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An exciting Multi Period Site located in undisturbed ground (Royal Manor Arts College Sports field and located to the south of St Georges Church and cemetery)
Only a small portion of this impressive site was investigated and one hopes that it can be further investigated in the future.
Studying the finds are revealing all sorts of interesting details about the site and demonstrates the importance of not only the work involving excavation, but also the post-excavation work of assessment. Archaeology is about knowledge and not just ‘digging’. For instance, the building material is particularly interesting. The Roman period builders made use of a fairly fine pinky clay to consolidate the stone work and to make surfaces smooth and presentable, while the medieval builders used only white coarse lime plaster with a little grit in it. Quite a fair quantity of small limestone blocks of about 2.5cm square indicate that at least some of the main buildings had floors which were covered with tiny tiles, known as tesserae. Also, in some of the buildings, particularly the round one, there were stone objects which had been carved with a simple fluting pattern and other designs. All this really demonstrates that the part of the site we had excavated, were, almost certainly, not just a simple settlement site.
PERIODS REPRESENTED BY THE FINDS AND FEATURES
The major problem of dating individual structures on this site will be the fact that the residents of all periods represented, all used the same basic materials – limestone, lime plaster and clay - in much the same manner. Quantities of limestone roof-tiles with holes in them for the nails, as well as some Roman –style ceramic roof tiles have been found - unfortunately most of them from the spoil dump where they had been removed by the JCB during the site clearance work. It is, therefore, not certain from which buildings they came; they could be Roman, re-used by the medieval builders. It is almost certain that the builders of the different periods ‘recycled’ materials of previous periods and possibly even utilized foundations and walls of earlier periods to build new structures on. The following periods can, however, be recognised with a good degree of certainty by studying the finds:
MESOLITHIC
There is a scatter of chert artefacts with a Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) aspect all over the site, but no evidence of a definable site of this period. The presence of cores with the waste flakes does, however, suggest that some knapping may have been done in the area. A small unfinished transverse axe has been found.
LATE NEOLITHIC/BRONZE AGE.
There is a fairly substantial presence of lithic material of this period all over the site, including some well-made scrapers. A very large quantity of beach pebbles utilised as hammerstones, chopping tools or polissoirs (polishing stones) have been found. It is suspected that at least a large percentage of these may have been re-used by the much later residents of the site.
IRON AGE.
A quantity of typical pottery sherds of the Late Iron Age have been found scattered on the site and most, if not all, of the crouched/flexed burials on the site appear to belong to this period. It is possible, but not certain, that some of the later limestone structures utilised building material or even features of this period.
ROMAN OR ROMANO/CELTIC PERIOD.
The majority of the structures and many finds on the site belong to this period which can be divided into several phases starting with the late first century AD up to approximately the third century. The vast quantity of pottery consists mainly of black-burnished ware, some New Forest and other native-made ware while the character of the finer ware, such as Samian, is predominantly Roman and includes imported ware such as embossed examples from central Gaul with religious or mythical motives. A number of clay and stone spindle whorls have been found. Metal finds include one or two rings, bracelets, pins and fibulae of the first/second centuries (including a rare one of a duck inlaid with enamel), many hob nails and building nails and numerous pieces of other metal objects but only a few coins, all badly eroded. Pieces of worked stone, but so far no figurines, are present in all parts of the site.
SAXON PERIOD.
No definite structures or clearly classifiable remains of this period have so far been identified, but some poor quality pottery sherds, found near one of the walls overlying earlier Roman structures, could possibly be of this period.
MEDIEVAL PERIOD.
In the south-eastern part of the site excavation, a very large rectangular building was very prominent. The finds associated with the visible top levels are all of a medieval nature, including green-glazed and brown –glazed ceramic ware and ridge tiles of approximately 12th to 15th centuries, all of good quality. Much of the structural and movable remains of this period appear to have been damaged and some may have been removed by the JCB during the initial development work on the site. A few trial trenches have indicated that this building overlies many complex earlier structures.
THE PEOPLE AND HOW THEY LIVED
Recent genetic research in Oxford and elsewhere has indicated that the indigenous Celtic population of England was directly descended from the ancient Mesolithic people who inhabited the country shortly after the end of the Ice Age. It seems likely that Portland may have had thousands of years of occupation by the time the Romans arrived here. We can, therefore, probably talk of a Romano-Celtic population on the Island during the main period the Weston Road site was occupied, although there is no evidence to what degree, if any, the different ethnic groups mixed..By far the largest percentage of the artefacts recovered from the site, show predominantly Roman cultural traits and technology. The presence of a quantity of hobnails, suggests that the users of the population included heavy workers or even soldiers. They may also have included the men who quarried the limestone to make the coffins which were used for the richer Roman burials all over southern England. The large quantity of food material as well as the quality, expensive items from the site, such as enamelled brooches, imported stone items and Gaulish pottery, clearly indicate that the inhabitants were wealth and lived very well. They kept cattle and horses, cultivated grain, fished and collected large quantities of molluscs from the rocky shores as well as cockles from salty, muddy flats – possibly at the Mere by the Chesil Beach. They also conducted trade with the Continent.
Only a small portion of this impressive site was investigated and one hopes that it can be further investigated in the future.
Studying the finds are revealing all sorts of interesting details about the site and demonstrates the importance of not only the work involving excavation, but also the post-excavation work of assessment. Archaeology is about knowledge and not just ‘digging’. For instance, the building material is particularly interesting. The Roman period builders made use of a fairly fine pinky clay to consolidate the stone work and to make surfaces smooth and presentable, while the medieval builders used only white coarse lime plaster with a little grit in it. Quite a fair quantity of small limestone blocks of about 2.5cm square indicate that at least some of the main buildings had floors which were covered with tiny tiles, known as tesserae. Also, in some of the buildings, particularly the round one, there were stone objects which had been carved with a simple fluting pattern and other designs. All this really demonstrates that the part of the site we had excavated, were, almost certainly, not just a simple settlement site.
PERIODS REPRESENTED BY THE FINDS AND FEATURES
The major problem of dating individual structures on this site will be the fact that the residents of all periods represented, all used the same basic materials – limestone, lime plaster and clay - in much the same manner. Quantities of limestone roof-tiles with holes in them for the nails, as well as some Roman –style ceramic roof tiles have been found - unfortunately most of them from the spoil dump where they had been removed by the JCB during the site clearance work. It is, therefore, not certain from which buildings they came; they could be Roman, re-used by the medieval builders. It is almost certain that the builders of the different periods ‘recycled’ materials of previous periods and possibly even utilized foundations and walls of earlier periods to build new structures on. The following periods can, however, be recognised with a good degree of certainty by studying the finds:
MESOLITHIC
There is a scatter of chert artefacts with a Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) aspect all over the site, but no evidence of a definable site of this period. The presence of cores with the waste flakes does, however, suggest that some knapping may have been done in the area. A small unfinished transverse axe has been found.
LATE NEOLITHIC/BRONZE AGE.
There is a fairly substantial presence of lithic material of this period all over the site, including some well-made scrapers. A very large quantity of beach pebbles utilised as hammerstones, chopping tools or polissoirs (polishing stones) have been found. It is suspected that at least a large percentage of these may have been re-used by the much later residents of the site.
IRON AGE.
A quantity of typical pottery sherds of the Late Iron Age have been found scattered on the site and most, if not all, of the crouched/flexed burials on the site appear to belong to this period. It is possible, but not certain, that some of the later limestone structures utilised building material or even features of this period.
ROMAN OR ROMANO/CELTIC PERIOD.
The majority of the structures and many finds on the site belong to this period which can be divided into several phases starting with the late first century AD up to approximately the third century. The vast quantity of pottery consists mainly of black-burnished ware, some New Forest and other native-made ware while the character of the finer ware, such as Samian, is predominantly Roman and includes imported ware such as embossed examples from central Gaul with religious or mythical motives. A number of clay and stone spindle whorls have been found. Metal finds include one or two rings, bracelets, pins and fibulae of the first/second centuries (including a rare one of a duck inlaid with enamel), many hob nails and building nails and numerous pieces of other metal objects but only a few coins, all badly eroded. Pieces of worked stone, but so far no figurines, are present in all parts of the site.
SAXON PERIOD.
No definite structures or clearly classifiable remains of this period have so far been identified, but some poor quality pottery sherds, found near one of the walls overlying earlier Roman structures, could possibly be of this period.
MEDIEVAL PERIOD.
In the south-eastern part of the site excavation, a very large rectangular building was very prominent. The finds associated with the visible top levels are all of a medieval nature, including green-glazed and brown –glazed ceramic ware and ridge tiles of approximately 12th to 15th centuries, all of good quality. Much of the structural and movable remains of this period appear to have been damaged and some may have been removed by the JCB during the initial development work on the site. A few trial trenches have indicated that this building overlies many complex earlier structures.
THE PEOPLE AND HOW THEY LIVED
Recent genetic research in Oxford and elsewhere has indicated that the indigenous Celtic population of England was directly descended from the ancient Mesolithic people who inhabited the country shortly after the end of the Ice Age. It seems likely that Portland may have had thousands of years of occupation by the time the Romans arrived here. We can, therefore, probably talk of a Romano-Celtic population on the Island during the main period the Weston Road site was occupied, although there is no evidence to what degree, if any, the different ethnic groups mixed..By far the largest percentage of the artefacts recovered from the site, show predominantly Roman cultural traits and technology. The presence of a quantity of hobnails, suggests that the users of the population included heavy workers or even soldiers. They may also have included the men who quarried the limestone to make the coffins which were used for the richer Roman burials all over southern England. The large quantity of food material as well as the quality, expensive items from the site, such as enamelled brooches, imported stone items and Gaulish pottery, clearly indicate that the inhabitants were wealth and lived very well. They kept cattle and horses, cultivated grain, fished and collected large quantities of molluscs from the rocky shores as well as cockles from salty, muddy flats – possibly at the Mere by the Chesil Beach. They also conducted trade with the Continent.