Return to the iron age for Farthing Downs 'time team'Jul 21 2006
By Leon Watson
Farthing Downs are on the southern edge of London. On this photo, a couple of Anglo-Saxon burial mounds can be seen.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed Iron Age and Roman pottery during a week-long excavation on Farthing Downs.
Fragments were discovered in one of the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds, originally excavated by antiques collector John Wickham Flower in the 19th century.
Archaeologists working at the site this week believe the pottery must have been missed by Wickham Flower, as he removed all the artefacts he unearthed.
It follows the discovery of human bones in graves near the burial mounds during a dig at the site last year - held, such as this dig, in National Archaeology Week.
The Downs have been of archaeological interest since Wickham Flower excavated 16 barrows (Anglo-Saxon burial mounds).
His dig was followed by a survey of the field boundaries of an Iron Age settlement and the excavation of a number of burial mounds by Brian Hope-Taylor, one of the foremost archaeologists of his generation, during the Second World War.
These excavations formed the basis of this week's dig, and researchers have been ploughing through Hope-Taylor's "lost" reports - which were found a year ago.
The discovery of the reports, written in 1947 and 1948, has also unearthed historic photographs from Hope-Taylor's dig.
This week, a team of archaeologists from English Heritage, the Museum of London Archaeology Service and students from University College London's Institute of Archaeology excavated several trenches.
It has all been in a bid to learn more about the people who have settled there throughout history, and work will continue at the site until Sunday.
Barry Taylor, of English Heritage's Greater London Archaeology Service, said: "People lived on Farthing Downs for thousands of years, but as yet we know little about them.
"Modern scientific techniques will help us to understand more about our ancestors and their environment."
The team found pieces of Iron Age and Roman pottery in several of the trenches, leading them to believe there was a settlement nearby
A member of the English Heritage team said: "Farthing Downs is one of the most impressive later prehistoric settlement sites I've worked on.
"The earth and chalk banks that once formed the tracks and boundaries of the Iron Age landscape are still visible on the ground today, more than 2,000 years after they were constructed.
"These remains have fascinated people for centuries and even inspired the local Anglo-Saxon communities to bury their leaders along the line of these ancient earth-works.
"We hope members of the public will come and see the progress of the dig at this fascinating and ancient site."
http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.u...for-farthing-downs--time-team--name_page.html
By Leon Watson
Farthing Downs are on the southern edge of London. On this photo, a couple of Anglo-Saxon burial mounds can be seen.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed Iron Age and Roman pottery during a week-long excavation on Farthing Downs.
Fragments were discovered in one of the Anglo-Saxon burial mounds, originally excavated by antiques collector John Wickham Flower in the 19th century.
Archaeologists working at the site this week believe the pottery must have been missed by Wickham Flower, as he removed all the artefacts he unearthed.
It follows the discovery of human bones in graves near the burial mounds during a dig at the site last year - held, such as this dig, in National Archaeology Week.
The Downs have been of archaeological interest since Wickham Flower excavated 16 barrows (Anglo-Saxon burial mounds).
His dig was followed by a survey of the field boundaries of an Iron Age settlement and the excavation of a number of burial mounds by Brian Hope-Taylor, one of the foremost archaeologists of his generation, during the Second World War.
These excavations formed the basis of this week's dig, and researchers have been ploughing through Hope-Taylor's "lost" reports - which were found a year ago.
The discovery of the reports, written in 1947 and 1948, has also unearthed historic photographs from Hope-Taylor's dig.
This week, a team of archaeologists from English Heritage, the Museum of London Archaeology Service and students from University College London's Institute of Archaeology excavated several trenches.
It has all been in a bid to learn more about the people who have settled there throughout history, and work will continue at the site until Sunday.
Barry Taylor, of English Heritage's Greater London Archaeology Service, said: "People lived on Farthing Downs for thousands of years, but as yet we know little about them.
"Modern scientific techniques will help us to understand more about our ancestors and their environment."
The team found pieces of Iron Age and Roman pottery in several of the trenches, leading them to believe there was a settlement nearby
A member of the English Heritage team said: "Farthing Downs is one of the most impressive later prehistoric settlement sites I've worked on.
"The earth and chalk banks that once formed the tracks and boundaries of the Iron Age landscape are still visible on the ground today, more than 2,000 years after they were constructed.
"These remains have fascinated people for centuries and even inspired the local Anglo-Saxon communities to bury their leaders along the line of these ancient earth-works.
"We hope members of the public will come and see the progress of the dig at this fascinating and ancient site."
http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.u...for-farthing-downs--time-team--name_page.html