Barcombe Villa - July 2005

Welcome to the Barcombe Roman Villa 2005 season page. We hope to keep this page fairly up-to-date with progress at this years excavations with a diary in a similar format to last year. Please visit this page regularly to track our progress. As with last years diary, high-resolution versions of most images are available upon email request (please remember to include the image reference).

Time is going so quickly, the UCL students have now left after a very successful and enjoyable four weeks, the public training courses have finished, and we have now started the public volunteer weeks.

The early phase bathhouse is now fully excavated (see picture). Pits adjacent to the bathhouse, and in the SE corner of the site have produced numerous finds. A line of postholes west of the bathhouse appears to continue the fence line found last year, and traces of a prehistoric ditch have also been found.

In the new SW extension of the trench we are cleaning up the chalk foundations of the enclosure wall. there is a trace of flint gravel metalling within the courtyard, and a half circle of postholes which may be part of a roundhouse. A small pit has yielded Saxon pottery.

We have also been searching for the London-Lewes Roman road. Margary shows this running on the east side of the river, but it makes more sense for it to run along the west side. A10m wide band of flints can be seen running across one of the field just to the east of the Villa site, so a trench was excavated to see if this was the road. Although no dating material was recovered, an agger covered with plough-damaged flint metalling was uncovered, with the agger sitting on a base of large flints.

Our recent open days were a success with around 400 people visiting the site over the two days. Many thanks to all those who helped organise and run these events.

Fig 1: The excavated bathhouse [BV05-0705-029]. Fig 2: Recent finds; Bone and bronze pins and a pottery spindle whorl [BV05-0705-031].

Fig 3: Drainage ditch associated with the bathhouse and filled with rubble from its demolition [BV05-0705-036].

Fig 3: Drainage ditch associated with the bathhouse and filled Fig 4: The UCL student team and supervisors [BV05-0705-028].
with rubble from its demolition [BV05-0705-036].

Fig 5: Excavating the Roman road trench [BV05-0705-035].

Fig ?: Showing groups of visitors around the site on the open day [BV05-0705-034].

Fig 5: Excavating the Roman road Fig 6: Supervisor Clive's wish for rain is answered [BV05-0705-027]. Fig 7: Showing groups of visitors around the
trench [BV05-0705-035]. site on the open day [BV05-0705-034].

This weekend we took part in the Time Team Big Roman Dig, opening the site the the public at large and holding extra events. Excavation works continued at a pace uncovering new features.

Fig 2: Younger visitors on our open day having a go at digging [BV05-0705-022].

Fig 1: The excavated early bathhouse [BV05-0705-016]. Fig 2: Younger visitors on our open
having a go at digging [BV05-0705-022].

Fig 4: Visitors watching finds being washed and sorted on our open day [BV05-0705-025].

Fig 3: The bookstall and finds on display during our open day [BV05-0705-018]. Fig 4: Visitors watching finds being washed and sorted on our open day [BV05-0705-025].

BARCOMBE ROMAN VILLA 2005 - JULY DIARY