Camel Road, Littleport: Post-Excavation Assessment & Updated Project Design

The excavation was complete in two distinct stages beginning in October 1997 and concluding in March 1998, following an assessment in May 1997. The site was on Camel Road, close to the centre of the town of Littleport, Cambridgeshire (TL 5660 8715). The land is currently being redeveloped for housing b the owners agent Construct Reason Ltd. The development area was at time of investigation a pasture field, with a building towards the east, fronting onto Camel Road. The excavation was commissioned by Construct Reason Ltd, and was undertaken by the Archaeological Field Unit (AFU) of Cambridgeshire County Council.

The only period represented at Camel Road, Littleport is of Romano-British date. The Roman remains at Camel Road are thought to be part of a much larger Roman settlement of some importance. Whether it can be called a 'Villa Estate' is questionable, however the building materials and artefacts indicate high status occupation and the area of investigation appears to be that of an activity zone close to these buildings. The primary function of the site changes over time and includes rubbish disposal, industrial activity, occupation, (stock?) enclosures, drainage and re-cutting of the same features over time, where occupation is sustained. Fills from the disuse of features has produced large quantities of high status pottery, such as Samian, including much that is decorated, with general pottery forms and vessels indicating consumption rather than transportation or storage. Many thumb impressioned wine flagons were recovered, plates and beakers, as well as glass vessel fragments. Adding more weight to the interpretation of high status occupation is that the building material recovered includes significant quantities of imported building stone, rather than the local material, painted wall plaster fragments, roof, floor and box flue tile and stone. In addition daub from the round house appears to have been 'white washed'. The presence of box flue tile would suggest that a bathhouse was nearby.