Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group Norfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research GroupNorfolk Archaeology Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group

The Norfolk Archaeological & Historical Research Group

2007 Excavations

The warm heady days of last Summer’s Roman building excavation at our excavation site just below Norwich are now just a pleasant memory. However, post-excavation work has continued.  All finds have been hand-washed, dried, identified, recorded and entered within the excavation database records. This has been a long slow process. Copies of the data have been sent to the NHER at Gressenhall and formally recorded on the County archive. And of course time has been spent reflecting both on the nature and function of the building(s) as revealed both in our trial trenches and in our magnificent aerial photos of the site. 

The bulk of the finds consist of Roman roof, flue-duct and floor tiling. These are recorded by weight. Surprisingly, relatively little Roman pottery was recovered considering the size of the building. Most pottery consisted of Greyware sherds and rims, with the odd piece of Samianware. The larger diagnostic pieces of tile and the majority of the pottery were recovered from the fills of the five large post-holes that were exposed in two of the trenches. The larger tile pieces were used as packing support for the posts, and did not appear to have been disturbed from their original positions.  These 1.5 metre deep post-holes once held massive posts that supported (with twenty other posts) a long timbered building that straddled over the end of (and cut) the mortar foundations of the earlier Roman building. The timbered building (34.5m length and 7.5m wide) might be of late Roman construction. The post-holes also contained a total of twenty three badly corroded iron nails, and what appears to be the iron tang of a handled implement. Two other corroded remains of iron agricultural implements with tangs (hand-sickle and hoe-head) of Roman origin were also recovered from the fill of a ditch cutting the mortared foundations exposed in Trench A. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the post-fills also contained quantities of cattle bones within their top-layers. However, the most significant finds of all recovered from the post-holes are the thousand plus fragments of Roman painted wall-plaster. 

Painted wall-plaster fragments are very rare finds indeed within the context of British Roman archaeology, and only a few fragments have previously been found in Norfolk excavations. The large quantities recovered from our excavation have already been generously donated by the landowner to the Norwich Castle Museum where they are now under-going a process of initial conservation and evaluation. They will be made available in due course for detailed expert study.  Some initial comments though can be made. The plaster was found mixed with-in the post-fills at varying levels. It even appeared deliberately mixed with-in lumps of clay packing which supported the posts. Clearly, part-demolition (if not more) of the high status building containing the painted plaster walls seems to have taken place prior to the erection of the timber-post supported building.

The size of the plaster fragments varies considerably from small finger-nail size through to hand size. It had clearly been broken into small fragments prior to deposition in the post-fills. Close examination of all the fragments reveals Red or Black border banding, and Red or Green plant stems with perhaps leaf edges, akin to vines climbing. Other pieces are Blue, Green, Yellow, Grey, White or Black. Only one fragment has what might just be the very edge of a human face, but this awaits specialist confirmation. Unfortunately we have not as yet recovered any fragments that have clear human or animal representation. Perhaps future excavation of the other adjacent post-holes may reveal these. The background colours of the plaster were very vivid at excavation, and were similar to the range of pigment colours seen on Roman wall paintings at Pompeii and Leptis Magna. The Stoke pigments may have been imported from the Mediterranean region. The painted plaster originates from probably two separate rooms (which were traversed by the later timbered building). The two rows of post holes have produced two distinctly different groups of painted plaster in terms of colours and texture. One group is definitely more refined and delicate in texture. These differences may reflect not only different wall designs but also differing functions of the rooms themselves. 

The original building also revealed evidence of industrial activity, possibly late Roman in date, but this is still subject to scientific confirmation. An extensive charcoal and slag spread, with indications of iron-working, was found inside one end of the largest room. This is a sealed occupation level as well, and has been left untouched for future excavation. Some organic material sample (wood) was removed from the upper surface in order that scientific analysis and possibly dating can take place. A few metres away, the remains of a small smelting hearth was uncovered. It was built alongside one of the two wings that extend out on the north side of the building. The hearth was attached to the external wall, and has a complete tegula (with five dog paw-prints!) as a floor. The top of the hearth has been broken by ploughing, but enough material remains in-situ to establish its probable construction and shape. Its wall foundations consist of recycled roof tile set within fired-clay, with the exterior covering comprising of Imbrex tile. The large quantity of curving Imbrex fragments suggests that the hearth was barrel-vaulted standing no more than 0.3m high and 0.5m long. It has a small inspection hole (perhaps for a small crucible), and a shallow ash rake-out area. All the ash contents are currently undergoing scientific analysis to establish dating and usage (which will be reported on later). It is clear that the original high status building went through a construction change that brought industrial activity both outside and inside its walls. How the large timbered building relates to these changes is as yet unclear, and can only be answered through more excavation work.  

The function of the original building is still not certain, but we must assume from its painted plasterwork and layout that it was a high status building of considerable local importance. The original building layout as seen on the aerial photos is unique in Roman Britain. There are no known parallels. Research has so far established that some of the layout features seen are known in northern France on Gallo-Roman buildings in the Somme area, near Abbeville and Cambrai. As we have other buildings on the site which must be examined as well, it is clearly much too early to draw definite conclusions about our site and its occupation during the Roman period.

We do have plans to continue our evaluative excavation work in this summer (2008), and beyond. Anyone (who has not previously done so), who would like to join our excavation team (advice and training given) should forward their name and telephone number to myself, or the membership secretary without delay.

Jim Beckerleg, Director of Fieldwork 

A field just below Norwich