Excavations at Eye Quarry. The Southern Extension. Phases 1, 2 & 3

Abstract

In 2006 a year-long archaeological investigation was undertaken at Eye Quarry, Eye, Peterborough. This marked the ten year anniversary of excavations undertaken by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit at the site, and proved to be the most intensive excavation to date. Located to the southwest of the previous study areas, this investigation evolved and expanded from an excavation of two quarry phases to three, almost doubling in size during its progress. The study elucidated the later prehistoric periods, furthering our understanding of the extent and character of the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age activity at Eye, and the expansiveness of the subsequent Middle Bronze Age field system identified in the earlier excavations. The Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age were represented, again, by large inter-cutting pits dispersed across the study area, but this time they were complimented by a number of structures varying in form from four-post structures to roundhouses, along with a single longhouse. These structures were clustered together representing a single small focal point of occupation within this landscape. The 'settlement' activity continued into the Middle Iron Age bridging the gap in the pottery record highlighted by the earlier excavations, and adding a new dynamic to the site's history. Few Romano-British features were recorded, a result of the distance of the excavation areas from the farmstead, though a series of field boundary ditches represented the continuation of the field system noted previously emanating from this centre of activity.