature was unclear, (S1).