Plot 210, Great Haddon, Peterborough: PXA and UPD

Between the 15th July and the 30th August 2019 Oxford Archaeology East undertook an archaeological excavation (2.2ha) on the proposed site of a commercial unit at Great Haddon, Peterborough. The project was part of the Gateway Peterborough development and was commissioned by RPS on behalf of Roxhill Developments Ltd. The site lay immediately to the north of, and was a continuation of, Plot 400 excavated in 2018 (PETPOT18).
The excavation results correspond partially with the results of a geophysical survey carried out previously on the site, in that the trackway ditches were shown to continue beyond the northern limit of the Plot 400 excavation. However, the excavation exposed significantly more archaeology than anticipated despite a phase of evaluation (Pennell 2019) taking place prior to the full excavation. This may be in part due to the very leached nature of the fills of the features, making them invisible on the geophysics. A large multi-phase enclosure was revealed to the west of the trackway, containing the remains of roundhouses and associated pits and post holes. A further area to the north along the trackway exposed a large watering hole and an area of pitting, possibly relating to another area of settlement located beyond the limit of excavation.
As with the adjacent excavation, the majority of the remains were of Middle to Late Iron Age date, although a higher degree of continuity into the Early Roman period was evident compared to Plot 400. The assemblages of artefacts and ecofacts recovered from Plot 210 were smaller in size than the material recovered from Plot 400, although notable assemblages of pottery and animal bone from features attributed to the Late Iron Age phase should provide useful comparisons to the broadly contemporary activity at the Plot 400 settlement.
Iron Age settlement activity within the wider area is well attested to and the results from this site, together with Plot 400 to the south, have the potential to shed further light on the organisation and exploitation of this landscape during the period leading up to the Roman conquest. The trackway between the enclosures is significant as it could be a prehistoric precursor to Roman Ermine Street, which is believed to lie directly to the west of the site along the line of the modern A1(M) motorway. A comparison of this settlement with known local settlements along Ermine Street will form a main focus for the analysis phase of work.