Prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon Remains at Land off Brandon Road, Thetford: Post-Excavation Assessment Volumes 1 & 2

Excavation of an area of land (1.4ha) close to Brandon Road, Thetford, Norfolk was conducted in September 2002 by Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit (AFU). Important evidence for occupation from the mid 2nd century (Roman) to the 8th or 9th centuries (Middle Saxon) was found and a significant prehistoric component was also present.

The skeleton of a child of probably prehistoric date had been buried in a crouch position associated with the bones of a calf. Nearby, debris from flint knapping during the Mesolithic or Early Neolithic was preserved in a natural hollow. Over 100m to the west was a deposit of a very burnt flint, possibly associated with feasting, pottery making or other specialised activity. The date of this activity is not known although similar deposits are often interpreted as Bronze Age.

Ephemeral and fragmentary evidence for a ditched field system and animal stock enclosure related to the earliest Roman phase. The early field system appears to have been replaced and re-aligned throughout the Roman period. Field systems, stock enclosures, barns, wells and rubbish dumps are all represented, although shifts in emphasis and focus over time are suggested by changes in alignment. Both pottery and metalwork imply continuity at the site from the Roman into the Early Saxon period.

Early Saxon activity attributed to the 5th to 7th centuries is attested by buildings, ovens and pits. The majority of the buildings may have been deliberately located around a rectangular space. Metalworking debris in the backfill of one of the buildings appears to represent a hoard of scrap gathered for recycling and, significantly, the scrap metal includes pieces of Roman as well as Anglo-Saxon date. After the abandonment of these early buildings, during the Middle Saxon period (8th to mid 9th centuries) the site reversed to fields confined within north to south boundary ditches. These ditches were later replaced by a large enclosure with two internal buildings, an industrial oven complex and rubbish dumps. This enclosure seems to have been short-live and was overlain by a building and a large pit backfilled with another hoard of scrap gathered for recycling. The site appears to have been abandoned by the middle of the 9th century.