LPRIA, Roman and Early Medieval Crickley Hill: 2010

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Matrices - the saga

It would be useful to put matrices within the report - we've thousands of contexts, the inter-relationships of which can be seen much more clearly in diagrammatic form

I first created a period site matrix diagram in 1997 using a roll of lining wallpaper - I think it was about 13' long, and an absolute nightmare. Then came the Harris programme - though it has problems, it's OK (mainly 'cos it's free). Better than wallpaper, anyhow, which eventually disintegrated.

I was able to save my efforts (as a bunch of TIFFs) on Omega zip disks, although when the Zip drive contracted the dreaded clickling death (before CD writers became readily available) I was no longer able to access these.

So, I had to start redoing the matrix diagrams, though I managed to procure a volunteer for a few days (thanks to Steve for helping out on this).

If anyone has time to help in continuiny this task, please contact me...

K

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Data

Check out the new pages (links to right of this page)

The 'data' page provides a link to the ceramics database (or click on the title to this post)

Website

A new website is under development!

(Click on the title of this post to access the site, or click: http://crickleyhillad.community.officelive.com/default.aspx)

The finds image database will be available through that site, as will descriptions and interpretations of the Roman and Early Medieval archaeology at Crickley Hill

K

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Volunteer opportunity

If anyone wants to volunteer for helping to develop the matrix (stratigraphy) diagrams, let me know - this will be a great help. The data can be accessed and worked with online, via the volunteer webpages.

If anyone would like to know more about matrices and stratigraphy, check out Harris' book - now available online:

http://www.harrismatrix.com/

And there's a free program available online, that I use for doing the Crickley matrices:

https://www.ads.tuwien.ac.at/ArchEd/

Sunday 11 July 2010

Volunteers again

As last years volunteers have gone off to do there own thing, I'd welcome assistance in finishing a number of tasks, to get this report out there.

There are still plans to digitise, and if any one is based in north Gloucester (which I am not), several hunderd sherds of pottery need sorting and weighing.

If you have other archaeological skills to offer - please let me know!

K

Been a while... Update

It's been some time since I was able to concentrate on Crickley, due to the demands of other research, but I now have a few weeks in which I can again think about the site.
After completing my other work, I'll now be able to include lots of (what to me at least are exciting!) discoveries in the CH hillfort reoccupation report. I've spent the last 10 years staring at plans of hearths etc., with questions of ethnic and cultural identity, so some of this may get into the P3c - 4 (LPRIA - Early Medieval) report - in small doses.

As for the report: I've started re-writing the introduction, in which I hope I'm now a bit more forceful in saying just how important this site really is!
I'm finding the application of modern policies on archaeological report writing rather challenging (primarily due to the excavations being undertaken before these strategies were in place), but I'm finding the structure quite helpful. At the same time, I'm aware that I have to try to make this report a 'good read' - I have my work cut out, notwithstanding the interesting nature of the site!

While I still have access to ArcGIS through Sheffield, I've also again been looking at the site in its wider context - hopefully I'll be able to have access to this programme in the future, although at present, the costs suggest not.

And I'm creating a website relating to periods 3c - 4, so that any one so interested may be able to have easy access to both data and interpretations. However, as a fully functional site that can contain databases will cost, and I'm not earning at present, this site will initially be limited to a basic version of what is to come when I've been able to secure the necessary funds. I'll post the address as soon as it's finished.

K

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LPRIA, Roman and Early Medieval Crickley: Summary

Crickley Hill is an Iron Age hillfort in Gloucestershire that, like many in the west, probably had some late pre-Roman Iron Age activity after a period of abandonment, with sporadic activity during the early Roman period. It was perhaps during this time that occasional buildings were built on the top of the silted-up rampart ditches, and near to the main rampart entrance, although these structures alternatively belong to the later Roman period. A prehistoric ritual monument on the site - the 'Long Mound' - received votive deposits during the Roman period. There was also a possible rectangular Roman masonry structure near the western end of the hill.

During the later Roman period (or possibly during the early 5th century), the hill was once again occupied, perhaps initially within the entrance for industrial activity (although again, this may belong to the earlier Roman phase). A village was built behind the rampart, mainly consisting of 'scooped' buildings arranged in rows; there was also evidence for industrial activity in this area. Buildings were sub-rectangular and sub-circular (perhaps in some cases, polygonal), and would perhaps have been built of cob or turf, with low thatch or turf roofs, and were only single roomed, although perhaps had some form of partition in one case.

On the western end of the hill, a second, probably contemporaneous, settlement was built. This settlement was enclosed by a palisade fence (which perhaps had a 'guard-house' at the entrance), and contained a granary (itself enclosed within a separate fence), suggesting its higher status. The buildings of this settlement were more substantial, and probably timber-framed (sitting directly on the ground-surface), or post-built, resting upon post-pads. They were mainly circular, although the central building was rectangular, and partitioned. This building had a substantial hearth, as well as a number of cooking pits nexts to the front walls.

At some point during or after the Roman period, a monument was built on the north-west terrace of the hill - a scaled-down version of the Long Mound (hence known as the 'Short Mound'). Strangely, the buried features of the Long Mound were replicated. The Short Mound didn't receive votive deposits during the Roman period (perhaps suggesting its later date), and therefore dating is difficult. However, it was stratified over the LPRIA path down the tip of the hill to the Vale, upon which and embedded within was a near-complete local grey ware bowl, imitating BB1, giving an early Roman TPQ (although the bowl may even date to the 5th century). Near to this mound was a structure, possibly associated with worn later Roman ceramics.

Both settlements were burnt down, and re-built to similar plans to, and nearby, the earlier buildings. However, they were burnt down again, and the settlement abandoned. After a period of abandoment, sporadic finds indicate activity in the mid Saxon period.

Publication of research

Previous publications about Crickley include:

Dixon, P.W 1970 Excavations at Crickley Hill: Interim Report, 1970 (Gloucester College Monographs)

Dixon, P.W 1971 Excavations at Crickley Hill: Interim Report, 1971 (Gloucester College Monographs)

Dixon, P.W 1976 ‘Crickley Hill 1969-1972’ in Harding D.W. 1976 (ed.) 1976, Hillforts: Late Prehistoric earth works in Britain and Ireland London Academic Press, pp 162-176

Dixon, P.W 1988 ‘Crickley Hill 1969-1987’ in Current Archaeology 110, 73-78

Dixon, P.W. 1994 Crickley Hill: The Hill-Fort Defences University of Nottingham

Parry, Charles 1994 Crickley Hill Country Park, Badgeworth / Coberley, Gloucestershire. An Archaeological Survey English Heritage, Gloucester C.C., National Trust

Savage, Richard 1988 Village, Fortress, Shrine Crickley Hill Gloucestershire 3500BC- AD 500 Cheltenham

Vol. 6 of the Crickley Hill reports, covering the Roman & Early Medieval phase, is currently in preparation. Contact me if you require interim information on this phase of the site, and I'll do what I can to provide this. Although under major revision, I have already presented much of my research as an MA: Jarrett, K 1999, The Late / post-Roman Settlement at Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire, University of Nottingham. If a summary is required, contact me for details.

LPRIA, Roman and Early Medieval Crickley Hill

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