Hinxton South Field, Phase 3

The Phase 3 excavations undertaken on behalf of the Wellcome Trust at the South Field, Hinxton Genome Campus, have given further insights into the prehistoric to post-Roman landscape identified by previous stages of work carried out over the last 21 years.
As has been found previously, the early natural landscape was dominated by pools and run-off channels extending across the valley terrace towards the River Cam to the west. New evidence for the early utilisation of this landscape was identified in the form of a shallow pond or pool containing a rare and mostly undisturbed scatter of Later Upper Palaeolithic flintwork ('long blades'), one of the largest from the country (c.5000 flints). This assemblage is considered to be of national and perhaps international importance. An initial assessment of use wear on a sample of the flints
shows that the material is exceptionally well preserved and there is some indication that residues also survive on a proportion of the implements.
Adjacent to this area of flints was another hollow containing pottery and flints datable to the Early Neolithic period (from c.3800BC) which also constitutes an important assemblage with good research potential on a more local and regional level. Located a few metres to the east of this hollow was a double burial comprising the poorly-preserved remains of two contracted adult skeletons: radiocarbon dating has demonstrated that these are both Early Neolithic (between 3767-3539cal BC) and therefore of some rarity in Britain.
In addition to a scatter of pits and tree throws, a possible structure comprising an arc of post holes was identified on the northern part of the site. Some of the nearby pits appear to date to the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age period (c.2500-2230 cal. BC) based on the presence of Beaker pottery.
A few truncated pits of Iron Age date were also present and, although no definitely Roman features were identified, a background scatter of pottery, coins and other finds attests to activity in the vicinity in this period.
The major ditched boundary, recut on a number of occasions and recorded in earlier excavations, also continued into this area, adjacent to which were a few features containing Saxon and later pottery. A human skeleton uncovered in the upper part of the Early Neolithic hollow has been radiocarbon dated to the Middle Saxon period (688 - 878cal AD).
Features associated with the small medieval satellite settlement (identified by previous phases of work) were found to continue adjacent and to the west of the major boundary. These included the remains of at least two timber structures, occupation deposits, an oven, pits and several boundary and trackway ditches, most of which appear to date to the late 11th to 12th century. Evidence for later medieval and post-medieval activity largely comprised metal-detected finds and included two horseshoes and a possible secular cap or livery badge in the shape of a griffin-like bird; all of which probably date from the 14th to 15th centuries.