Mesolithic to post-medieval activity at Bartlow Road, Linton, Cambridgeshire: PXA and UPD

Between 22nd October 2018 and 22nd February 2019 Oxford Archaeology East undertook an open area excavation within a parcel of land to the south of Bartlow Road, Linton, Cambridgeshire (TL 57242 46443). The excavation area measured 1.4ha within a total development area of 4.5ha. Area 1 encompassed most of the total area (1.3ha), while Area 2, close to the river in the south of the site, was much smaller (0.1ha).
The principal discovery was several significant flint scatters of Late Mesolithic date recovered from the upper horizons of the river terrace gravels in the southern part of Area 1, with further flintwork of a similar date being recovered from deposits of colluvium on the south-facing slope of Area 1 and also from later features. Within the gravels, the interpretation is that only the base of the Mesolithic land surface had survived, the flintwork having effectively sunk into ‘softer patches’ of the silty gravels. Despite the truncation of the land surface, exceptionally large assemblages of worked and unworked burnt flint were recovered from the four scatters; overall, the site produced one of the largest Mesolithic assemblages ever recovered from a single phase of excavation in Cambridgeshire. Field walking of the machined level produced c.2,000 struck flints from the surface of the gravels, whilst test pitting produced varying quantities, from less than 10 pieces in some, up to c.800 - 1,000 struck lithics in one test pit.
Neolithic and Early Bronze Age activity was evidenced by a much smaller assemblage of struck flint, including a single leaf-shaped arrowhead and several scrapers and edge-retouched pieces, mostly recovered from the colluvial layers in Area 1. A single pit containing Early Iron Age pottery was located in the east of Area 1, with a small number of further contemporary sherds recovered as residual material in later features.
Whilst there were no definite features of Romano-British date, finds of Roman pottery, ceramic building material and quern stone were recovered, which probably come from surrounding sites. Three Anglo-Saxon sunken-featured buildings were encountered on the south-facing slope of Area 1, with which a small number of pits were thought to be contemporary. Medieval and post medieval activity was represented by ditches and a hollow way running along different contours in Area 1, as well as quarrying in the south of Area 1.