Monument record THS 042 - Early Iron Age Pit and Roman grain dyer and associated features on Land To The East Of Ixworth Road (PCG) GEO (CAS) EVAL (RPS/PCA) EVAL

A random scatter of residual struck flint from Roman and post-medieval features provided evidence for transient prehistoric activity within the site from the Late Neolithic into the Iron Age periods. The earliest dated feature was a pit which contained a small assemblage of Early Iron Age pottery that has been dated to 600-350 BC. The main concentration of archaeological activity was centred on in the south-east corner of the site, where the remains of a Roman grain dryer and associated features were encountered, along with the remains of a ditch system and other pits, including a possible well. The date range of the pottery recovered from these features was imprecise but tended to the mid to late Roman period, although some earlier material was present in the assemblage. The pottery was also abraded and in generally poor condition, suggesting that it had been dispersed over the site, probably from nearby middens. It is therefore likely that the settlement associated with these remains lies beyond the boundary of the site to the east or south and that the activity is peripheral to the main focus of domestic occupation. Environmental samples taken from the Roman features yielded generally poor results, with few identifiable seeds or grains being present in the assemblage, although charcoal was relatively abundant in features surrounding the grain dryer. Other features encountered by the evaluation included a possible pond or watering hole in the north-east corner of the site and the remains of former post-medieval field boundaries, one of which is depicted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of the area. A modern concrete service pipe was also identified in the northern part of the site (S1).