Land East of New Road, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire: PXA and UPD

Between August and December 2017, a team from Oxford Archaeology East undertook a 5.4ha archaeological excavation East of New Road, Melbourn, Cambridgeshire (TL 390 440). This followed evaluation work in August 2014.
Naturally formed periglacial hollows were found across the site, with mixed colluvial and incipient soil fills containing Mesolithic struck flints and Early Neolithic flint and pottery, as well as animal bone and, in one case, disarticulated human skeletal remains.
Later Neolithic activity was confined to three possible Early-Middle Neolithic pits and 16 Late Neolithic pits associated with Grooved Ware pottery. They were concentrated in, but not exclusive to, the south-west of the site. As well as pottery, struck and burnt flint, animal bone and charred nut shells, one of these contained both aurochs and domesticated cattle bones, another a selection of red deer, roe deer and elk antler (the latter previously considered to be extinct in the region at this time). Freshwater shell, rare for the period, particularly on inland sites was also found in two pits. The pits have been radiocarbon dated to broadly c.2900-2500calBC, although the elk antler itself, possibly curated, remains to be dated.
A single Early Bronze Age un-urned cremation burial and a slightly later inhumation burial, were also located in the south-west of the site, dated to 2141-1945 cal BC (95.4%) and 1922-1742 cal BC (94.3%) respectively. The latter was surrounded by a double ring-ditch and probably capped by a barrow. A second, undated probable barrow lay in the north of the site.
A multi-phased Middle Bronze Age settlement and enclosure system dominated the eastern part of the site, comprising lines of postholes (over 500 individual posthole in total) forming enclosures and paths, along with a ditched rectilinear enclosure. Three wells were dug across the east of the site, taking advantage of the lowest contours. One of these contained a Middle Bronze Age pottery assemblage. There were up to 10 post-built roundhouse-type structures, as well as several other structural forms. Environmental preservation from wells was moderate, including pollen, but poor from other features.
Possible Roman (or medieval) road-side structural remains were present in the form of beam slots, on the line of what would become Ashwell Street in the post-medieval period.
A post-Roman enclosure ditch with causeway, lying largely beyond the north of the site’s limits, has been radiocarbon dated to the 7th-8th centuries AD (Early/Middle Saxon period). This was evidently modified, part-backfilled and cut through by a well. None of these later features producing contemporary finds.
Multiple phases of post-medieval (and earlier) ditches marking Ashwell Street were also present, itself forming a hollow way, as well as later post-medieval tracks. These were filled in by the time of enclosure in 1840 and the construction of New Road.