Bronze Age & Romano British Activity at Eye Quarry, Peterborough: Phase Three

Abstract

An archaeological excavation was undertaken on behalf of RMC Eastern Ltd. at Eye Quarry, Peterborough that continued on from a previous evaluation and excavations. Two distinct phases of human activity were encountered representing similar landscape use in the Bronze Age and later in the Romano British period. A Middle Bronze Age field system was recorded in association with a linear group of twelve cremations and three individual cremations. The final stages of the field system were represented by the construction of three separate clusters of inter-cutting pits that produced Late Bronze Age pottery along with a fragment of a wooden bowl. These large pits seemed to represent a decline in activity within the area with no evidence for Iron Age activity being recovered and it seemed that it was not until the Romano British period that activity began again. During this time evidence suggests that small scale ‘industrial’ type activity may have occurred in association with a series of enclosures that were themselves associated with the suspected farmstead (SMR 3066). Further traces of the Romano-British field system were recorded with the northern and southern systems continuing from the previous excavations.